Home Theater Projector Screens

A relatively new add on to homes is the home theater system. Going beyond a standard TV these systems include massive screens, with surround sound, and adjustable lighting. Arguably the biggest focal point of your system a screen, can either help or cripple your setup. There are a couple of different things to consider when buying a screen.

The first is choice of electric, manual, or fixed screens. Manual screens are perfect for installations where you want to be able to raise and lower the screen but not very often. It's kind of the perfect balance between a fixed screen and the cost of an electric screen. Electrics screens are excellent for when you want to roll the screen up and down frequently. Take care in selecting an electric screen as motor noise can become a factor. I have installed several whisper quiet models and some that sounded like a motor boat! This could be important if you plan on rolling your screen up and down in front of your audience. Fixed screens are the cream of the crop when it comes to home theater systems. A permanent screen allows for the use of exotic materials such as acoustically transparent screen material.

Your screen size is just as important. To find out how big you want your screen measure to the back row of seats and divide by 8. Now depending on your screen format (either 4:3, 16:9 or something else) punch that into a screen size calculator like this one. One other important thing to consider is your medium. Video medium such as DVD or HDtv usually use a 16:9 format some videos game systems allow you to switch between 16:9 or 4:3 but be aware that some still use a 4:3 presentation. What does this mean. If you have a 16:9 screen format and you display a 4:3 picture you get a nice big square on your rectangular screen, and it may fall off the bottom or top.

The next thing to consider is finish and type of screen material. Screen material and finish affect a huge variety of factors in your home theater setup. Each type of material has strength's and weaknesses and you may need to do some research to decide which will be best for your setup. Also you need to consider your media. Video games, movies, and PC display often have different light level requirements.

Most electric and manual types have a matte finish. This is your run of the mill screen. They respond well to most light levels and viewing angles being being an almost set and forget kind of screen. They are not well suited to extremely dark or bright light levels. If your going to exclusively watch your video in the dark go for a more reflective screen.

The high contrast screens are great at reproducing video media but they have a fairly narrow viewing angle. They can faithfully reproduce black tones without sacrificing the white light levels. They are easily cleaned and are widely available.

Glass beaded screens will have much brighter images but they have much narrower viewing angels. These are great for straight on viewing and rooms where the ambient light is not as controllable.

These are more difficult to clean and are usually only present in a fixed screen package.

Cinema Vision screens are offer a wide field of viewing from any angle and reproduce bright colors well. May not be best for dark movies as the darker hues can be a bit washed out. Easily cleaned, some electric and manual models have these types of screens available.

There are lot's more options but most manual and electric screens will offer up either a matte or high contrast finish. Depending on the ambient lighting in the room and your medium these two finishes will cover your setup just fine. To see a much longer and more in depth list of screen types check here.

There are a wide variety of brand names available and cost levels available. Price is not always an indicator of quality.

Mustang projectors are some of the less expensive ones around and they come in all your standard styles and colors. They are high quality and their electric screens have fairly quiet motors. I have put up quite a few mustang screens and been well pleased with the results.

Elite screens is another big brand name and they usually have high quality screens with nice quiet motors. The customer reviews on Elite screens are almost always great. I have never been disappointed with an Elite screen.

Da-lite screens are the cream of the crop when it comes to electric and manual screens. They have one of the widest selections when it comes to screen sizes, finishes, and accessories. They have special options available such as RF remotes and other specialized equipment.

Draper is best suited for fixed screen setups and they have that market pretty much cornered. They have all the exotic setups like acoustically transparent screens and glass beaded setups. If you are going for the movie theater experience this is for you.

Most of the projector makers also make screens but I have found that Mustang and Elite make equal if not better screens for less money.

If none of this is just right for you or you can't find the right size and format for you there is another option. Home made screens are perfect for the do-it-yourself kind of person. Do it yourself screens have the nice advantage of being much cheaper. Here are two guides that will give you an idea of what's possible. The first site is here, they show you some of the important considerations to making your own screen. The next site is here and this site shows a completely different method of creating your own screen. Most home made screens are fixed by nature so this is an option if you don't mind giving up a wall.

I hope this guide gives you a good head start on picking out a screen you can find more information at wikipedia and as always shop around and check user reviews on the screens your interested in.