Projector Screen Size / Colour

[kinda]

Hello,

Hoping for some advice from anyone with some experience / knowledge.

Recommendations on screen size vary but having moved into a new house I'm looking at having a screen about 157cm wide, (72" diagonal), at a 2.89m viewing distance after having one about 2m wide at 3m.

This fits better for the aesthetics of the new room, but I'm worried i may feel it's not cinematic enough. Wondered if anyone has used 72" at about the same viewing distance and if they can confirm you still get that big screen feeling?

Also in my previous room I could get a low level of ambient light for films at night and the room was pretty much all white excluding the black sofas. In the day time the room was full daylight effectively, but I could eliminate direct Sun. Pictures were fine though I would have liked slightly blacker blacks at night, and it could have done with being a little brighter and better saturated in the day, (to different degrees, content dependent; anytinhg dark and murky was a bit of a non starter).

The new room has grey carpets, same settees, darker walls, and pretty much all light can be eliminated at night, there may occasionally maybe a bit of ambient light similar to the previous room. In the day time I can control the daylight better and have the room not dark but quite dim sort of a twilight level; everything totally visible but any darker and you'd say it was starting to be dark.

So I've thought about having a grey instead of white screen. I'd perhaps improve the contrast and black level further at night, but am thinking given the change in room do I really need it, and will the picture be too dark in the daytime?

Any knowledge or experience of using similar screens would be muich appreciated.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Which projector are you using? That will certainly have bearing on contrast performance in different lighting conditions, as well as the best screen to use.

And what are you mostly watching - Blu-rays? HD TV? Again, this will have bearing on your viewing distance. I sit less just under 3m from my 83in projector screen, which is brilliantly involving with quality movies/sport/drama, but is understandably unforgiving of low-par SD content.

 

[kinda]

Hello,

The projector is an Epson EH-TW3500 1800 lumens, 36000:1 contrast ratio. I watch mainly BluRay, some upscaled DVD, and occasionally HD or upscaled SD TV, (with some sports in the daytime). The BluRay is Samsun BD-C6900 (with iPlayer / LoveFilm) and a Sagem Freeview+ box.

At about 3m on my current screen, (about 92 in), I've found the pictures very good. Only occasionally for some poorer SD channels has the picture not been great in terms of resolution. I've also never felt that the pciture was too large although I have maybe sometimes thought it could be slightly smaller without losing much spectacle. But could I cope with losing 20"?

I'm not unhappy with my current screen but if changing it for size reasons could also change colour if there is a benefit. With a smaller screen the picture will be brighter / more satrurated anyway, and the room is be darker both at night and in the daytime. The cream wall where the screen will be looks pretty dark at night, so blacks will be better than before even with a white screen I think.

But I'm thinking could I get away with a grey screen maybe but have never experienced one. Would it give me better blacks and colours (though it's dark they never seem to use coloured screens in the cinema). And would it perhaps make the image too dull in the daytime?

 

[Clare Newsome]

I think you've a dark enough room (if in doubt, invest in black-out linings for curtains) and a good enough projector to make a grey screen unnecessary (consider also that grey screens can make whites look murky, plus can cut down your viewing angle).

However, I would strongly suggest you check out screens and their available sizes - there should be several options between your current, @90in screen and the @70-in one you've considered.

I'd also find a dealer with a good selection of options and push for home trials if possible.

 

[kinda]

Thanks.

I think I'll go with white - I was having that feeling anyway.

In terms of the size I can only have a screen casing about 181cm wide, which has tended to mean a 72" screen so far. If I have it wider then it will be wider then the architraving going round the chimney breast and I've been told this is not allowable but I could revisit.

Not where I wanted the screen really but working within the contraints of the room it seems the best option. I suppose I was just hoping someone would come on and say that they used a 72" ish screen at about 3m and it felt like home cinema.

I'm tempted to just go for it as when I first installed my projector at my old house I still had a tall CRT in there and the projector picture had to be above it and so couln't be the full width and height of the screen, but I still seem to remember was impressive. I just can't escape the worry I might be underwhelmed. Maybe I will need to demo, or maybe just for a test stick my projector on a unit or something and give it blast for size.