Hey guys, I've been just lurking around lately rather than posting but I have an update from my own home Hi-Fi/Audiophile adventure.

Long Story
After finding a loose tile in my downstairs shower I ended up gutting the place and starting from almost scratch, as I was tearing that out, I decided to fix a few more minor issues around the place. Then, I decided I needed to repaint and if I was going to repaint, I might as well change the carpet and the laminate in the downstairs kitchen...

and what became a shower job turned into an ENTIRE downstairs remodel.

At some point I decided to put in home media room that would mold seamlessly as possible into a nice family room and thus far I've succeeded. It has a nice carpet, good walls... I found out a few reason for some oddities in the construction... The room had been built with accoustics in mind, the drop ceiling is allegedly acoustical tile, that one weird cabinet in the wall is an old stereo cabinet and the strange super thick wall apparently serves as both sound proofing for my neighbors and a support for my fireplace above.

So here I am, with room that works perfect for a home theater, but no projector or screen, I did a ton of research and then one day I see the projector I was really interested in, a Sony 55ES going out of production and on fire-sale.

Well, that was easy. SOLD!

End of Story, Now the Question

So now I have a projector, a 7.5 ft tall wall by 11 ft wide, my triton 2s, SuperCenterXL, a couple SuperSat3s and... no Projector screen.

I started doing research on them and holy crap... I can't really find a whole lot that's solid and objective in the reviews. I did figure out that I wanted a tab tensioned motorized/manual screen that was accoustically transparent but WHICH one?

I've reached out to several retailers and I have samples on the way, but what do you guys think? I'm a 3D loving kinda guy, so how big should I go and which screen would you recommend and why?

Tetrall,

Congrats on the purchase! That Sony is a exemplary unit! You should be extremely happy with it. I do have a few more questions and recommendations.

1. Will this be a dedicated theater? Will you be able to control ambient light completely most of the time? If the answer is yes, do you really need a motorized screen? The best and lowest cost screens are usually fixed frame.

2. Regarding acoustic transparency, do you plan to place your speakers behind the screen? If not, I would avoid this solution. I believe that the transparent screens can look grainy and still block a certain amount of sound. If you sit a ways back and have good amps and room correction, no problem. If you're not putting you screen in front of your speakers, I wouldn't worry about this feature. That said, placing you center channel behind the screen is the recommendation for best performance.

3. Check out the reviews of this model Sony. For 3D, reviewers seem to recommend a 100" screen with a 1.3 gain. If 3D is important, as it is for me, this is crucial. 3D brightness was the primary reason I went with my projector over this Sony and the comparable JVCs. With a 1.3 screen gain, your going to want to block out ambient light. If you go with a .8 screen gain to allow for viewing in ambient light, this will diminish 3D brightness.

4. An acoustically transparent screen that is both motorized and tensioned adds a lot of costs in features. You need to decide if these are really worth it for you. It's kind of like buying a fully loaded Hyundai versus a base model BMW. Does that analogy make sense?

I went with a 110" screen with 1.0 gain and am very happy. The only thing I would do differently is go with a 4K screen that is a bit smoother. My screen shows a bit of graininess. There are smoother screen surfaces that are designed for 4K that will improve your picture. This may be one area that going with a custom installer may be a good idea. There are a lot of things to consider and the cost savings of ordering on-line aren't necessarily worth the risk of picking the wrong screen.

Congrats again on the projector purchase. The VPL-HW55ES is a GREAT unit! Please let us know what you decide and how it works out. You're going to have a great setup!

Cheers,

T Cobe

1. It is not technically dedicated as my goal is to make it partially multipurpose though the use of bean bags, heavy curtains, and the retractable screen. I will have extremely good light control as it is a basement and the only windows will be completely covered during movie nights.

2. My plan is to place the speakers behind the screen... This is also why I want a retractable screen so that when I listen to music, the screen goes up and I can sit quietly in my chair, soaking in music with zero acoustical disturbance.

One of the reasons I really like the Sony is because LCoS was (supposedly) supposed to have an easier time of seeing well due to the tighter distance between pixels... Which I am HOPING will make the PQ less grainy.

3. In Accoustically transparent, I think the closest I can get in a weave is around 1.0

4. I can definitely handle NOT having motorized, pulling it down by hand is perfectly acceptable but I don't mind paying for, tab tensioned I think is kinda important unless I am just buying a really cheap screen. Your analog TOTALLY makes sense

I wish I had about 3 more feet would make it so much easier, but Accoustically I don't want my Tritons too close to the corners of that wall, the base may get boomy if I do that and lose the tightness that I love so dearly.

I totally get I am moving up in cost, but how often do folks upgrade their screens? If I get a really nice one now, maybe I won't need to replace it when eventually 4k HDR projectors hit decent prices.

Hey Tetrall, welcome back!!!! Now we know why you have been so quiet lately, you have been BUSY!!!!
Sounds like (I liked your long story!) you are going to have an exceptional home theater and music/family room.
What a great project. I wish you all the best on it.
Totally love my 3D too, so I cheer you and T. Cobe there.
Oops, sorry, I know nothing about screens, so I can't really help, just wanted to cheer you on!!!!
I can say, bigger is better. And with the acoustically transparent screen, you can go well out beyond the T 2s to the left and right while keeping them outta the corners.
Have fun with it, it will be great, happy listening
God Bless,
Wayne

Tetrall,

You've got,it well planned out. I'd still consider a professional installer for the job and helping you pick the right screen material. 100 to 110 inch is probably going to be your best bet. To get a visual of screen size while you are shopping, you can use some painters tape and mark out the dimensions of the screen size you are considering. That worked well for me.

Getting a manual pull down screen may save you a little. Acoustically transparent screens with the speakers behind them are widely thought of as the best solution and being able to raise the scree for 2-channel listening will give you the best of both.

The picture on your Sony will be outstanding, no worries there. I doubt you'll get any graininess from it. I don't get any from my projector either but the screen itself has some type of coating that adds a graininess. I made the mistake of going too low on cost but we had just moved into a new home and our budget was tight at the time. I do plan to upgrade my screen material later. Of course, I keep hoping that the 4K projectors will come down in price too...

Good luck with your project. It's awesome to have a dedicated theater with a projector. Ours is in the basement but gets used nearly everyday. Please post some pics as you progress. Happy hunting!

Cheers,

T Cobe

Hey guys!

So after all that work researching transparent screens...

I found out that a 103" on the back wall was so impressive and far enough off the ground as to make say.

"Why do I think I need a bigger screen again?"

I had no clue how large a screen I was getting myself into and now that I've experienced the 100" Aprox size, I had to scoot myself back about a foot to really enjoy it.

Also, no matter how close I get on a sheet that is draped on the wall I CANT SEE ANY PIXELS! I would recommend this monster to a friend in a heartbeat.

Also, the GoldenEars are amazing, I need to do a little room treatments to cut down on the reflections with the highs, but other than that it's absolutely amazing!

Oh, and even at THX levels thanks to being built deep in the earth, not even the base makes it out to my neighbors. I can watch all night, listen all night, and no one will be any the wiser!