How to Select the Best Projector Screen

We understand that shopping for a projector screen can be a little intimidating; there are lots of choices. Please don't hesitate to call our product specialists at 1-800-637-3181 with any questions regarding your projection screen purchase.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Absolutely Nothing!

1. Brand-
   
   There are many different brands of projector screens available on the market today. Projector Screen Store.com offers a wide selection from the major manufacturers, including industry leaders like Da-Lite, Draper, Buhl, Sima and others. There are over 10,000 screens to choose from at ProjectorScreenStore.com, and it easy to shop by your preferred brand.
2. Price-
   
   Whether you are buying a screen for home use, or procuring one for your office or organization, price is a key factor is choosing a projector screen. Depending on the intended application, the price of a screen will vary. Generally, screens start in the few hundreds of dollars, and go up to thousands, depending on size, materials and other criteria. At Projector Screen Store.com, you are able to search based on your price range, and valuable tool when working within a budget. If you're on a tight budget, be sure to check out the selection of Projector Screens for under $100.
3. Electric screens are those which descend and ascend back in to the casing electronically. Often they are operated by remote control. Electric cases may be externally mounted to the ceiling, or recessed into the ceiling (additional construction may be required). They may also be mounted to the wall, both wall and ceiling or ascend up from the floor. Many electric screens are tensioned, which means that the screen is pulled taut from the sides to create the smoothest possible image surface.
4. Manual screens tend to be less expensive than their electric counterparts. Just like electric screens, they are available in ceiling, wall, both ceiling and wall, or floor-mounted models. They are operated by hand, and therefore are subject to more wear and tear. To avoid some of the problems that come about handling manual screens, certain mechanisms are put in place to make the screens tougher. For example, Controlled Screen Return (CSR) helps regulate the speed at which the screen rolls back into the casing.
5. Fixed Screens are permanently set up, with no raising or lowering required. If you are planning on using your screen regularly, and have a space set aside for it, this may be the best option. Many fixed screens are permanently tensioned, much like a canvas stretched over a frame.
6. Front vs. Rear Projection - Front projection screens are placed facing the projector. This is a more commonly used set-up, but allows for obstacles between the projector and the screen to block or obscure the image. Rear projection screens are specially designed to allow the image to be projected from behind the screen. Rear projector screens come in many different varieties and fabric types, each for different applications.
7. Wall Mounted screens affix easily to your wall using a bracket system. They may be manual, electric, or fixed. Many may be placed flush to the wall, or extend out a bit to allow for some space behind the screen.
8. Ceiling Mounted screens affix easily to your ceiling using a bracket system. They are available in models which hang from the ceiling or are recessed. Recessed screens are available in manual or electric, but there are many fixed ceiling screens as well. Many screens may be affixed to either your both the ceiling and wall, depending on your needs. They may be manual, electric, or fixed.
9. Portable, or floor screens are the best option for maximum mobility. Projector Screen Store.com offers many options for screens to take with you on the go. Below are descriptions of the broad categories of floor or portable screens available on the market today.
   
   -Floor mounted electric screens are stored in the base, and extend upwards using a spring system.
   
   -Floor mounted manual screens are stored in the base, and extend upwards using a number of different possible manual mechanisms.
   
   -Folding or Frame screens are supported on both sides by vertical legs. They are often light-weight and very easy to set up.
   
   -Inflatable Screens are an innovative new design perfect for outdoor use. Easy to store and assemble.
   
   -Tripod screens are supported by a tripod base, and are easy to move and store.
   
   -Ultra Portable screens are smaller formats, and ideal for table-top presentations.
10. Screen format refers to the aspect ratio, or the proportion of width to height of a particular screen. There are several types of standard formats. The best format depends on how you use the screen. Other formats are available on Projector Screen Store.com, but these are the most common.
    
    HDTV: These screens have a width to height ratio of 16:9. This matches the specifications for widescreen viewing, and is therefore best for home theater set-ups with HDTV capabilities.
    
    Multi-Format: The aspect ratio of these screens can be adjusted using masking devices. These are multi-purpose, easily adaptable for presentations or video viewing.
    
    Slide: These screens have a width to height ratio of 1.25:1. They are ideal for slide presentations.
    
    Square: These screens have a width to height ratio of 1:1. These screens are ideal for presentations and use with overhead projectors. Square screens may be partially descended, thereby changing the aspect ratio. For example, if you pull a ceiling mounted square screen only half-way down, the width dimension remains the same, but the height is half. This could be useful for more widescreen applications.
    
    Video: These screens have a width to height ratio of 4:3. This format is the standard format for television screens and computer monitors. This format is good for home theater set-ups when you are watching programs in either widescreen or regular formats.
    
    Widescreen/Cinemascope: These screens have a width to height ratio of 1.85:1. This is the format used for most movie theater screens.
11. Width and Height
    
    If you know exactly how much space you have to place a screen in, then searching by width or height are very useful parameters. If you are using the projector screen for presentations, a good rule of thumb is to find a screen whose height is 1/6 the distance from the screen to the last row of seats. Ideally, the first row of seats should be two screen heights away. Furthermore, the bottom of the screen should be a minimum of 4 feet above the floor.
12. Fabric Type
    
    Choosing the right screen fabric type is very important in maximizing the quality of the image you are projecting. The two most important qualities of a specific fabric are its gain and viewing angle. Gain is a measurement of how reflective a screen is. The higher the gain, the brighter the image. However, as gain goes up, viewing angle goes down. Viewing angle refers to the maximum angle from center up to which the image appears clearly. There are many different fabric types, each of which have unique qualities.