Projector Screens

You’re Doing It Wrong: How to Pick the Right Projector Screen for Home Cinema

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Projector Screen for Home Cinema: How to Pick the Right One

Cinemas are closed, and it’s been a year of just watching too often on your smartphone, and now you decided to build your cinema, be it indoors or out. Now, why buy a projector screen? Most people always believe that a smooth painted wall, preferably white or a plain white bed sheet, will suffice. While it can work and you will still see the entirety of the video or film, almost everything is highly compromised, low contrast, and mostly pixelated scenes.

Conventional paint on your wall is not formulated to reflect light rays in an even matter; no matter how smooth the finish is on its surface, the light rays will always be scattered. A sheet of cloth is just as bad, it’s always falling, and it will surely be textured since it’s weaved after all. So if you’re planning to have a genuine cinema experience, you’ll need a proper projector screen.

Guide on How to Pick the Right Projector Screen for Home Cinema

If you want to know where to start on picking the right projector screen, here is a step by step process:

1. Choose which room or area in the house you will have the home cinema

The first thing you will need to do is decide if you will have a separate room for your home cinema or where you will have it whenever you want one. If you don’t have a designated space for your DIY movie house, make sure to choose the correct area in the place to do it.

projector screen for home cinema

Take note that if you want a fantastic big-screen cinematic experience, block out all light sources that can enter the room. However, it is understandable that this is not always possible. If you are in a room where there will still be lighting, look for the right projectors to compete with the light source.

2. Choose the size of the screen you want

Once you have chosen a room or where you would want your home cinema, it’s time to select the screen size that you want. It’s a priority to make sure your projector will fill the screen from where it is located. You can use the throw ratio to check where it should be correctly placed. You can also divide the distance between your projector and screen by the throw ratio, and you will get the correct image width. The formula is Image width x Throw ratio = the distance from the screen.

3. Decide what screen type to get for your DIY movie house

Next is to decide the correct type of projector screen. There are two types of projector screens – Fixed screens and Retractable screens.

Fixed Screens

If you have a separate and permanent room for the home cinema, a fixed projector screen would be a better option. These types are usually done by mounting the projecting to the wall. When it comes to pricing, fixed screens have a lower price.

Retractable Screens

Retractable screens are perfect if you don’t have any media room since they can be portable and flexible. They can be rolled down if you want to use them and rolled up once done. There are also a lot of options when it comes to retractable screens.

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  1. Pull-down screens. Pull-down screens can be mounted to walls just like fixed screens. This type allows you to keep the screen away when not in use, saving you space. 
  2. Pull up screens. On the contrary, pull-up screens are placed on the floor and when you need to use them, simply pull them up.
  3. Motorized Electric Projector Screens. This type of retractable screen is very convenient. It uses electricity so that with just a push of a button from a remote or switch, the projector screen will automatically roll down or rise. Electric projector screens can be wall-mounted, floor-mounted, or ceiling recessed. 
  4. Manual Pull Down Projector Screens. On the other hand, a manual pull-down is less expensive than the electric one and is easier to install. This type can also be wall, floor, and ceiling mounted, but you must manually pull down and raise the screen.

Portable Projector Screens

If permanent installation is not a choice for you, then portable ones are your best option. These are the ones that you can move around freely inside your home.

  1. Tripod Projector Screens. This one uses a manual pull-up screen where it is attached to a free-standing tripod platform. It is commonly seen in schools and comes mostly with bags for more accessible storage.
  2. Folding Frame Projector Screens. These are best for large venues. It comes with a hard travel case for transport. This one is more expensive than tripod projectors because it is more durable.

4. Check the projector screen material

Once you have picked what screen type you will have, the next one to consider is the screen material properties. Now, it’s a bit technical, so make sure to take notes and grasp this information.

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There are three materials properties for a projector screen: colour, gain, and acoustic screens.

Colour

White is the standard colour of projector screens due to its brightness; however, there are still different variations. There are grey screens that are better when it comes to darker tones. These grey screens need to have a powerful projector so that the images with white areas will still appear as white. But since you are building a home cinema, a white screen would be the best.

Gain

Gain refers to the measurement of light reflectivity. To make it easier to understand, if the gain is 1.0, the light directed to the screen reflects with the same brightness. If it’s above 1.0, then the brightness increases, and if it’s below 1.0, then the image is not that bright. If you want a natural cinematic effect, look for projector screens without gain boosts.

Acoustic Screens

Acoustic screens or transparency refers to the ability of the projector screen to let the sound waves pass through the images. This enables you to save some space so you can have your speakers directly behind the screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What are the types of projector screens?

    There are two types of projector screens, mainly fixed screens, and retractable screens. Fixed screens are the ones that are permanently installed on your wall or ceiling. Retractable ones can be permanently installed on walls and ceilings too; however, it gives you an option to roll down or up the screen to maximize the space where you are having your home cinema.

  • What is an electric projector screen?

    An electric projector screen has a motor that rolls down and up the screen for you with the help of remote control or a switch. This gives its users complete convenience and ensures that the projector screen is being rolled down and up carefully since you are not doing it manually.

  • Can I have a home cinema in my living room?

    Yes. You can have a home cinema even in your living room. There are portable projector screens or retractable portable screens that you can buy to fold whenever you are not using them not to take too much space.

Recommendation

All of the information can be a bit overwhelming, so here’s a recommendation: ABIS Electric Projector Screen. It has a highly silent electric motor that allows the screen to roll up or down, operated by remote control. The remote control is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. 

ABIS Electric Projector Screen is perfect either if you will have a designated area for your home cinema or you just want to put it may be in your living room. It’s because you can install it either on the wall or on the ceiling. And since it’s retractable, you can easily roll it up if not being used to have space. 

Adding to that, ABIS Electric Projector Screen has a top-quality white matte material that guarantees the brightest picture. The quality, shade, and texture of the matte have been carefully tested so that you could experience the sharpest image. With that, if you are projecting a full HD or 4K movies to ABIS Electric Projector Screen, it won’t lose the resolution quality. It is capable of reflecting an accurate image. Also, the white matte is highly resistant for maximum usage and continuous rolling up and down. 

ABIS Electric Projector Screen also has a metal case of about 250 cm x 11 cm xx 9 cm with a white finish. It offers complete protection when the projector is not being used. It also comes with a 12-month warranty.

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