Best Projection Screen Reviews 2018

The size and type of projection screens are the main factors that affect the price of the screen. A wall-mounted screen 180 inches in size can go for about $1000. A smaller size of 100 inches or less, which is also good quality, can cost around $300. Beware of the cheap projection screens which are often poor at reflecting light, thereby producing poor picture quality. Don’t waste your money on those.

Bring the cinema experience to your home with projection screens. The quality of the picture you get from a projector is also heavily dependent on the screen you use. To maximize your home cinema experience, here are some features to consider when choosing a projection screen:

• Type
• Size
• Aspect ratio
• Screen type
• Accessories

As you read on, you will have a better understanding of how these features come into play, affecting how you make a choice of projection screens.

Projection screens are designed to reflect light to produce crisp and clear pictures. The type of fabric used affects the gain and viewing angle of the screen. The gain of a projector screen is a measure of its reflectivity of light. The gain is optimized by coating the screen with a reflective coating. The fabric of the screen may also be made from materials that reflect light. The gain ratings are expressed in numbers, such as 1.0, 1.3, or 1.5. A lower rating indicates that light is reflected more from the center to the edges. As the gain rating is increased, the picture brightness intensifies, and then drops significantly when viewed from the sides.

Screens with higher gains create image qualities similar to mirrors, but they can also give off a hotspot of blurry reflections from the projector’s lens. Consider the sitting position of the viewers before choosing a projector screen. A projection screen with a viewing angle rate of 100 degrees means the image can be viewed properly at 50 degrees on either side and at the center. A high gain screen is more suitable for viewing in a long narrow room. Matte screens are better for contrasts, while white screens display better life-like images.

There are different projection screen types. Some are designed such that the projector is placed at the back of the screen. This displays a crisper and cleaner screen than the front alternative, since viewers cannot accidentally come between the projector’s lens and the screen. One thing about the rear screen is that the space between the projector and the back of the screen has to be dark for the images to be visible. There are permanent screens that are mounted or built on the wall, just like the ones at the movies. An alternative to this is the retractable type, where you can pull down the screen when it is needed. One obvious advantage of this type is the portability.

The size of the screen has a lot to do with the picture quality. It is important to determine where and how the screen will be used to get a suitable size. Ideally, the projection screen should be at least 30 degrees of the field of view of the audience. The width of the projection screen should be at least approximately half of the distance that separates the screen and the front row viewers.

Projection screens, like TVs, have standard dimensions called aspect ratio. This is the ratio of the height of the screen to the width of it. 4:3 used to be the standard and only aspect ratio for TV viewing, but the advent of high-definition television introduced the widescreen 16:9 or HDTV format. There are also wider formats, such as letterbox and anamorphic screens, but they are harder to come by. The ideal aspect ratio for projection screens is the 16:9, but with a little adjustment, you can still view the 4:3 format on the same screen.

There are accessories that can make projection screen viewing more adaptive. There are screens you can mount on a tripod for more versatile positioning. There are mounting brackets you can use for hooking your screen up to the wall or the ceiling. You can even get projection screens that are bundled with some accessories.