[cmryan21]

Guys, I'm finally about to purchase my first projector but I need some help figuring out what kind of screen would be best for my situation. I'm only going to use the pj for movies and sports, and the room conditions will probably be a little different for each. For movies, the room will essentially be totally dark. I only watch movies at night so that shouldn't be a problem.

I'll probably have a little bit of light in the room for sports. I've asked several of my friends about the amount of light they would want while watching games and all of them say "don't care" but I've noticed that most people seem to have some light on in the room during games. So, in an effort to a more accommodating host, I'm trying to plan for this with my screen selection.

I've pretty much chosen the LG cf181 for the projector(though the jvc rs15 is making me think) because it seems to have a very bright image which I thought would help for sports. So what kind of screen would best work in my situation? Would a high contrast matte white be fine or do I need to go with a gray screen? Also, as a more general question, if someone has a 5K budget would it be better to spend half on the pj and half on the screen or should money really be spent on the projector?

I'd really appreciate any kind of help offered as I'm still very new to projectors.

[bpape]

If you have a higher output PJ and aren't pushing the screen size too far, I'd go with a 1.3 gain screen.  That way, you can use the higher mode of the PJ for sports to get a bit more light and run it in lower mode for proper color/contrast in low light, movie watching modes.

Make sure that you have control of your room lighting so you can kill light by the screen without the lights away from the screen.  Lots of zones are your friend as are directional lights for seating areas so the spill isn't as bad onto the screen while still allowing good lighting for your guests.

Bryan

[GHM]

Personally I would go with a high gain / white matte screen. I would also spend most of the money on the projector. The LG looks like a nice choice, but from everything I've seen it isn't the best with motion. Hopefully the one you buy will have a firmware upgrade of some kind to help. DLPs are generally the best at motion by design if you're not RBE sensitive. LCD and LCoS both need some sort of frame interpolation in order to look smooth during fast movement. Just something to keep in mind if you're a big sports fan.

The Benq W6000 through Amazon right now is on sale for just over $2000. 

The Vivitek 5080H is another one to look at. Nice and bright ..with good contrast and color saturation.
It is basically an Optoma 8600 with out the price tag. The 8600 retails for over $7000. The Vivitek under $3000.

[OBF]

Someone has been liquidating a large inventory of 100" Stewart Firehawk SST screens on ebay the last month or two.  I bought one of the first ones listed and was surprised at how much better it is with some ambient light compared to a white painted wall.  The screens have been selling in the $7xx range if that size would work for you.  The SST is not the same as the standard G3 Firehawk and according to Stewart was designed to optimize Sony PJs (I have an Infocus IN83) but I doubt there is much difference and for that price I was happy to buy it.  There are also some setup restrictions, like they need to be ceiling mounted PJs and you don't want a really wide seating angle.

[cmryan21]

If you have a higher output PJ and aren't pushing the screen size too far, I'd go with a 1.3 gain screen.  That way, you can use the higher mode of the PJ for sports to get a bit more light and run it in lower mode for proper color/contrast in low light, movie watching modes.

Make sure that you have control of your room lighting so you can kill light by the screen without the lights away from the screen.  Lots of zones are your friend as are directional lights for seating areas so the spill isn't as bad onto the screen while still allowing good lighting for your guests.

Bryan

Bryan, thanks for the input, and for the absurd amount of help you've given me recently through email exchanges.

Also, working on light control right now. Hopefully, some recessed lighting near the back of the room coupled with blackout curtains and shades will get the job done.

Personally I would go with a high gain / white matte screen. I would also spend most of the money on the projector. The LG looks like a nice choice, but from everything I've seen it isn't the best with motion. Hopefully the one you buy will have a firmware upgrade of some kind to help. DLPs are generally the best at motion by design if you're not RBE sensitive. LCD and LCoS both need some sort of frame interpolation in order to look smooth during fast movement. Just something to keep in mind if you're a big sports fan.

The Benq W6000 through Amazon right now is on sale for just over $2000. 

The Vivitek 5080H is another one to look at. Nice and bright ..with good contrast and color saturation.
It is basically an Optoma 8600 with out the price tag. The 8600 retails for over $7000. The Vivitek under $3000.

Thanks. I was unaware of the issues that lcos projectors have with fast motion, and I'm a huge sports fan so that is important. I'll definitely give the Vivitek and BenQ a look.

Someone has been liquidating a large inventory of 100" Stewart Firehawk SST screens on ebay the last month or two.  I bought one of the first ones listed and was surprised at how much better it is with some ambient light compared to a white painted wall.  The screens have been selling in the $7xx range if that size would work for you.  The SST is not the same as the standard G3 Firehawk and according to Stewart was designed to optimize Sony PJs (I have an Infocus IN83) but I doubt there is much difference and for that price I was happy to buy it.  There are also some setup restrictions, like they need to be ceiling mounted PJs and you don't want a really wide seating angle.

I definitely appreciate the heads up, but I was planning on going with something in the 130"-140" range.

[GHM]

Jamestown screens is a nice place to start with screens. The prices are reasonable and the guy does custom builds. Here's a link http://www.jamestownhometheaterscreen.com/

[Barry_NJ]

Jamestown screens is a nice place to start with screens. The prices are reasonable and the guy does custom builds. Here's a link http://www.jamestownhometheaterscreen.com/

That looks like a nice product 

[cmryan21]

Jamestown screens is a nice place to start with screens. The prices are reasonable and the guy does custom builds. Here's a link http://www.jamestownhometheaterscreen.com/

Unfortunately, I need a pull-down screen and this company doesn't sell that kind. If I was able to go with a fixed screen I'd certainly consider one of theirs. Looks like a nice product at a very nice price.