When watching films, the color reproduction is accurate and vibrant, thanks to the white matte surface of the screen. The ezFrame is easy to set up in minutes, with a toolkit conveniently included. It’s one of the best overall choices, for good reason-the Elite Screens 135-Inch ezFrame has a huge screen and a 16:9 widescreen ratio for that full move experience. (Most of the screens we found had claimed a 1.1 gain, but these numbers are often embellished by the manufacturer, hence the testing.) A variety of content was viewed on each screen to look for sparkles, hot spots, texture, or other issues. Using a spectrometer and a colorimeter I measured the images off the lens, then off the screen, to see how much of a color shift each screen introduced, and to calculate the gain. I used an Epson 5020UBe projector combined with a Lumagen Radiance 2021 video processor to make the projected image as close to reference accurate as possible.
To test the contenders, every screen was built and tested in my home theater room. Some projector screens require a frame assembly, but others can be attached to the ceiling and quickly lowered for use. Once you’re ready to watch, setup should be as easy as possible. Setup: Unlike TVs, projector screens can be rolled up or folded and tucked away when not in use.Check your projector’s maximum projection size, and measure your room to figure out what’s best. Projector screens typically range from about 100 inches to 150 inches, with most users going for 100-inch or 120-inch screens. Size: Part of the fun with projectors is the massive viewing size.However, if the audience in your home theater is usually small and/or your room is deep and narrow, a narrower viewing angle is fine and usually accompanies better image quality. Viewing Angle: If you want a large audience to enjoy your projector screen, you’ll need one with a wide viewing angle (perhaps around 160 to 180 degrees).Some high-end projectors boast higher gain (maybe 1.5) while maintaining correct colors, but this higher gain can lessen the screen’s viewing angle (see below). For most purposes, a gain of about 1.1 is optimal, as this maintains dark blacks while providing a bright image. Brightness: A projector screen’s ability to reflect light is measured in gain.