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Projection Screens and Mounts
You might not even know to consider some of this stuff
You’ll have to choose a lot of technical equipment for your home theater, and some of the terms might be a little confusing. Here’s a quick summary of projector screens and mounting options that you’ll want to understand. Making the right decision for your system can make the difference between a decent home theater and an amazing home theater.
Call us toll-free at PHONE NUMBER and we'll guide you through the selection steps, or just read our tips below to make a well-informed purchase on your own.
Call us toll-free at PHONE NUMBER and we'll guide you through the selection steps, or just read our tips below to make a well-informed purchase on your own.
Projection Screen Fabric
The most important things to evaluate when selecting a screen fabric are gain and viewing angle. There is a lot to know about gain and viewing angle and how they affect each other (as gain increases viewing angle usually decreases). The bare bones basics of screen gain and viewing angle follow, but if you want to know more, just give us a call!
Gain:
Gain is a measure of the reflectivity of the screen's surface. The higher the gain is, the brighter the image. Having a high gain screen is sort of a mixed blessing. The image may be brighter, but since the viewing angle usually decreases inversely to the gain, a bright screen may be more of a sacrifice than a pleasure.
Viewing Angle:
Viewing angle is a measure of the distance from the center of the screen at which you can still see the same quality image as from the viewing axis (see illustration below). Some screens diffuse light accurately between a broader range of viewing angles than others. However, since LCD projectors are now designed to be very good at projecting pretty much the same quality image from corner to corner of the entire screen surface, having a broad viewing angle may not be as important with new LCD projectors as with old ones.
A broad viewing angle gives high image quality in a wider range of seating positions.
White or Gray?
Another important screen fabric decision involves the contrast of your image. Since projectors display images by throwing different amounts and colors of light, the blackest color you will ever see on your screen is its color when no light is being projected onto it. Since there are many applications when a projection room's ambient light cannot be completely eliminated, screen manufacturers have designed darker colors of screen material to compensate.
If you will be projecting in a room that is not completely light-controlled, considering a high-contrast, high-definition or gray screen material may greatly improve the contrast of colors in your projections.
You may be thinking, if I get a dark colored screen, won't the appearance of the color white look washed out? The answer is yes, but since pure white appears so rarely in movies (much more rarely than black) it's less of a sacrifice than a gain.
For completely dark projection rooms, high contrast material will be superfluous, since a white screen in a dark room will be black in the absence of projected light -- perfect!
Other Features:
Some screen fabrics are perforated for acoustical transparency and others are designed for 3D viewing. If you're planning on placing a speaker directly behind your screen, sound waves and image may be distorted unless you opt for an acoustically transparent perforated screen. Look for 'cinema-perf' fabrics from Da-Lite or the AT1200 fabric from Draper. 3D presentations can be made on silver screen materials like Da-Lite's SilverMatte.
Gain:
Gain is a measure of the reflectivity of the screen's surface. The higher the gain is, the brighter the image. Having a high gain screen is sort of a mixed blessing. The image may be brighter, but since the viewing angle usually decreases inversely to the gain, a bright screen may be more of a sacrifice than a pleasure.
Viewing Angle:
Viewing angle is a measure of the distance from the center of the screen at which you can still see the same quality image as from the viewing axis (see illustration below). Some screens diffuse light accurately between a broader range of viewing angles than others. However, since LCD projectors are now designed to be very good at projecting pretty much the same quality image from corner to corner of the entire screen surface, having a broad viewing angle may not be as important with new LCD projectors as with old ones.
A broad viewing angle gives high image quality in a wider range of seating positions.
White or Gray?
Another important screen fabric decision involves the contrast of your image. Since projectors display images by throwing different amounts and colors of light, the blackest color you will ever see on your screen is its color when no light is being projected onto it. Since there are many applications when a projection room's ambient light cannot be completely eliminated, screen manufacturers have designed darker colors of screen material to compensate.
If you will be projecting in a room that is not completely light-controlled, considering a high-contrast, high-definition or gray screen material may greatly improve the contrast of colors in your projections.
You may be thinking, if I get a dark colored screen, won't the appearance of the color white look washed out? The answer is yes, but since pure white appears so rarely in movies (much more rarely than black) it's less of a sacrifice than a gain.
For completely dark projection rooms, high contrast material will be superfluous, since a white screen in a dark room will be black in the absence of projected light -- perfect!
Other Features:
Some screen fabrics are perforated for acoustical transparency and others are designed for 3D viewing. If you're planning on placing a speaker directly behind your screen, sound waves and image may be distorted unless you opt for an acoustically transparent perforated screen. Look for 'cinema-perf' fabrics from Da-Lite or the AT1200 fabric from Draper. 3D presentations can be made on silver screen materials like Da-Lite's SilverMatte.
Projection Screen Size
There are other options available, but you’ll only want to consider video format or HDTV size for your home theater. They’ll give you the best picture. Video format screens have a width to height ratio of 4:3, which is the same as full-screen movies and most television programs. If you're planning on using your screen for home theater, Video Format screens are the best option if you'll be switching equally between full-screen and widescreen viewing. If you’re going to be sticking with wide screen, HDTV is the best option, with a width to height ratio of 16:9.
Can't Decide?
Can't decide which size or format screen you want? You don't have to. We offer a large selection of screens with masking systems that change the format or size of your screen.
Once you've followed our selection steps, you should know what you need. We carry screens from the five best screen manufacturers on the market: Da-Lite, Draper, Stewart, Vutec and Bretford. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call us.
Can't Decide?
Can't decide which size or format screen you want? You don't have to. We offer a large selection of screens with masking systems that change the format or size of your screen.
Projector Mounts
When it comes to mounting a projector, there are several things you need to consider for an easy and successful installation:
How do you want to mount your projector?
Although projectors are the central point of a viewable image, it is not always ideal for the projector itself to be the central point of a room. As a result, many users will choose to mount the unit to a ceiling or to a wall to save space and to avoid blocking the image. Most projectors are mounted to a wall or a ceiling by inverting the projector and attaching the mount to the underside of the projector. Be careful, there are some projector models that cannot be inverted.
Although projectors are the central point of a viewable image, it is not always ideal for the projector itself to be the central point of a room. As a result, many users will choose to mount the unit to a ceiling or to a wall to save space and to avoid blocking the image. Most projectors are mounted to a wall or a ceiling by inverting the projector and attaching the mount to the underside of the projector. Be careful, there are some projector models that cannot be inverted.
What's behind your wall or ceiling?
Projectors can range in weight from 10 to 50 lbs or more. Thus, projectors need to be mounted to a load-bearing surface. To make sure that your investment is securely mounted, you need to first have a set of wall studs or a ceiling joist that will confidently support the weight of a projector. You can mount a projector on almost anything – brick, cathedral ceiling…anything – as long as you have the right accessories. The accessories can be hard to find, so don’t hesitate to call our customer service line if you have a unique mounting situation.
Projectors can range in weight from 10 to 50 lbs or more. Thus, projectors need to be mounted to a load-bearing surface. To make sure that your investment is securely mounted, you need to first have a set of wall studs or a ceiling joist that will confidently support the weight of a projector. You can mount a projector on almost anything – brick, cathedral ceiling…anything – as long as you have the right accessories. The accessories can be hard to find, so don’t hesitate to call our customer service line if you have a unique mounting situation.
Projector Lifts:If you really want to enhance your home theater or office with style and technology, the ultimate projector mount is a lift. A projector lift will conceal and reveal your projector within a ceiling with the touch of a button on a remote or wall switch. Such products tend to take more time to manufacture and ship out because of the complexity of the technology, so if you have a definite deadline, let us know before ordering. As always, we advise you to give our trained staff a call to make sure that you order the appropriate product for your application.
Where is the ideal position for my projector?
Generally speaking, the closer a projector’s lens line up with eye level, the better. With that being said, every situation and every setting has different viewing points. Most times, projectors cannot be mounted at eye level because objects in the room (viewers, chairs, tables, etc.) would potentially block the image projection.
Generally speaking, the closer a projector’s lens line up with eye level, the better. With that being said, every situation and every setting has different viewing points. Most times, projectors cannot be mounted at eye level because objects in the room (viewers, chairs, tables, etc.) would potentially block the image projection.
How do I know that a mount will fit my projector?
Once you know what kind of mount you want and where you're going to put it, the next step is to make sure that your projector and mount will be compatible. Every invertible projector has a hole pattern on its back to which a mount can be fastened with screws. Because manufacturers make a variety of mounting hole patterns on their projectors, adapter brackets are necessary to make sure mounts that are made to match most projectors will accommodate the particular patterns that are specific to each model. Many times, universal brackets are available and compatible with most invertible projectors. You can find out whether or not a universal bracket is compatible with your projector by giving us a call; if one is compatible, it is a better buy because it would likely fit a new projector down the road and it usually can be purchased for the same price as the model specific bracket.
Once you know what kind of mount you want and where you're going to put it, the next step is to make sure that your projector and mount will be compatible. Every invertible projector has a hole pattern on its back to which a mount can be fastened with screws. Because manufacturers make a variety of mounting hole patterns on their projectors, adapter brackets are necessary to make sure mounts that are made to match most projectors will accommodate the particular patterns that are specific to each model. Many times, universal brackets are available and compatible with most invertible projectors. You can find out whether or not a universal bracket is compatible with your projector by giving us a call; if one is compatible, it is a better buy because it would likely fit a new projector down the road and it usually can be purchased for the same price as the model specific bracket.
How do I install my projector and mount?
Installing your projector and mount should be done with a minimum of two people regardless of the size of the projector. Lifting the projector into place, positioning it and then fastening to the mount it is a simple job, but it is important to have a friend available to help hold the projector while you work to attach it to the mount. We recommend securing your mount to it's fixture in the ceiling, wall or table, and then mounting your projector to the mount itself. Depending on your mount, cable management will be one of the final steps of the projector installation process. Many projector mounts do offer cable management systems to conceal unruly wires. If this is a major issue for your setting, please read the descriptions of each mount to determine whether or not cable management is included as a feature in that mount.
Installing your projector and mount should be done with a minimum of two people regardless of the size of the projector. Lifting the projector into place, positioning it and then fastening to the mount it is a simple job, but it is important to have a friend available to help hold the projector while you work to attach it to the mount. We recommend securing your mount to it's fixture in the ceiling, wall or table, and then mounting your projector to the mount itself. Depending on your mount, cable management will be one of the final steps of the projector installation process. Many projector mounts do offer cable management systems to conceal unruly wires. If this is a major issue for your setting, please read the descriptions of each mount to determine whether or not cable management is included as a feature in that mount.
Our Best Advice:
Our best advice is to call us toll-free, PHONE NUMBER, anytime from Monday-Friday, 9 AM to 8 PM Eastern Time with questions. We have a great team of mounting specialists that are here to help you!
Call us anytime at (800) 331-7763, Mon-Fri 8-9, Sat and Sun 10-5 EST
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