Featured Projector Screen Reviews

Superbowl parties have changed the way I entertain. Well, really, my job as a home theater reviewer changed the way I throw Superbowl parties. Or maybe I just like big screens and rowdy outdoor gatherings. In either case, this year saw the debut of the Elite Screens QuickStand Portable Screen. With this screen came the standard CineWhite screen material as well as the Wraith rear projection screen material we had spec'd to use for this year's game. I expected big screen entertainment. I expected ease of setup. I expected a product that was durable and which could handle many years of use in various venues and indoor/outdoor viewing opportunities. So, did I get what I expected?

Lately we’ve been hosting Audioholics presentations for our staff or local events. We needed a durable and portable projector screen and turned to Visual Apex for a solution. They suggested their Projectoscreen120. The Projectoscreen120 from Visual Apex is relatively easy to setup and offers excellent build quality and performance; all while being quite affordable. Next time you host an outdoor kids party and want some entertainment, why not spice things up with a monster sized projector screen, an outdoor sound system and a good movie or music concert? Heck you can even throw on some embarrassing and obscure vintage family pictures for all to see blown up on a big screen.

When looking for a home theater screen, the general audioholic makes sure their precious sound quality is not diminished. Of course, there is a trade-off to be made if you are also a videoholic! Or is there? Incredible sound AND video can be had with the Center Stage Fixed Frame Acoustically Transparent (AT) Screen from Seymour AV. Gone are the days of ugly micro perf vinyl with its comb filtered sound, Swiss cheese look and image moiré. Seymour AV has broken the mold and introduced an affordable product that defies common logic and allows one or many speakers behind the beautiful display without affecting audio perception.

Is the Screen Innovations Black Diamond Zero Edge G2 projection screen cheap? At a base price of $3099, many would say "No". But comparing to the price of a flat panel of the same size, Screen Innovations says that their screen is actual cheaper per inch. We're not sure if that includes the projector but we're willing to bet it is true. The problem with front projection systems has traditionally been ambient light. With the Black Diamond Zero Edge G2 screen's ability to enhance the projector's contrast by over 900% while rejecting ambient light, this may be a thing of the past. With the look and feel of a flat panel TV, the Black Diamond Zero Edge G2 screen will leave your friends wondering how you got such a huge TV without mortgaging your home.

Elite Screens has produced an almost innumerable variety of screens. In that way they have something for nearly any application you can imagine. But what's really amazing is that they typically price their products at a considerably higher value than some of the other major custom-installer-centric manufacturers. The CineTension2 Series is one of their more user-friendly models, appealing to both the professional user and the enthusiast. It's, as the name implies, a tab tensioned screen. That is to say that it has a tensioning system that pulls rigidly along the loops that come out from the sides of the 2" black surround material of the screen. This keeps the screen from curling up along the edges as well as from waving in the middle and makes for an extremely flat (and thus more enjoyable) viewing experience. When you're wanting to lose yourself in the movie experience, and a motorized solution is required, tab-tensioned screens are where it's at.

It's hard to get excited about an electric projector screen... until you find one that's priced ridiculously low and includes features that should have it costing twice as much as it does. Then you begin to wonder if you've stumbled onto something... something big. Visual Apex' new VApex screens are something big. They are specially-branded "in-house" screens that the company is now offering to its customers. After all, shouldn't a company that has provided excellent customer service and sales support for years know exactly what makes a good projector screen? We figured they did but wanted to install one and go through the process to see if the quality of workmanship and attention to detail lived up to our expectations. Read on and you'll see that this screen might just change the way you think about build quality, ease-of-installation, attention to detail and optional accessories.

We've long taken the stance that the biggest screen you can get for your hard-earned money is a front projection system. Where it gets dicey is when you factor in the cost of a decent quality screen. If you want a tab-tensioned model on top of that, you're looking at even more and the cost benefits become less and less obvious. Visual Apex' new VApex screens (Visual Apex = VApex, get it?) are moving towards eliminating everything we know about what a projector screen should cost. The VApex line comes in three lines: Fixed Frame, Standard Electric, and Tensioned Electric. For this review we checked out the Tensioned Electric in their largest size: 120" diagonal. To say we were "stunned" by what we got for the money would be an understatement.

We're very curious to see how this new masking system from Seymour-Screen Excellence works. We're sure the non-acoustically transparent option is perfect, it's the acoustically transparent ones that we'd like to see in action. While $450 might seem like a chunk of change, in comparison with every other masking system on the market, it is a huge steal. If we were on the market for a fixed-frame front projection screen, we know we'd look closely at what sort of system Seymour-Screen Excellence could put together that included the masking panels. For the price of other masking systems alone, you could probably get a full screen and the Seymour-Screen Excellence masking system.

The Black Diamond Zero Edge Screen takes Screen Innovations' Black Diamond technology (which allows you to watch HD images in full ambient lighting) and alters the form factor for a whole new, contemporary look. The Zero Edge has only a quarter-inch (1/4") bezel around the circumference of the Black Diamond surface. A typical screen has anywhere from 2" to 4" of felt or border. The thing is, if you have an installation where you can dial in the mounting position just right, you really don't need much bezel to compensate for any potential keystoning or misalignment. This screen really produces the look of a super thin-bezel television that is just floating off the wall. Seeing it live at CEDIA, it's hard to not think it's rear projection or simply a DLP television embedded in a hidden drywall alcove.