The attention to detail that this system provides is nothing short of amazing. Unlike several other masking systems we've seen, the Masquerade hides all brackets, bolts and screws from view, leaving only a smooth, uninterrupted surface. In addition, Carada's Black Hole Trim is included at no extra cost and the screen system comes with the same nicely beveled, symmetrical edges you'd expect in a pro masking system. This masking system looks just as good with the lights on as it does with the lights out, which says a lot. This, of course, didn't stop us from taking it apart again once it was installed to get a better look at the insides... Removing the side pieces revealed the incredible build quality of the internal components. From the thick aluminum framing and 5/16-inch bolts to the well-built motor structure and ably secured electronics, the Masquerade is a professional-grade masking system that just great looks no matter how you slice it.

The Masquerade "unmasked"

Physically, the screen has a 6.25-inch wide frame that is 3.75-inches deep. In our demo we mounted it overtop a simple Carada Precision series screen which we inverted so as to get the screen as close to the masking material as possible. While you certainly don't need to do anything special to make the Masquerade work with your screen, we were trying to really tweak this system for the ultimate effect. The result was minimized shadowing and a smooth, clean mask that left many people initially thinking that the room contained a simple 2.35:1 screen... until we flipped the switch and converted it into 16:9. The mask is that good, it simply absorbed all available light from the black bars overshooting the main image. The effect left more than few jaws on the floor. The screen was also under heavy-duty use during the weekend event and we never once witnessed it stick or lose calibration during the course of demoing hours and hours of great high definition video material. I'd say reliability looks very good so far.

A single Somfy Sonesse tubular motor provides all of the power required to mask and unmask the screen and it was quiet as a mouse. Although the motors were audible when in motion, the sound was smooth and not distracting. That's exactly what we'd want (and what we'd expect) from a quality masking system. An infrared sensor is built right into the bottom-right corner of the frame and a remote control provides two factory-calibrated presets for 16:9 and 2.35:1 as well as manual jog controls to raise and lower the mask.

Overall, the Masquerade projector screen masking system is a steller product. While it doesn't support a 12VDC trigger input, its attention to detail, budget price and easy of installation make it a stand-out performer that cannot help but be recognized for changing the industry. The Masquerade not only costs much less than the competition, it actually looks better than many other systems I've seen and includes, as standard, many options that typically come at an additional cost. If you need more advanced features like a hard-wired remote you may need to go elsewhere (and pay a lot more) but if you can benefit from a constant-width screen masking system Carada is making it all but impossible to say 'No' to their new Masquerade.

Carada, Inc.
Chilton Industrial Park
108 Bama Lane
Clanton, AL 35045
www.carada.com
info@carada.com