First Impression: Carada Precision Series
Unpacking & Assembly
First to arrive was the Carada screen. As you can see from the photos, Carada takes great pride in the packing and shipping of their product. The packing consisted of 4 side rails, screen material, a bag of hardware/assembly instructions and some mounting brackets. Everything arrived safely and was very well protected during transit.
Assembly was very straightforward. Each of the sides was marked for their correct position. T for top, B for bottom etc. Matching up the corners was all that was needed to result in a complete and error-free assembly of the frame. I recommend assembling the screen on an open, level, flat surface. Carpeting makes for a nice protection layer and avoids any problems with potential scratching of either the flooring or the projector screen frame.
The only tool required for frame assembly was a screwdriver to fasten some snaps at the corners. These snaps also serve to hold the corners in place. The frame is constructed quite well; however it is a bit narrower than the other manufacturers we auditioned. This isn't necessarily bad, however, as I found the frame width decreased the noticeable "picture frame" like appearance on the wall. Something the rest of the family may appreciate. For those of you looking for more of the black frame width to help mask edge artifacts or overscan you may need to adjust your setup accordingly.
Once the frame was assembled it only took a few minutes to snap the screen material into place. From casual observation, out of the three screens supplied, the screen material from Carada did appear to be the thinnest. I noticed no adverse effects of this during my viewing tests.
The mounting of this screen was rather simple. It consisted of a full-width metal bracket which gets fastened into wall studs. Mating brackets then hook over the top of the wall mounted bracket.
What makes this mounting method attractive is that you can actually slide the screen left and right to get it perfectly centered with the projector. I really like this mounting method as it makes hanging the screen very easy for one person. I had no problem raising and hanging this screen without any assistance or serious risk of damage to the screen. Just be sure to level the wall bracket to ensure a perfect fitting.
The finished product is an excellent-looking screen with a grayish appearance, as seen here.