What to Look for When Buying a Projector Screen for Your Home

To finish off the home theater room you are building, you need to purchase a projector screen. There are many things to consider as you shop, including size, type of screen and portability. Read on to learn what to look for before buying a projector screen for your entertainment system.

Types of Projector Screens

There are really only two types of projector screen: fixed and not fixed. When you are designing a home theater room, you may not think about much outside of the overall design. This leads many to install a fixed type of projector screen, which is installed directly to the wall. It does not get moved or hidden. It is always there to be seen. Another type of fixed projector screen is one that is mounted to the ceiling. These are great because the screen can be pulled down and later put away, out of sight.

Screens that are not fixed in place often come on tripods or some other stand.

Projector Screen Size

Size is the most important factor to consider when selecting a projector screen for your home theater. To determine the right size, measure the length of the wall, as well as the distance from the seating to the wall where the projector screen will be. Both of these measurements directly correlate with the size of the screen.

The size of the screen is also determined by the screen format. There are 4 kinds of screen size:

1. Anamorphic: This is more the size of what you would find in a theater setting as it is 2.35:1
2. Standard: This screen type is that of a standard television
3. HDTV: This is the generic size standard for LCD, Plasma and other flatscreen TVs with a size of 1.78:1
4. Letterbox: This is also known as 16:9 and is perfect for watching DVDs that are letterboxed

Keep these screen types in mind when determining the type of projector screen you want.

Screen Surface

There are 4 types of surfaces for projector screens:

1. Matte White: This screen reflects back about only 5% of the image with black being washed out to a dark gray with a dull image
2. Pearlescent: 15 percent reflective quality with a bright image and best contrast overall
3. Silver: 30 percent reflective quality with black coming off as more of a dark gray with a dull picture
4. Glass Bead: This is the highest reflectivity of the screens with black showing up as light gray with the image being too bright

Each of these surfaces varies in cost and is useful in various circumstances. A pearlescent screen is the find found in movie theaters and will work great for your needs.