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Home Page - Home Theater Screens - Da-Lite Screens (1)

Date: 15th February 2010





A Quick Guide to Home Theater Design

How to research, design, and build your Home Theater.

Home Theater Design e-book

by Duncan McClelland
More information HERE

 
72INX96IN Model B Da-Lite Manual Pull Down Screen Matte White

Inexpensive 72" x 96" Da-Lite Model B Manual Pull-Down Projection Screen Matte White

Da-Lite Screen Solutions for your home entertainment

Da-Lite screens offer the world's widest selection of projection screens and projection fabrics.

This vast selection of Da-Lite screens and screen accessories is in itself a reflection of the heavy investment that this manufacturer is putting into projection screen and presentation technology.

Whatever your constraints and requirements - ambient light conditions, projector technology, screen size, budget restrictions, etc., Da-Lite projection screens offer a solution to your needs.

These cover a variety of screen arrays ranging from fixed, electric, manual screens, concealed-in-ceiling, wall, ceiling hung, or floor pull-up, etc.

Included as standard with all Da-Lite screens are black masking borders, while electrically driven adjustable borders and drops are also available to enable you to change the screen format. Electric screens and masks are available in both 110 volt and 220 volt ac models. In addition, all screen arrays are available in a variety of different projection screen fabrics. 

For the DIY Home theater enthusiasts and custom applications, Da-Lite screens are also available straight off-the roll, cut to size for use with user provided frames in fixed installations. This service is available for all screen fabrics described in this article.

Which Da-Lite Screen fabric is best for your home theater application?

We have already stated that Da-Lite range of projection screens come in possibly the widest range of screen surfaces available from a single projector screen manufacturer.

Unfortunately however, this vast choice of screen surfaces may often lead to serious difficulty when choosing a projection screen surface. Going for the wrong projection screen surface is definitely not an option.

In the face of the vast choice of projection screens, some would often try to simplify the whole matter by assuming that in the end any projection surface will do. This is not the case. There is no magic screen material that performs perfectly for every installation. Each home cinema design has distinct and unique demands. And projection screen manufactures know this very well. It is for this reason that major AV screen suppliers like Da-Lite have developed specially formulated optical fabrics with different reflective and colorimetric values to cope with the different home theater requirements.

To help you in this selection process, we will discuss some of the most popular Da-Lite screen fabrics for front projection. Note however that while the details given below covers the most important screen materials available for Da-Lite projector screens, please do not consider this list as exhaustive. If for some reason you do not find a suitable screen surface for your requirement, we recommend to download the respective Da-Lite product catalogs through the links provided at the end of this article.

Da-Lite range of front projection screen fabrics includes over sixteen different screen surfaces, each designed to suit different applications, site constrains, and custom requirements. All Da-Lite screens make use of a washable, flame retardant, and mildew resistant screen fabric.

These different screen fabrics can be grouped into eight different types of screen surfaces as follows:

- Matte White and HC (High-Contrast) Matte White

- Cinema Vision, HC Cinema Vision and HC Cinema Perf

- Da-Mat and HC Da-Mat

 

The following Da-Lite screen fabrics are being covered under part 2 of this discussion:

- Audio Vision and HC Audio Vision

- Silver Matte and 3D Virtual Grey

- HD Progressive 0.6 and HD Progressive 0.9

- Pearlescent and Video Spectra

- High Power

The main characteristics for each of these different Da-Lite screen fabrics are being summarized below:

Matte White and High-Contrast Matte White

Da-Lite Matte White comes with a screen gain of 1.0 and a viewing cone of 120 degrees.

This is the most versatile of all Da-Lite screens and often represents the primary choice where ambient light is controllable. It distributes light evenly over a wide viewing area while colors remain bright and life-like, with no shifts in hue.

Da-Lite 96-inch Tripod screen with Matte White Fabric

96" Square Format Tripod Screen with Matte White Fabric

The High Contrast Matte White version of Da-Lite screens comes with a slightly higher screen gain of 1.1 but with a slightly reduced viewing cone of 100 degrees.

Designed for moderate output DLP and LCD projectors, this Da-Lite screen surface is ideal when video images are the main source of information being projected and where ambient light is moderately controlled.

With its specially designed gray base material and reflective top surface, this screen material is able to provide very good black levels without sacrificing the white level output.

Manual 106-inch Diagonal HDTV Format Home Theater Fa-Lite Screen with High Contrast Matte White Fabric

Manual 106" Diagonal HDTV Format Home Theater Screen with High Contrast Matte White Fabric

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Cinema Vision, High Contrast Cinema Vision, and High Contrast Cinema Perf

Da-Lite Cinema Vision comes with a slightly higher screen gain of 1.3 and a viewing cone for 50% peak gain of 90 degrees.

This is an unsupported vinyl surface that offers a bright, uniform image with no color shift no matter at what angle you view the image.

This surface is designed to provide a higher amount of brightness for lower output projector types such as CRT. Its increased reflectivity will help enhance the image brightness in situations where low ambient light levels are present.

Da-Lite fixed frame with Cinema Vision Screen Fabric

100" Diagonal Video Format Fixed Frame Da-Lite screen with Cinema Vision

In particular, this Da-Lite screen surface is a good choice when producing video images. A suitable product for home theater use within the range of Da-Lite Cinema Vision screens  is the Da-Lite 100" Diagonal Video Format Home Theater Fixed Frame Screen.

The High Contrast Cinema Vision version of Da-Lite screens comes with a screen gain of 1.1 and a viewing cone of 100 degrees.

A derivative from the Cinema Vision screen fabric series, this is a smooth, gray vinyl finish surface designed for moderate output DLP and LCD projectors.

This surface improves the perceived contrast by lowering black levels while offering moderate gain. It is a flexible unsupported vinyl fabric and may be folded or rolled. This high contrast version is available on all models offered with the Cinema Vision Da-Lite screen fabrics.

Da-Lite Tensioned 84-inch Diagonal Video Format Home Theater Electric Screen with High Contrast Cinema Vision Fabric

Tensioned 84" Video Format Home Theater Electric Screen with Da-Lite High Contrast Cinema Vision Fabric

High Contrast Cinema Vision Da-Lite screens also come pre-tensioned for an extra flat surface; this helps maintain optimum image quality. One such example is the 84-inch diagonal electric screen shown above.

Da-Lite High Contrast Cinema Perf is a professionally grade screen. This is essentially the same High Contrast Cinema Vision fabric but with perforations in the screen surface to render the material acoustically transparent.

In fact, it comes with the same 100 degrees viewing cone and a screen gain of 1.1 as the Cinema Vision fabric.

This Da-Lite screen is ideal for use in environments with moderate control of ambient light.

Da-Lite Tensioned 92-inch HDTV Format Home Theater Electric Screen with High Contrast Cinema Perf Fabric

Tensioned 92" 16:9 Home Theater Electric Screen with High Contrast Cinema Perf

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Da-Mat and High Contrast Da-Mat

Da-Lite Da-Mat is a smooth white, vinyl surface finish with a screen gain of 1.0 and a supported viewing cone of 100 degrees.

It is the projection screen surface to choose where precise image reproduction is essential. It provides an exceptionally wide angle of view with little loss of resolution. It is made from a highly flexible unsupported vinyl fabric and may be folded or rolled.

A prime quality product in the range of Da-Mat screens designed for professional use is the Da-Lite Tensioned Ceiling Recessed 100" Diagonal Video, HDTV, Letterbox and Cinemascope Multiple Aspect Ratio Home Theater Electric Screen. It supports multi-format video through a four position masking system that can be set through the simple touch of a button!

Da-Lite multi-format electric screen with Da-Mat screen finish

100-inch Diagonal Multi-format Da-Lite electric screen with Da-Mat Screen Fabric

The High Contrast Da-Mat version of Da-Lite screens comes with a somewhat reduced screen gain of 0.8 and a viewing cone of 90 degrees.

This is a smooth, gray, vinyl finish surface for high output LCD and DLP projectors.

The perceived high contrast effect is achieved as the gray finish effectively lowers the black levels in the projected image.

It is a flexible unsupported vinyl fabric and may be folded or rolled. This high contrast version is available on all models offered with the Da-Mat surface.

Da-Lite 150-inch Diagonal Video Format Home Theater Fixed Frame Screen with High Contrast Da-Mat Fabric

150" Video Format Home Theater Fixed Frame Screen with High Contrast Da-Mat Fabric

The featured 150" fixed-frame Da-Lite screen is one of the best selling screen products using high contrast Da-Mat fabric. These high contrast projector screens are available in both 4:3 video and HDTV formats with sizes ranging from 72" diagonal to a massive 240" diagonal.

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Da-Lite screens - Downloadable product catalogs:

Full product catalog for - Da-Lite Screens

For cut-to-size screen surfaces - Click Here

You need Acrobat reader to view these files.  


Looking for an affordable Da-Lite Projection Screen?

Our favorite online source for Da-Lite Screens is B & H Photo-Video. They cover possibly the most extensive range of Da-Lite Projection Screens, including Da-Lite Screens most specialized arrays and projection screen accessories.

Alternatively, amazon has one of the most complete ranges of projection screens from major brands - including Da-Lite, often at significantly reduced prices. In addition, the various buying options available from the different retailers present on the amazon storefront make amazon one of the most comprehensive online sources in this respect.  To search the amazon storefront without leaving our site, please use the amazon search box below:

 

 

Projection Screen Guides

Articles under this section 

Selecting a home theater projection screen
A step-by-step guide to selecting the correct projection screen setup.

Home Theater Projector Screen Fabrics
Discussing the different projection screen fabrics and the criteria to take into account when selecting a projection screen surface.

Understanding Projector Screens: Screen gain, ambient light and projector output
With today's powerful video projectors, one may easily end up with too bright an image. Discover how to best match the projector output with your screen.

Home Theater Screens Product Reviews:

Brands reviewed under this section include...

Da-Lite Screens - Part 2

Draper Projection Screens

AccuScreens for the Home Theater on a Budget

Elite Screens (Part 1)

Stewart FilmScreen

Goo Systems Projection screen paints

 Home Theater Guides:

Recommended Technical Guides 

Projection TV - the center of attraction in the home theater
In search of BIG fun; look to the big screens of Projection TV. A complete guide to front and rear projection systems, and DIY projection television.

The LCD TV Guide:
LCDs are turning out sharper, bigger, better, and cheaper. Discover all you need to know about LCD TV sets in this series of articles on LCD TV.

Plasma Television
A complete guide to plasma TVs - from the features to look for when purchasing a plasma television, to installing and protecting your plasma TV investment.

Guide to Digital Satellite TV
Covering satellite TV basics - with a special emphasis on satellite TV decoder choice and satellite dish installation.

The HoloVision Rak Master Pull-out/Swivel AV RacksEquipment Racks:
There is more to equipment racks than a storage space for your system. More in this informative home theater guide.

Feel the Shake!
Bass Shakers, Buttkickers... Add the sensation of tactile sound and discover a whole new world in home entertainment.

Contrast Ratio - Playing with Numbers!
To what extent high contrast ratios affect the performance of a home theater projector or a video display device?

TV Viewing Distance
Buying a big screen TV? Care should be taken as you may easily fall into the trap of buying a too large TV.

1080p HDTV - What you need to know
Discover the strengths and weaknesses of the different HD formats - 720p, 1080i, and 1080p - in this HDTV Guide.

Dolby vs. DTS - Which delivers better sound?
We discuss the differences between these surround sound formats to help you understand why this Dolby vs. DTS controversy prevails.

Home Theater Design:
A series of articles covering all aspects of a home theater from design to realization.

 

Featured Home Theater Screens

Check out the latest reduced pricing on some of the most popular projector screens at amazon


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