Technical Specifications
Tensioned on aluminium frames, DesignScreenHD projection screens fold into a tryptich without creasing the screen.
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1. Genuine HD quality cinema screen (1.1 Gain, matt white surface, viewing angle 170°, 3D ready) 2. Tryptich interior mechanism (International patent), ensures no creasing 3. 3 aluminium panels 4. Strung manually, every 6cm, on all 4 sides : 5. Casing made from black aluminium 6. Veritable picture frame (aluminium frame, wood frame or stretcher) 7. Card backing for posters (except for stretcher finish) 8. Removable sheet of Plexiglas (except for stretcher finish) 9. Hinged bracket for opening and tensioning 10. Matt black bands, extra-large : 21cm at each side (better contrast for bright rooms) |
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DesignScreenHD projection screens are a real solution for home theatre lovers who are looking for a real cinema screen that doesn’t crease or curve at the edges, occupies only 1/3 of the wall space and blends in well with their interior thanks to a personalised picture frame on facade.
How to choose your video projector and your screen?
Today's video projectors give nothing like the faded, pixel images of the old fashioned projectors we knew in school, or old company meeting room projectors. New FULL HD projectors are manufactured by the makers of digital televisions and will give you the same high definition, bright, sharp quality image as flat screen TVs. However, a whole different experience compared to 109cm flat screen TVs. You now have access to a to a 2m – 3m wide cinema screen! You'll no longer be 'in front' of your film or favourite video game; you will delve right into it.
New video projectors are available in 2D and 3D too. Only opt for a FULL HD projector that has a HDMI (1.4) port. Using this port, connect the projector to your amplifier which will centralise all other digital equipment (using HDMI leads for each of these too): game consoles, blu-ray players, camcorders, computers, touch-screen tablets, TNT or satellite TV boxes, etc.
Our advice: forget any other types of leads (s-video, rgb, component…these are all old generation, low resolution leads which will give you a disappointing result on your big screen).
You can find video projectors that range in price from 400€ to 12 000€. Of course, the difference in price corresponds to the difference in quality, just as you will see differences in quality between 10 televisions lined up, side by side, in a shop. Even within Full HD, the difference in image quality depends greatly on two elements:
1. Contrast (from 2 000:1up to 400 000:1!). This indicates the level of contrast in the projected image. The brighter the projector, the clearer the image it projects. The sharpness of the colours will depend on the contrast. As a guide, go for video projectors with a 25 000:1 or higher contrast.
2. Brightness (from 900 to 3 000 lumens). This indicates the amount of light your projector will be capable of sending to light up the screen. Of course, in a totally darkened room (a real cinema theatre), there's no need for a glaring light source. However, in most living rooms, walls and ceilings are light-coloured and curtains and windows allow some light through. Better therefore to opt for a Full HD video projector with a high enough brightness that will compensate for this ambient light. For example, we suggest Full HD video projectors with at least 1 600 lumens (as long as it also has a good contrast ratio, see above).
You can forget video projectors that cost between 400 € and 900 €, these are "desk" projectors intended to be used for projection of powerpoint slides or similar office documents.
A budget of 1 000€ - 1 800€ will get you into the entry range of Full HD video projectors with a good enough image quality for games consoles, but not good enough for proper big screen film projections. You will be better off with a digital TV in this case; your budget in insufficient for quality projection.
True Home Cinema video projectors, ie. ones that will project your high definition films and your video games with really sharp, bright, colourful images are within the 2 500 € - 5 000€ price range in high street shops, and between 5 000€ and 12 000€ in specialised custom installation shops (for high end private home cinema rooms).
Objectively, you can find excellent Full HD video projectors that will give you immense satisfaction for approx. 2 500€ - 3 500€ (eg. Epson 5500, Epson 6000, Epson 9000, Panasonic PT-AT5000, Sony HW30ES, Sony 95ES, Mitsubishi HC7800 DW, OPTOMA D83, etc.)
Note that 3D projectors tend to loose some brightness since they alternatively project images for the right eye, then for the left. You need to choose a projector that has a greater level of brightness (and therefore contrast too) and enhance it with the use of a "gained" screen (at least 1.1 gain)…such as ours.`
To help you understand, here are a few links:
EPSON :http://www.epson.fr/Particuliers-Micro-entreprises/Projecteurs/Home-cinema/Epson-EH-TW9000W
SONY :http://www.sony.fr/hub/1237479999892/7/1
PANASONIC :http://www.panasonic.fr/html/fr_FR/Produits/Projecteurs/Projecteurs+LCD/PT-AT5000E/Pr%C3%A9sentation/8124299/index.html
Is there need for a big room?
Before, it was necessary to have a dedicated room to be able to have a large, tensioned screen, then fix the projector on the ceiling, create complete darkness and, of course, run all those electric leads! Something that is simply impossible for today's city dwellers!
We are all more and more looking for a really big image and want to use a good quality video projector without any hassle! We not only want to watch films, but also share other activities with our family and friends: video games (consoles like the Wii and Kinect have had a big impact!), or follow big international sports events that are broadcast via the TNT or satellite. Then, of course, there's 3D! All these new ways of using video projectors are nothing like the early dedicated projection rooms of the 70's. Nowadays, big screen projection is primarily experienced in the living room, were family and friends mingle.
Simplicity has become the name of the game. No longer any need to install the video projector on the ceiling and run wires. Video projector manufacturers have understood this and now propose white coloured projectors (more easily integrated with the interior design of a living room) and certain have wi-fi or infra-red connections…bye-bye wires & leads! In this way you can place the video projector on a wall-shelf, a bookshelf or even on the coffee table. Even so, it is now very easy to run a single HDMI lead along a scurting board. All that's needed is to buy a length of cable trough (about 15€ in a DIY store) and paint it the same colour as your scurting boards.
HDMI cables can be quite long (even 15m, and good quality) at specialised resellers for less than 60€.
The makers of video projectors have also improved their new Full HD projectors: no need for a big room or large distance from the screen anymore. 3 to 5 metres between the projector and the screen is now enough. We can recommend you place your living room couch 3m – 5m from the screen, place your projector behind the couch among books on a shelf, for example, and decorate your room with a maximum number of items that will help lessen any echo effect of your room: pictures on the walls, curtains on the windows, rugs on the floor, wood furniture, etc. All these elements will contribute to better acoustics (even in modern, tiled floor houses).
How to choose your projection screen?
A screen is not simply a static white canvas! If it were, why wouldn't real cinemas project onto blank walls? Just as it is pointless having a high quality sound amplifier with bad quality speakers (the sound will be poor no matter how costly the amplifier!), the screen must enhance the quality of the projected image.
Screens range in price from 150€ to 10 000€ for a good reason! The screen has a function and adds to the beauty of the projected image. In other words, for an equal budget of 5 000€ for example, you will obtain a better result by combining a Full HD video projector at 2 500€ with a screen at 2 500 €, than with a video projector at 4 800€ and a screen at 200€. Don't loose from sight (no pun intended!) that what you are looking at for the 2 hours of your film…is the screen surface!
First and foremost, and if you are to retain no other advice from these guidelines, retain this: always go for a "tensioned" screen, ie. one that is laced on all 4 sides. The old-fashioned 'non-tensioned' ceiling screens are only weighted on the bottom edge of the canvas and glued at the top inside the casing into which they are rolled. There are countless people on internet chat-rooms, who having not realised the importance of the screen quality, express their dissatisfaction with their screen that inevitable ends up curling on the sides (often creating a 'V' shape near the bottom). Can you imagine that while watching a film, cars in the scene start to buckle and warp! These entry-level screens made in Asia can be found for 150€ - 900€.
If you're looking for an authentic cinema screen that will give you the colour and contrast your Full HD projector deserves, opt for a screen with a HD canvas. DesignScreenHD screens are all equipped with an authentic, high definition cinema canvas, with a gain of 1.1, which boosts the beauty of the colour and contrast of the projector. What's more, it is already suited to the new 3D projectors which give off less light.
The big names in "tensioned", motorised ceiling-mounted screens cost between 1 500€ (made in China) and 6 000€ (made in USA). You can find our new, sleek, quality screens which are tensioned and customisable in the region of 2 200€ to 2 900€, depending on size, finishing and point of sale. Our screens have been designed and are certified "made in France".
Lastly, if you do wish to set up a traditional, dedicated home cinema room and install speakers behind your screen like in the cinema, you must opt for either a micro-perforated or woven acoustically transparent screen which will allow the sound from your speakers come through the screen surface. Specialised outlets stock these screens which cost between 4 000€ and 12 000€.
TO SUM UP…
No need to spend 50 000€ or 10 000€ to have a private projection room…
With DesignScreenHD projection screens and for a budget of approximately 5 000€ (Full HD video projector + TENSIONED screen + HDMI lead + amplifier + Blu-ray player) you'll experience all the emotion of the big screen directly in the comfort of your own living room. Get right inside your favourite films and video games or enjoy the big live sports events with your family and friends!
In this space, we have tried to provide objective guidelines to help you get equipped. Don't hesitate to get in touch with any comments or questions, we'll be happy to respond: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Below are some examples of living room installations along with combinations of different sized widescreen TVs and television cabinets.