affordable screen options is one that has always confused me... tough to get a grasp without getting all the samples and trying it yourself. I'm building a 575w HMI wuxga PJ and will make my own screen as well. I'm assuming I'll come in somewhere between 350 and 400 lumens in a floor-standing, long-throw vertical build (PJ behind seating positions and just above head level). I want as large a screen as I can get with available brightness in a dark room. The options that look interesting to me are: C&S (to get slightly better blacks), wilsonart DW, and (if I decide to go AT) phifer sheerweave 4500 p06 (chalk). My questions are as follows: If I am able to get decent results at 120" diagonal, will going with C&S (or any non-white screen) noticably improve blacks, or will the projection be so dim (~ 11 foot-lamberts) that my only choice will be white? Second, is Wilsonart DW a good option for 350-400 lumens at 120"? Third, is sheerweave in the same league as the other two options mentioned, better, or worse (necessarily giving something up for AT)? And lastly, am I off my rocker and should only be looking at high gain screens, or are the 575w HMI PJs sort of the exception to the "DIY PJs are dim" rule (as I am assuming)? Thanks in advance!

My 2 cents.

Even at 350 -400 lumens you will want a High Power screen.

Most sites recommend a "light cannon" if you want to use a gray screen.

Heck when the new 1000 lumen 1080p projectors started coming out 3-4 years ago, a High Power screen was recommended for them

I think the rule of thumb is around a 2000 lumen projector for the gray screens.

yup... C&S is not really a grey screen... N9 munsel IIRC. I think most of the lower priced 1080p commercial projectors even today are in the 400 lumen range at their longest zoom and in cinema (best) mode. So my thinking was that my projector will be comparable in brightness to the entry level commercial PJs at their worst. problem is, I've never witnessed what that is, so really have no clue. I'm more and more intrigued by the AT fabric, but am still a bit concerned by the 1.16 gain... I've seen varying opinions around the web about screen brightness... from high-power is a must here, to 7 foot-lamberts hurts my eyes in a dark room. I have no interest in ambient light performance... I'll buy a light cannon when I want to do that. But I DO want my humble creation to have a nice image in a light controlled environment, and would rather not spend the $500 for a high-power screen if I can avoid it.

C&S is a gray screen, but a very light gray screen; the lightest I have been able to get using a metallic component. If I were in your shoes, this is the mix I would try. It is easy to mix, inexpensive and the ingredients are readily available in most areas of the U.S..

I can't say too much about the DW screen since I have never seen one. I have read a few reports that the newer sheets of this material cause some hotspotting.

My testing of AT screen material has been very limited, but I can say that the reason is it AT is because there are holes in it. The PJ light that hits one of the holes is totally lost and not one photon is reflected. This is not a good thing with a low-lumen PJ.

If you think you will be getting almost 12 fl. of light on the screen, you should be able to go with an even darker gray than C&S (but you probably won't have to if ambient light is not a problem). I have found that Black Widow (which is about N7.6) even looks good at 12 fl., but now we enter the realm of subjection; what looks good to me might be too dark for you.

all i meant was c&s is not what most think of as a "grey screen" (like BW)... I know it is not a white screen (why i listed the munsel)... I think I will start with do-able and compare to C&S and go from there... start cheap!

My projector is around 400-500 lumens optimized (Mitsubishi HC3000) and I use Black Widow, which is a very dark gray mix.

mech

If you have access to do-able sheets, by all means give it a try! Sadly, I live in the eastern U.S. and it isn't available here.