How to Buy a Projection Screen

You have the projector, now pick the screen

If you're putting together a home theater built around a video projector, don't forget about the screen. Experts say it's just as important as the projector, and some say it's even more so. You can spend thousands on a videophile- or professional-grade screen, but our research shows you can get performance that's nearly as good for far, far less. When picking a screen, keep these points in mind.

• For the best picture quality with a video projector, experts say a projection screen is essential. A plain wall can be used, of course, but color performance, black levels, contrast, sharpness and more could all be reduced.

• How big is too big? The lure of a video projector is its ability to produce a very large picture. However, sitting too close to a huge image can get very tiring very fast, experts say. Although some like to sit closer or farther back, one rule of thumb is that viewing distance should be roughly 1.5 times the screen's width. That translates to a screen size of about 92 inches (diagonal) if you sit 10 feet from the screen, but you'll want to move back a bit (to about 13 feet away) with a 120-inch diagonal screen.

• Consider your room and your projector. Ambient light and the brightness of your projector will go a long way toward determining the right type of projection screen for your setup. Some screens are perfect for watching in a perfectly dark room, but won't present as nice a picture when the lights are higher. High-gain screens are great for a boardroom, but can reduce picture quality if used in a dark setting.

• Fixed or retractable? Fixed screens are often less expensive than retractable models, but are a better choice for a dedicated home-theater room. For rooms that serve multiple purposes, a powered or manually operated retracting screen disappears from sight when not needed.

How much gain do I need?

As noted elsewhere in this report, the ideal amount of screen gain varies with several factors, not the least of which is the light output of your projector. While experts say the ideal gain varies from 1.1 to 1.3, you can crunch some numbers to determine a more exact figure. Practical-Home-Theater-Guide.com (http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/projector-screens.html) explains the parameters and their relationship to one another.

That said, the easiest way to figure out the right screen gain -- and the rest of your home theater setup -- is to use one of the very good projector calculators available on the Internet. The one at ProjectorCentral.com is a standout (http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator-pro.cfm). It lets you select the projector you own (or plan to purchase) and experiment with factors such as projector placement, screen size, screen gain, ambient light and more to see if everything will work well together.