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High Gain Screens In Australia?


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Is there a decent place to buy a high-gain screen in Australia? The quotes I've got over here for Draper have been twice the US price, even factoring in shipping and GST.

Daniel.

I have been doing a lot of shopping around for a High Gain Screen. Here are my findings:

You can get the DNP Supernova / LP Morgan Galleria Noir (2.0 Gain) through the Big Picture People, Encel Stereo and Ausmedia. These screens are extremely expensive, however, and have very particular set up requirements / restrictions.

The Big Picture People still have some stock of the Planar Xscreen (2.0 Gain), but production of this screen has now been discontinued.

For a super-high gain screen, you might want to consider the Vutec Silverstar (6.0 gain). Again, not a cheap screen, but by all rights a very impressive one, and certainly worth the price. Get the deluxe, though, with the wider frame, particularly if you are going a larger screen (>92"). The Australian dealer for Vutec is Audio Visual Engineering. You can contact their rep here - bill@audiovisualengineering.com They sell the Vutec SS for a modest profit, but not like the huge mark-ups you see through some retailers who shall remain unnamed.

Finally, there is the Sony DynaClear. This screen has a gain of 2.0, plus a coating for rejecting ambient light, and is supposedly designed to only pick up light from UHP lamps - anything with a Xenon lamp is out. This screen has an RRP of $799, but I bought one for $250. They can be had on eBay for even less, I hear. This is a decent screen but with very limited application - it is retroreflective, meaning that you cannot ceiling mount your projector, and it has a very narrow viewing cone, with a half-gian drop off of something like 30 degrees. If you can set it up right, it performs very well. I couldn't use it, but I sold it to a friend and he enjoys movies in his apartment during the day with no problems. Available pertty much anywhere that sells Sony AV equipment.

Hope this helps out.

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Import one from the States. It's much cheaper.

These guys will ship the Da-Lite High Power to Australia for a reasonable cost:

http://cgi.ebay.com/58x104-DA-LITE-PERM-WA...7QQcmdZViewItem

BHPhoto will ship the Perm-Wall HP to Australia for under $200 if it is less than 119" diagonal.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...p;Q=*&bhs=t

You can also buy the High Power fabric only from BH and have a frame made here at any size you like.

Edited by Raider61
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As someone with an RPTV wondering about a projector, do these screens enable viewing if the room is not completely dark?

Hi Pietro,

Having seen the Sony DynaClear and the DNP Supernova in action, I can tell you that yes, they do, however:

- the DynaClear works much better with only minimal ambient light - i.e. a dim room, but not necessarily a dark room, and the more ambient light you have, the narrower the viewing cone;

- the Supernova will work in bright environments, but the more ambient light, the more powerful a projector you need in terms of lumens, and it has very specific viewing angles and set up in terms of optimal seat, throw distance, etc.

I am waiting for a sample of the Vutec SS and I will be able to tell you more when that arrives. I hear another poster on this forum, Oliver G, is looking for a 129" Cinemascope Vutec SS and will post his opinion on that screen when it arrives.

No projection screen will enable you to compete with direct sunlight falling on the screen, but this is also true of any RPTV.

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I just got a quote for the Vutec ss 123" diagonal 16:9 screen,3500 +950 shipping to Melbourne :o from Sydney.Way out of my budget,but probably worth it If you could afford it.

lol

thats a ridiculous quote for shipping.i shipped a large plasma and 2 boxes from syd to vic with change left from $350

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I have been doing a lot of shopping around for a High Gain Screen. Here are my findings:

You can get the DNP Supernova / LP Morgan Galleria Noir (2.0 Gain) through the Big Picture People, Encel Stereo and Ausmedia. These screens are extremely expensive, however, and have very particular set up requirements / restrictions.

The Big Picture People still have some stock of the Planar Xscreen (2.0 Gain), but production of this screen has now been discontinued.

For a super-high gain screen, you might want to consider the Vutec Silverstar (6.0 gain). Again, not a cheap screen, but by all rights a very impressive one, and certainly worth the price. Get the deluxe, though, with the wider frame, particularly if you are going a larger screen (>92"). The Australian dealer for Vutec is Audio Visual Engineering. You can contact their rep here - bill@audiovisualengineering.com They sell the Vutec SS for a modest profit, but not like the huge mark-ups you see through some retailers who shall remain unnamed.

Finally, there is the Sony DynaClear. This screen has a gain of 2.0, plus a coating for rejecting ambient light, and is supposedly designed to only pick up light from UHP lamps - anything with a Xenon lamp is out. This screen has an RRP of $799, but I bought one for $250. They can be had on eBay for even less, I hear. This is a decent screen but with very limited application - it is retroreflective, meaning that you cannot ceiling mount your projector, and it has a very narrow viewing cone, with a half-gian drop off of something like 30 degrees. If you can set it up right, it performs very well. I couldn't use it, but I sold it to a friend and he enjoys movies in his apartment during the day with no problems. Available pertty much anywhere that sells Sony AV equipment.

Hope this helps out.

Is the Sony available as a ceiling mount? Could you take the fabric out and put it in a ceiling mount?

Daniel.

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Import one from the States. It's much cheaper.

These guys will ship the Da-Lite High Power to Australia for a reasonable cost:

http://cgi.ebay.com/58x104-DA-LITE-PERM-WA...7QQcmdZViewItem

BHPhoto will ship the Perm-Wall HP to Australia for under $200 if it is less than 119" diagonal.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...p;Q=*&bhs=t

You can also buy the High Power fabric only from BH and have a frame made here at any size you like.

Im looking for the;

Draper 92" 16:9 Ultimate Access / Series V with M2500 fabric & 240V quiet motor

The M2500 fabric is not retro-reflective, and thus ideal for a ceiling mounted projector. Its good to know the Silverstar is available here!

Daniel.

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Is the Sony available as a ceiling mount? Could you take the fabric out and put it in a ceiling mount?

Daniel.

Sadly, no - at this time, the Sony is only available as a "pull-up" screen. If it were ceiling or wall mountable and angular reflective, I would pick one up at this price without compunction. Would be nice to have a full 100" screen, though. I have heard of stories of people cutting the fabric out and sticking it to glass, and believe there is a DIY thread to this effect over on the avs forum.

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I have to ask a question of the high gain screen seekers.

Given the subject of the thread I have to assume that it is not just hard to buy a high gain screen here in Oz, it is also hard to view one.

So do you really need one?

To me, a high gain screen is a specialist device for certain installations.

If you need one in general use, your screen is either too big, your projector too dim, or you hate decent blacks.

I've owned two 2.8 gain High Power screens in the past 10 years, and both have done more harm than good. Given modern projectors have decent light output, I don't know why something like an HP, let alone a Silverstar would ever be necessary.

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It depends entirely on what technology is being used .. ie, retro reflective or angular reflective.

Unless the HT is set up correctly for the screen type, results can be less than stellar.

An angular reflective screen (EG Vutec's Silverstar) .. the light from the PJ needs to be bounce off the screen (like a pool table ball) and land where the eyeballs are.

A retro relfective (EG Dalite's HP) .. the projector needs to be behind you as the light bounces straight back.

Implemented correctly, these screens can offer spectacular results. I bought a 150" Dalite HP 'scope screen a month ago and got some Vutec SS samples. Using a Sony VPL-VW200 I'm getting much higher FLs than I was with a unity gain Stewart. (130 Ultramatte). Blacks suffer slightly as well as CR but IMHO well worth the trade off.

I can get the SS from a friend in the US if anyone wants one.

I am probably going to sell the Dalite and go with the SS eventually - even though the Dalite is great, the SS material seems to have less hotspotting.

Edited by oliverg
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Is there a decent place to buy a high-gain screen in Australia? The quotes I've got over here for Draper have been twice the US price, even factoring in shipping and GST.

Daniel.

Give Stefan a call at DVT. Tell him Pete sent you.

Hes got these new solid high gain screens which you can use during the day. From 42' up o 150' i believe.. if ur in Sydeny, check it out..

Edited by Padre
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