Top Picks Projection Screens

Projection Screens Screen prices vary widely by brand, size, screen material, and configuration (fixed frame or retractable tensioned/non-tensioned, etc.) Consult the manufacturer for specific pricing.
	Da-Lite High Power Da-Lite’s High Power 2.4 gain screen material, which was tested to gauge its effectiveness with 3D, was both affordable and surprisingly high performance given the usual sacrifices made to achieve higher gain. Reviewer Tom Norton found it to be “notably free of visible texture and hotspots…This lack of a hotspot is a remarkable achievement for such a high-gain screen, and the characteristic of the Da-Lite that surprised me the most. (May 2012, Read Full Review)
	Elite Lunette Curved If you’re ready to take your home theatrical experience to new heights, the gently curved Elite Lunette screen is a superb performer and a great value (the version we reviewed costs $1,600.) Its curved frame is covered in nonreflective black velvet and the back of the screen is blackened to eliminate light penetration—a feature you won’t find on many costlier screens. We reviewed the CineWhite version but Lunette is also available with a woven, acoustically transparent screen material called AcousticPro1080p. In the words of veteran video reviewer Tom Norton: “I loved what the curved screen did to enhance the cinematic feel of movies, and if my home installation allowed for such a screen…I’d choose the Elite Lunette without hesitation.” (April 2013, Read Full Review)
	Screen Innovations Black Diamond G2 4K The G2 4K is the 4K version of the Black Diamond II screen we reviewed in 2011 (below). It literally shines with brightness, making it an ideal choice if some of your viewing will be done amid ambient light. The G2 4K is offered with three specified gains: 0.8, 1.4, and 2.7. We tested the 1.4 version with a flat, fixed frame covered in black velvet and screen material that is thick and rigid ($2,899 as reviewed). Summing up his impressions, reviewer Tom Norton wrote: “SI screens are unique products that, under the right conditions, offer compelling performance for users who otherwise might not even consider a video projection/screen setup.” (April 2013, Read Full Review)
	Screen Innovations Black Diamond II Screen Innovations has continued to blaze a path with new and improved iterations of the Black Diamond screen we reviewed in early 2011, adding additional gain options (it’s now available in 0.8, 1.4, and 2.7 gain versions, as well as a new retractable version introduced in late 2012 and a Zero Edge model with almost no visible border that can be mounted to a wall or hung from a ceiling. In any version, it is designed to optimize viewing in subdued to normal ambient light conditions, providing exceptional performance when the lights are on. Reviewer Tom Norton was impressed; although it won’t deliver the performance of a good screen in a fully darkened room, “with discreetly positioned lighting sufficient for eating, conversing easily with others, and even multitasking (we used to call that reading), the Black Diamond will get the job done better than any other screen I know of.” (May 2011, Read Full Review)
	Stewart Filmscreen StudioTek 130 This 1.3 gain white screen from Stewart Filmscreen is among the most highly regarded and popular materials among serious enthusiasts for 2D viewing in environments with fully controlled lighting; it is the closest thing we have to an industry standard screen and it is the screen used by nearly all of Home Theater’s reviewers. In full darkness it provides just enough additional gain over a 1.0 unity screen to give smaller home theater projectors a little extra punch without hotspotting or other obvious artifacts. Although we’ve never formally reviewed this screen, our everyday experience with it easily earns it honorary Top Pick honors, though it is also one of the most expensive screens you can buy, easily costing two to three times more than some of the more attractively priced materials out there. Depending on screen size and the projector, it may also fail to provide enough gain for satisfying 3D viewing. (July 2011, Read Full Review)
	Stewart Reflections Active 170 3D Stewart’s 1.7 gain Active 170 material provides ultra-high gain for additional brightness for viewing 3D content, though you’ll sacrifice some light uniformity and off-axis performance on 2D compared with a lower gain, more general purpose screen. Reviewer Tom Norton noted that “the Reflections is a good overall performer. It produces a comfortable but not a striking increase in brightness over its StudioTek 130 G3 sibling. It cannot match the latter in color uniformity as you move off-axis, but the changes were slight enough that even the moderately critical viewer isn’t likely to be bothered by them. The decrease in brightness as you move off-axis at a reasonable angle (about 30 degrees) is gradual and barely visible.” (May 2012, Read Full Review)
For Consideration
	Elite Screens CineWhite 1.1/Osprey Elite Screens is known for providing exceptional value, and the CineWhite 1.1 white screen material we tested in the Osprey retractable dual-screen casing proved to be very uniform and had excellent color fidelity given its relatively low cost. A slight shimmer visible at close range on all-white test patterns but impossible to detect on nearly all real-world program material cost it Top Pick status, but reviewer Tom Norton noted it was a close call. The Osprey screen casing is unusual in that it houses two screens simultaneously that can be rolled down at will, one for standard 16:9 HDTV content and one for 2.35:1 aspect ratio widescreen movies. It worked perfectly and offered a best of all world’s solution for today’s projectors with lens memory functions that can automatically zoom the image accordingly to eliminate black letterbox bars. (September 2011, Read Full Review)