Digital Projector Question/Suggestions

[Luke Erik]

Bought a digital projector last night, and am loving it. I have it in a room on the third floor that doesn't have any windows, so the room is naturally dark and the picture looks terrific. A friend of mine stated I need to purchase a screen for optimal resolution. I looked at a few screens, and they were pretty expensive. So, anyone else with a projector have any advice as to if a screen actually improves resolution, and is it worth the coin it costs?

[sean]

They actually make special paint that you can use.  That said, I have friends who project straight onto a white wall and it seems to work just fine.  To my mind, it's a question of what you can live with; no matter what you go with, you will always have the knowledge that there's something better out there that costs more, but that's any home theater set up.

[Dobbin]

The paint is expensive, but not as expensive as the screen. Highway reflective white paint throws back more light. But the DLPs are so bright it really isn't a big deal. I've got a Sony tri-gun CRT projector, which is more than enough in a dark room, and gives a kind of old-tyme drive-in theater feel if there's dim light in the room. You're fine with a white wall. Invest the paint/screen money in surround sound and seating.

[Dobbin]

ALSO: re-watch BSG from season 1 on. It is much, much better of a show when large and movie-like.

[Luke Erik]

Invest the paint/screen money in surround sound and seating.

I already have a decent surround sound system in the room, but I probably will use the screen money for better seating. ...power went off again... Watched ALADDIN and WATCHMEN last night, and I have to say I enjoyed seeing ALADDIN more on a big screen. Little things about the animation really stand out, and the escape scene from the cave of wonders was a lot of fun to watch. One thing I haven't done yet, and I don't know why, is play some video games using the projector. Unfortunately, with the power out, it doesn't look like I'll be doing that today. It's a good the the Virtual Boy can run off of batteries. 

[Dobbin]

I already have a decent surround sound system in the room, but I probably will use the screen money for better seating. ...power went off again... Watched ALADDIN and WATCHMEN last night, and I have to say I enjoyed seeing ALADDIN more on a big screen. Little things about the animation really stand out, and the escape scene from the cave of wonders was a lot of fun to watch. One thing I haven't done yet, and I don't know why, is play some video games using the projector. Unfortunately, with the power out, it doesn't look like I'll be doing that today. It's a good the the Virtual Boy can run off of batteries. 

Check with the manufacturer or online FAQs regarding your unit; it is all digital, so there should be LESS of a chance of this, but the issue with older style projectors and video games is that the persistent elements of the interface (the HUD, the score, the lifebar, whatever) may result in screen-burn-in, where they permanently leave a ghost impression.