Projector Screen Shootout: Stewart, Da-Lite & Carada Compared

Determining the Criteria

For many of us who have fallen victim to the world of home theater technology, there comes a point when we graduate to the "big screen". For me, this happened when I stumbled across a DLA-DS1 JVC video projector that needed a new power supply. It was one of those "bargain basement" deals I just couldn't pass up. I mean, we're talking a serious upgrade from a 1997 52-inch 4:3 Sony RPTV that didn't even have RGB inputs.

To voice a disclaimer, I am fully aware that the contrast ratio for this specific projector is indeed quite low. After all, it's only recently that these better contrast ratios have shown up in LCD/LCOS projectors at more affordable prices. Please keep in mind that all of the comments and observations in this review are based on the JVC. Since the world is flooded with so many of these older LCD projectors, we wanted to know how high contrast screens would perform with projectors of such low contrast ratios. On a positive note, this projector does sport 1300 Lumens (the lamp had approximately 500 hours on it at the time of this review) and supports native 720p and 1080i resolutions (the actual resolution of the projector is 1365 x 1024.)

What led us to pursue this screen comparison? Well, the initial screen for viewing movies was a blank wall - all too common among new projector owners. While I was certainly entertained with the matte white painted surface, I wasn't at all that impressed. This brought me to the big question: What screen would be the best match and enhance the performance of a low contrast ratio projector?

   
Carada High Contrast Gray (left), Da-Lite Cinema Vision (center), and Stewart FireHawk (right)

After spending a tremendous amount of time doing research, I was rather disappointed to realize there was very little in regards to detailed reviews of actual projector screens. If you wanted to know about the latest greatest plasma monitor or DLP television there is plenty of information available, but when it came to screens, I was quite surprised to see very little thorough or professional substance on the subject. Perhaps this is because screens are about "personal taste". For example, one can find tons of reviews on speakers, but a person's favorite speaker is almost certainly based on one's personal preference, not necessarily those reproducing the most accurate sound or having the best measurements. Is the lack of reviews simply because projector screens just aren't as "glamorous" as the latest greatest THX-driven-does-everything-including-wash-the-car toy? During my research I even spent time examining DIY projector screens. While this concept was interesting, I calculated the amount of time and money that would have been spent constructing one of these screens and wrote it off as a bad match for someone looking to get consistent and optimal results. In addition, if finding screen reviews is hard, try finding a reliable, professional review of a DIY system.

From this research I narrowed down the type of screen that would produce the best results. The winner? A "high contrast" fixed screen. Determining the best technology was the easy part! The difficult task was now trying to determine which manufacturers offered the best products in terms of price verses performance.

The Desired Criteria

• High-contrast screen with gain from approximately 1.0 - 1.5
  High contrast screens offer the ability to lower the overall light level improving the black levels thus allowing us to perceive an improved contrast. No matter what, the contrast ratio will stay the same as this is dictated by the projectors capability
• 16:9 screen ratio (preferred, but not mandatory for my comparisons)
  This ratio offers what I feel to be the best ratio if you intend to view both HDTV content as well as DVD content. I feel it's a good overall compromise.
• A "fixed frame" screen
  There are a host of screen options: pull down, electric wall screens, rear projection, and fixed frame. My specific application requires a fixed frame design as it is the most visually appealing.

First Impression: Carada Precision Series

Unpacking & Assembly

First to arrive was the Carada screen. As you can see from the photos, Carada takes great pride in the packing and shipping of their product. The packing consisted of 4 side rails, screen material, a bag of hardware/assembly instructions and some mounting brackets. Everything arrived safely and was very well protected during transit.

Assembly was very straightforward. Each of the sides was marked for their correct position. T for top, B for bottom etc. Matching up the corners was all that was needed to result in a complete and error-free assembly of the frame. I recommend assembling the screen on an open, level, flat surface. Carpeting makes for a nice protection layer and avoids any problems with potential scratching of either the flooring or the projector screen frame.

The only tool required for frame assembly was a screwdriver to fasten some snaps at the corners. These snaps also serve to hold the corners in place. The frame is constructed quite well; however it is a bit narrower than the other manufacturers we auditioned. This isn't necessarily bad, however, as I found the frame width decreased the noticeable "picture frame" like appearance on the wall. Something the rest of the family may appreciate. For those of you looking for more of the black frame width to help mask edge artifacts or overscan you may need to adjust your setup accordingly.

Once the frame was assembled it only took a few minutes to snap the screen material into place. From casual observation, out of the three screens supplied, the screen material from Carada did appear to be the thinnest. I noticed no adverse effects of this during my viewing tests.

The mounting of this screen was rather simple. It consisted of a full-width metal bracket which gets fastened into wall studs. Mating brackets then hook over the top of the wall mounted bracket.

What makes this mounting method attractive is that you can actually slide the screen left and right to get it perfectly centered with the projector. I really like this mounting method as it makes hanging the screen very easy for one person. I had no problem raising and hanging this screen without any assistance or serious risk of damage to the screen. Just be sure to level the wall bracket to ensure a perfect fitting.

The finished product is an excellent-looking screen with a grayish appearance, as seen here.

First Impression: Da-Lite Cinema Vision

Unpacking & Assembly

The next arrival was from Da-Lite. As with the Carada screen Da-Lite packs their product well. Just as with the Carada, the Da-Lite screen shipped with four side rails, some mounting hardware, and of course the screen material.

Note: Da-Lite shipped a Cinema Vision screen instead of a Cinema Vision High Contrast screen due to a miscommunication. Because of time constraints we decided to proceed with the review but plan to request a high contrast screen sample to which we'll add our findings in an addendum.

All of the corners were marked for easy assembly. I did take notice that the rails slid in with a somewhat snugger fit than the Carada.

Just as with the Carada screen, some snaps had to be screwed into place once the corners were in position along with some screws for extra stability. Overall, the assembly was very straightforward and took very little time. Labels were provided, along with instructions, for matching up the appropriate corners.

Completion of the frame was a breeze. All that was left was to snap the screen into place. I noticed immediately that the Da-Lite screen felt very "industrial" and appeared to be made of a thicker gauge material than the Carada.

Da-Lite uses the exact same wall bracket as the Carada model which makes hanging the screen a snap with just one person. The mounting bracket is actually built into the frame of the Da-Lite. If you look at the outer edge of the frame, you can make-out the recess in which the frame slides into the wall bracket. Again, this allowed for the Da-Lite to be slid into position while still maintaining the ability to center the screen on the wall. The frame for this particular screen did not feature Da-Lite's "pro-trim" fabric covering. This option is available at an additional cost.

First Impression: Stewart Luxus Deluxe FireHawk Screen

Unpacking & Assembly

Out of the three screens that arrived, the Stewart screen was certainly the most "hefty" both in construction and shipping materials. When it came to moving the container into the house I actually needed some assistance!

As with the previously discussed screens, the Stewart was packed with 4 side rails, screen material (in its own industrial tube), a bag of hardware and some mounting brackets. There were no "assembly" instructions; however there were instructions on how to "repack" the box. In Stewart's defense I believe this screen was sent out as a "demo" model since it came with all of the options available (Leg stands etc.). Having just utilized two nearly identical mounting systems, I was a bit confused as to how this screen was supposed to be hung on the wall.

Since I had already assembled two screens at this point, I plodded forward without instructions. Just like the other samples, the Stewart rails were all labeled to aid with matching up the correct pieces. The Stewart frame quality is by far the nicest of the samples we received. It is very rigid and very heavy duty.

As with the other two I began to layout the pieces for assembly. The corners fit very tightly and appeared almost seamless when joined. It was at this point that I became unsure as to how the mounting system worked. A quick phone call to Stewart quickly clarified the methodology. Apparently the brackets used for mounting this screen must be attached to some nuts that slide within a channel of the frame. To utilize the correct mounting procedure I had to disassemble the frame in order to slide in the retaining nuts into the slots. In a real-world situation this would have been clear as instructions are typically provided.

Concerning the "New and improved" Mounting System

According to Stewart, their mounting system was designed as a new and improved system for mounting the screen. Pictured to the right is the bracket from which you would hang the screen onto the wall (preferably some screws or lags secured into some studs). The difficult part is aligning two of these brackets at the top of the screen and two of these brackets at the bottom of the screen. While it may be a bit difficult to visualize, you are essentially trying to align these brackets with the already secured screws (blindly). The screen is already snapped into position from the back, so there is no way to see exactly what you are doing while you hang the screen. Imagine hanging a heavy 96" picture frame with two single-hole hangers on the back and you'll get the idea. While accurate measuring can help, it won't eliminate the struggle entirely. The entire experience was frustrating and a tremendous let-down after the installation ease of the Da-Lite and Carada. Still, it is doubtful you will install this screen more than once in a several year span, so this negative can only be taken so far. We point it out in the hope that Stewart will upgrade future screens to a more user-friendly solution.

Real-World Observation and Evaluation

We all know that hard factual numbers allow us to build a foundation from which we can develop an opinion on how a piece of equipment performs. I would like to take some time to express my personal visual experience with each screen.

Obviously, upon viewing these screens I formed an initial opinion; however I felt that using each of these screens for a lengthy period of time would allow me to "acclimate" to their strengths and weaknesses. Each screen was used for both DVD and high definition television playback during a period of 3 weeks. Since I do not have direct control over ambient lighting, the only time that I could view these screens was during the evening hours.

Using the Sencore VP400 VideoPro to generate our calibration images, and our Milori ColorFacts Software and Sensor for our measurements (See our Calibration Equipment Page for Details), the projector was calibrated each time so that the brightness, contrast, sharpness, tint and color were all equal from screen to screen. All measurement values in graphic form were documented to provide easy recall when switching from one screen to another. Understand that even though the projector was calibrated to each screen there are many variables that are not addressed here due to the nature of this review and limitations of the projector. The camera used for the captures was a Nikon 5400. You may also want to take into consideration that every computer monitor reproduces color differently. Unless you are using a properly calibrated monitor, we recommend you use the photos for comparison only and pay closer attention to our analysis and measurements.

Carada High Contrast Gray Projector Screen

The first screen that was chosen was the gray high-contrast model which came from Carada. Until this point I had been using a matte white wall. The chosen title was "The Fifth Element" (Superbit) DVD. I immediately noticed deeper and richer blacks - a fairly dramatic, though expected, change from the matte white wall.

While I felt that the color representation was adequate my overall impression was that the colors looked a bit "dull" the blue skies appeared a little grey rather than blue. I had no problem adjusting the projector to minimize the over scan artifacts even though the screens frame is significantly narrower than the others. I should note that the frame is wrapped in a black velvet material. This is included in all of Carada's screens at no additional cost.

During the three week period I can honestly say that the screen did "grow" on me. The source used during this period of time was 1080i high definition via DirecTV. I began to appreciate the sleek thin appearance of the frame. The color representation while adequate did not jump out at me as I have seen on some matte white screens. The rich, vibrant color that some may be used to when viewing images on a white screen simply cannot be achieved with this screen and projector.

The Carada screen is noticeably darker, while increased black levels are desirable with low contrast projectors

Da-Lite Cinema Vision Projector Screen

The second screen that went up for observation was the Da-Lite Cinema Vision. I was excited to see how this screen would perform with the D-ILA projector. As with the Carada screen, the projector was calibrated to this screen for equal performance using the Sencore Video Generator and Milori Sensor and Software. This screen is Da-Lite's "Cinema Vision" model, not to be confused with their "High Contrast Cinema Vision."

The same source was used when viewing this screen for the first time. The screen material is not grey in color as with the Stewart and Carada models, but closer to white. This was quite obvious as the colors were much more vibrant and reflective. The downside with this screen was the presence of hot spots on the areas attempting to produce bright whites. The reduced contrast ratio on the projector combined with this type of screen material also caused the blacks to appear much more gray in color. I personally was not pleased with the results of this screen.

After the three week evaluation period I realized that the performance of this screen had more to do with a mismatch between the D-ILA projector and this type of screen material than the actual quality of the Da-Lite product. The brightness of this screen was just too high, resulting in both inadequate black levels and overbearing whites.

While the Cinema Vision does have the ability to produce vibrant colors the elevated white levels cause the blacks to appear more gray in color.

Stewart Firehawk High Contrast Projection Screen

The final screen evaluation was performed with Stewart's Firehawk model. This screen somewhat dwarfed the other two models. The color of the screen material was very similar to the material used on the Carada, a medium gray for better black reproduction. Following the same standard as the previous two screens, the projector was fully calibrated to the screen as discussed previously. The Firehawk is one of the more well-known screens in the Home Theater community judging by its abundant presence at CES, including the Faroudja booth. I was anxious to see what all of the hype was about.

The Fifth Element was loaded into the DVD player and the result was very similar to the Carada screen: pleasing color reproduction and excellent black levels. Just as with the Carada, the blacks were much deeper and more accurate. There was a feeling of the overall brightness being reduced a little. This observation seemed a bit odd to me, as the Firehawk claims a gain of 1.3. I did notice some "sparkle" effect when viewing the screen at various angles. Overall, I must say that I could see very little difference between the Carada and Stewart brand screens, a tremendous tip of the hat to Carada, which costs quite a bit less for similar performance.

During the 3 week period the Stewart screen was exhibited excellent saturation of and the entire spectrum of even digital animation films like Finding Nemo seemed well represented. I had already become comfortable with the gray screen after having spent time with the Carada, so the decreased white levels didn't bother me at all and were preferable to hot spots or losing blacks. I could not perceive any increase in gain as the published numbers suggest. As a matter of fact, out of the two screens my eyes suggested that the Carada was perhaps a little brighter.

Out of the three screens the Stewart appeared to be the best match with the JVC projector. The blacks have more detail while not being washed out as with the Da-Lite.

Observations & Comparisons

The decision was made to observe the viewing angles in a logical manner for each of the three screens. The Milori Sensor was placed on a tripod mount which was placed in the same location and angle from screen to screen. We carefully marked the position and measured the distances and angles to ensure that the Sensor was measuring the same reflections between screens. Calibration Images were then displayed using the Sencore Video Generator.

The projector was set at a distance of 15.4 feet from the center of each screen. Markers were positioned in increments of 15 degrees starting from the center point. The Nikon 5400 camera was mounted on a tripod and moved to each 15 degree marker as each photo of both the SMPTE color bars and grayscale were taken. All of the photos for each screen were taken and loaded into the computer before shooting the next screen. This assured us that there would be no mix-up with the photos.

Carada

 

Da-Lite

 

Stewart

 

Here are a few observations that should be noted. In viewing the red bar of the three screens, it is rather obvious that the Stewart screen is quite a bit darker (not that this is a bad thing). This is mostly noticeable when viewing the 0 degree on-axis image. While the color looks reasonably balanced between all three screens, we did notice that the blue bar on the Stewart had some color shift towards red - primarily in the 45 degree shot.

Carada

  

Da-Lite

  

Stewart

  

When viewing grayscale on all three screens it was apparent that we were meeting the limitations of the low contrast ratio of the projector. There were minimal differences noted in these observations, with the exception of the increased brightness reproduction of the Da-Lite screen and the Stewart Firehawk which displayed a slightly darker image overall.

Milori Benchmark Measurements & Tests

As discussed in previous sections, the projector was calibrated for each screen to ensure the contrast, tint, hue, color and other factors, were as closely matched as possible in order to level the playing field for our observations and measurements. The results ensured that the projector and screens had been properly calibrated by providing the same RGB results over the entire IRE spectrum. Here are the adjustment parameters which were required to match these RGB curves.

As you can see, the Da-Lite required less brightness for equal measure, while the color needed to be increased. The Stewart seemed to need less color boost with equal brightness to the Carada screen, however, a slight decrease in contrast was noted as the projector required the most boost for this screen (with a value of 3).

Keep in mind that these observations do not necessarily depict that one screen was better than another, but it does show they are different. As you can see, each screen was able to be calibrated to provide virtually identical performance curves, but these measurements did verify that calibration using the right equipment was essential in optimizing the performance of the screen to the projector.

These measurements and the changes required to the projector do coincide with our visual observations. For example, the stewart and Carada seemed pretty close in relation to brightness but initially, the Carada appeared to absorb more color. Keep in mind the Stewart had a reflective coating on it (sparkly when you look at it from the right angle) and the Carada did not. We feel that the Da-lite required a higher color setting because the color was being somewhat washed out likely as a result of how brite the screen was. Again, the point here was that calibration is the key to optimal performance for any screen and projector set up.

Conclusions and Ratings

With the increased desire by consumers to have the ultimate home theater, video projectors and screens are going to play a more vital role than ever before. The only way to truly get the "big screen" experience is to have, well, a big screen . The projection screen manufacturing business has been slowly adapting to the demand of the general consumer and I believe we will see some significant developments in screen materials, frames and masking systems. Unfortunately, for the average user, projection screens are about as exciting to "play with" as watching grass grow.

Observing the performance of a screen, television, or speaker is highly subjective. Therefore it would be difficult to establish a winner or a loser when viewing these screens. What can be said is that each screen does exhibit some strengths and weaknesses which should be considered by the end user. Make sure that when ordering a screen, you take into consideration the projector you will be mating it with. Most of the companies will answer questions and make suggestions based on your situation (ambient room light, projector model and space limitations.)

In regards to build quality, the hands-down winner is Stewart. Its frame was far superior to the others in this review. It does, however, have a more difficult installation in comparison to Carada and Da-Lite.

The materials used for all three screens were of high quality, from screen fabric to the frame surround, though the stitched trim on the Da-Lite screen far exceeded that of the Stewart and Carada. We also observed that the thickness, or gauge, of the material varied from one company to the other, with Carada appearing to be the thinnest and Stewart being the thickest.

Though the comparison of the Da-Lite combined with the two high contrast screens may seem a bit odd, what should be apparent is the need for a high contrast screen when using a projector of such low contrast levels. Something to consider with these screens is the price verses performance factor. Both the Da-Lite and Stewart screens fall in the $1300+ range while the Carada sells for under $600. If your desire is to have the absolute best in build quality and performance you really couldn't go wrong with either Stewart or Da-Lite. However, if you are willing to give a little on the frame construction and get a tremendous bang for your dollar, then the Carada is an excellent value performer that shouldn't be ignored.

Ratings

As this is an unorthodox review, we'll keep the rating system somewhat simplified. Here are where the screens really stood out:

Carada, Inc Precision Series High Contrast Grey MSRP $647

http://www.carada.com

Easy assembly

Easy mounting

Fantastic value

Da-Lite, Inc Cinema Contour Cinema Vision MSRP $1360

http://www.da-lite.com

Easy assembly

Easy mounting

Good value

Stewart Filmscreen Lexus Deluxe Firehawk MSRP $2027

http://www.stewartfilm.com

Superior build quality

Easy assembly

Difficult mounting system

Superior overall performance

The Score Card

The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:

Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating

Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.

Audioholics Rating Scale

• — Excellent
• — Very Good
• — Good
• — Fair
• — Poor

Metric	Rating
Performance
Value