reviews

HCC Review - 100 inch Plasma on a budget!
(Daylight Front Projection Screens)

November 2007

We must start by saying..

This is a review on what we consider to be a great alternative to paying 100K to buy a 100 inch plasma screen. We will take you through a compete home theatre installation.

We have a project apartment that is subject to a lot of ambient light so if we want to watch a 100 inch screen during the day we will have to come up with something special.

Below is the wall where the screen will be mounted..

We need power and speaker cables for the projector and ceiling mounted speakers.. -- 2K (Price for installers and electrician)

A sneak peek of "After"

The installer cuts out the holes for the speakers..

We will be doing some painting too!

The noir (pronounced "nwahr" & is French for black) "Daylight" screen below in 100 inch size was too big for the lift! Lucky we just got it up the stairs. You would not want to lift one in the wooden packing container.

In a room with light from above the screen looks black which explains the name.

This 100 inch 16:9 screen uses the latest daylight coating, with the right projector it should look like a Plasma screen even in the daytime!

Below Noir screen in action at Home Show with down lights shining directly onto the screen, the right hand 1/3 has a normal screen coating. When we saw it we just had to test it!

http://www.lpmorgan.com.au/noir

We are testing a LP Morgan Galleria Noir Daylight screen for this review.

Daylight Projection screens have been around for a while in many different types mostly rear projection, what's new and exciting is the LP Morgan Galleria Noir front projection screen.

The secret is how it rejects light from angles coming from above and much of the side angles. The torch is a great way to see this effect, in the below examples it is held at the same angle simulating down lights hitting the screen and as you can see the light beam has almost no effect on the screen.

The worst thing you can do is have light coming in from the same direction as the projector and unfortunately this is the case in our installation so if we can get a good result here you can get one anywhere.

It's a great trick! Where did the beam go?

Would you use a daylight screen with a projector that does not have enough ANSI lumens to work effectively in full day time conditions? ..if you can afford it and can control the sunlight, YES.

One example is using Epson EMP-TW1000 1080i Full HD projector. (Epson make all the HD LCD Panels that many "DLP" brands are now finding a good idea..) The Epson TW-1000 model does not have the required 3000-4000 ANSI lumens brightness for the 100 inch screen however if you can control the sun light you can now use the projector in the most economical lamp mode (Theatre, Theatre Black 1 or 2) even with the lights on!

Using the Sanyo PLV-Z2000 the results were very impressive also, you can now use the projector in a lower lamp mode even with the lights on.

Using the DNP SuperNova screen you have the option to watch a movie in a lit family or multi purpose room.

The difference in gain (lit room) between the Galleria Noir screen (Right) and a normal screen (Left).

Other offerings that compete include the Sony NEXY which filters out light that does not come from a projector (RGB) via the lamps characteristics. This has method several limitations and in our opinion is not in the same league as the Noir. There is also a screen by Planar called the X-Screen this is very heavy (around 65KG/100 inch) because it uses a lot of glass. The importers did not want to have the X-Screen reviewed knowing we were reviewing the Galleria Noir, you can draw your own conclusions from this.

We are not looking at rear projection as this would not be a viable alternative to plasma in a home cinema. We don't think a 42 or even 60 inch plasma is home theatre either because of the size.

The technical stuff

The Noir uses an "ultra fine" .0065-millimeter pitch along with a "high-contrast filter" that allows the projected image to be reflected by the screen while it absorbs incidental light from other sources the lens system focuses and concentrates the projected light before reflecting it back towards viewer. The built in contrast enhancement filter absorbs diffused light from windows and room lighting. The two systems are basically printed onto a substrate as "pixel mirrors" then has a protective coating applied.

Important points to consider before choosing this screen.

• Nothing is fantastic with direct sun light shining on it, this includes a plasma monitor.
• Light from the same direction as the projectors lamp will not be rejected thus effecting the image. This means a window or bright light source behind the projector is not a good idea.
• The projector should have a 1.8 - 2 X zoom to be mounted as far away as possible from the screen to keep the angle within 5% else it to will have some light rejected.
• If your room is not long enough to wind the zoom to almost full narrow (say 5.5M for 100 inch screen) you need a smaller screen). Short throw models will cause hot spots and uneven brightness, also the top of the projector lens should be mounted +/- 5% from the top or bottom of the screen frame. A wider angle may be taken as light from other sources and not reflected back to the viewer efficiently.
• The screen bottom edge should be 1 to 1.2M from the floor.
• Cleaning projection surface: Use an ordinary window cleaner then dry with a lint free cloth. Frame: Clean with a mild soap solution and dry with a lint free cloth. Take care not to scratch the frame.

Specifications (based on the above)

Screen contrast ratio : 20:1
Peak gain : 2.0
Optical pitch : 0.065mm
Resolution (vertical) : 20,000 lines (4:3, 100" diagonal screen)

Advert..

Who would use one?

Noir "Daylight Screens" require a fairly powerful projector like the 3000 ANSI Sanyo PLV-80 (Wide Screen) to get the most from them. If you want a jaw dropping 16:9 image in the board room the combination of a 100 inch Nior and the PLV-80 offers plasma like performance at 1/5 the price currently asked for such a large 16:9 display.

The image is so bright we had trouble taking a picture of it (in artificial light), the image below is how it looked in a FULLY LIT room.

The next image (below) has a reasonable amount of natural light entering the room, we've highlighted in the sun shining on the wall just under the screen.

Nothing can compete with the sun

Sunlight can be around 100,000 LUX (lx) even taking into account you won't have full sunlight inside a buliding, lets say 10% that's still 10,000 Lumens you must overcome before you'd start to see a reasonable image. (LUX= 1 lumen per sq. meter)

You can now see why sunlight in the room requires a powerful projector.

A well lit office could measure 300 lx on your desk and 150 or so lx on the walls, it may seem bright but artificial lighting has around 5% the punch of sunlight so you don't need a such hulk of a projector with no sunlight especially using a Daylight Screen.

The Noir daylight screen can handle all the artificial light you can muster from the ceiling provided you have selected the correct Lumens projector for the screen size and lx in the room.

"In a naturally lit room full of uncontrolled sunlight consider going outside and riding your bike! No display works well with sunlight shining on it"

The Nior works well with lights from above however you need to avoid light coming from the same direction as the projector. Other points to consider are the viewing angle which is fine for a "Cinema" layout but side on viewing is out of the question, also the closer the projector is mounted to the screen the more lightly you'll see a hot spot. This should not be a problem unless you're looking for it, you'd easily see a hot spot in a solid colour but it's a lot harder to pick under normal viewing.

Home Users

If you can afford it, there is a good reason to use a Noir screen with a projector that's not as powerful as recommended. For example with EPSON EMP-TW 1000 (true HD 1080i), I've found I can watch a movie with the lights on (say 1/2 power) whilst setting one of the low lamp "Theatre" modes. Many "DLP" only brands are now using the EPSON LCD engine for good reason. Search on "DLP rainbows" for more information.

I prefer having some background light because it's easier on the eyes and you can multi-task and/or entertain. It also give the image a lot more punch. Using the TW1000/Noir combination most people can't imagine a better picture, (myself included) especially in a semi-lit room.

To show why the ANSI lumens or brightness is important especially with DAYLIGHT in the room, the next two images show 1000 vs. 3000 lumens. If you double the brightness the image is not twice as bright, you'd need 4 X to have that effect.

1200 lumens - Epson EMP-TW1000

3000 lumens - Sanyo PLV-80 Note the sun shining onto the wall.

The following two images are from ausmedia.com.au taken in their demo room with the downlights on using a 1080p HD Sanyo PLV-2000 projector..

Summary

The test case is the worst possible scenario because there is sunlight coming from behind the projector as well as the side. Solution 4000 lumens in combination with the Noir screen the result was completely watchable, more so than a Plasma because there was no reflection. For viewing in a commercial environment with all the interior light you like the Sanyo PLV-80 HD 3000 lumens (heavy duty and HD) would be the way to go if you need wide screen (Club, Pub etc.).

For the club, pub or board room that wants to impress because size matters this new 100 inch screen in a must see. You'll need to get the correct projector but you'll still come out around 1/5 the cost of a similar sized plasma display. The Daylight screens are available from 84 to 120 inches in size.

For home users you're in for something special this screen supercharges projectors like the Sanyo PLV-Z2000.

We recommend you contact a company that knows what they are doing before you buy.

LP Morgan Noir (Black) DNP SuperNova

Editors Choice for "Daylight Screen"

HCC - November 2007

Special thanks to AIM Digital Imaging for supplying the test units and arranging for the installer.

Side note

AIM (www.ausmedia.com.au) are using the same Daylight Screen technology to make screens of any size. This screen is using 3 projectors side by side..

The LP Morgan range Copyright © Herma Note E. & O.E. Information on this site is Subject to change without notice and should be used as a guide only. HCC can not be held responsible for errors or omissions so please do your own confirmation if required.