Elite Projector Screen Spectrum 100"

Product: Elite Spectrum, 125" 16:9 Electric Screen, MaxWhite 1.1 Gain: Some of the reviews here on Amazon for Elite Screens are a mish-mash of different models and some were not favorable; I don't know why Amazon continues to lump different models of a manufacturer into one single product. In any case, here's my initial review that I will update later if necessary: SHIPPING, DELIVERY, AND PACKAGING: I purchased my screen from Elite Screen via Amazon: Elite Screens says they ship your order no later than 3 days of their receipt of the order. That was precisely the experience I had. My order was shipped within 3 days. Actual delivery was well ahead of the indicated delivery window by Amazon. Overall, I received my order within less than 8 days from placing it to actual receipt. The only minor issue with delivery was that I was given a 9 am to 1 pm delivery window by the shipper and they showed up after 3:30 pm. But it did arrive on the day the shipper said it would. FYI: I would guess that due to the size of the screen it had to be shipped by freight rather than the more typical UPS or FEDEX etc. But shipping was free. And to the shipper's credit, the delivery person actually brought the screen into my house rather than just park in front of my house and have me bring it in myself (i.e. it was not drop-shipped). Packaging: This is a large screen (125" diagonally) weighing around 34 lbs: The shipping container was made of substantial heavy-gauge corrugated cardboard with double boxing, and the screen was suspended internally with sold heavy-duty foam spacers along its length and most importantly at each end of the screen. In addition, the entire screen was wrapped it protective clear plastic. Upon delivery the shipping carton showed a minor surface tear at one end, but not significant, and it didn't penetrate to the screen itself, the tear was superficial to the outer packing: Upon opening the carton the screen was perfectly OK thanks to the excellent packing by Elite Screens and the care used, and the warning labels to handle with care, etc, printed on the carton. SPECTRUM SCREEN: This screen is from the Spectrum line of Elite Screens. This is a motorized screen but not a tensioned screen. This is a MaxWhite screen with a gain of 1.1. "MaxWhite" really refers to the type of screen material used, though it doesn't specify exactly what that material is. According to info from Projector Central (projectorcentral.com) the screen is interwoven and multi-layered cross array with a white reflective compound. In addition, the MaxWhite screen provides great color and black and white uniformity and a great viewing angle, and the screen can be washed with mild soap and water. The material is said to be both flame and mildew retardent as well. The screen has a 2" black border and a black drop area at the top that is around 6". The bottom of the screen is attached to a weighted pole that runs the width and a bit more of the screen. The screen comes in a solid metal black casing casing (which actually looked like a very very dark brown). The unpacked screen's weight is around 32 pounds. MOUNTING AND INSTRUCTION BOOKLET Mounting the screen can be to a flat wall or to the ceiling, or even hung. In my case mounting was somewhat unique in that I could not directly use a wall or ceiling or hang it; I had to construct a mounting frame that was itself then attached to a piece of structural architecture supported by two fluted columns. However, once that frame was constructed and mounted, actual mounting of the screen was straightforward using the wall-mount holes on the end-caps of the frame. Interestingly, there are two ceiling mount holes at each end and only one wall-mount hole at each end. There's also a single hanging-mount hole at each end as well if you choose to hang your screen. The screen came with basic hardware to mount into a drywall or ceiling. Any hardware such as L brackets or anything else has to be purchased separately. INSTRUCTION BOOKLET / ACCESSORIES There's a printed instruction booklet that came with my screen. However, for some odd reason, the booklet was in French. While French is a beautiful language I am not ashamed to say that it is not my native tongue. I had to go online to the Elite Screen's website to view and download the English version (PDFfile). Why Elite Screens would include a French version for a US shipment and require one to go online to access the English version is a mystery. It should have been just the opposite; The English version should have come with the screen and require you to go online if you want the French version. In any case, after downloading the English version and having had experience mounting screens before, I didn't learn much more than I already knew. If you've ever mounted a projector screen before you really don't need this instruction booklet for that. However, there is some information on the accessories that came with my screen and the booklet - actually not more than 3 pages - shows those accessories and how they are attached. As for how they are attached it's rather vague, though you'll likely get an idea. You can always call Elite Screens if you have any questions; They include a toll-free telephone number ACCESSORIES: My screen came with an infrared remote with batteries, as well as an electrical wall switch for mounting into a wall. The remote also came with a holder which can be handy if you plan to keep the remote nearby; Just mount the holder on a wall. In addition to the infrared remote, you can purchase an additional radio remote that has a greater range and doesn't require line-of-sight to the screen as the infrared remote does. Also, there are informational inserts on an accessory for a 12 V trigger using radio control if your projector does not provide a 12V trigger output. Getting the battery compartment open on the infrared remote was challenging: The removable cover for the battery compartment was so tight that I thought I was going to break the case trying to open it. For some reason, it requires significant pressure to open the case. I don't know if it was a fluke with my remote or it's by design. But if it's by design I think Elite should perhaps look into it because it's really hard to open and while I didn't break the plastic case, someone else just might. The remote uses two triple-A batteries (included). I didn't wire and use the included electrical wall switch so I can't comment; However, it looks exactly like the remote's three buttons, one for up, down and stop. When viewing the screen from the front, at the left of the screen's casing is the AC electrical cord and also a small infrared sensor mounted on one of the sides of the metal casing angled downward around 45 degrees. When using the infrared remote you just point it to this area and the screen responds. To my surprise, also included is a carpenters level: You'll need a level to ensure your horizontal is truly horizontal and your verticals are truly vertical when mounting a screen. If you already have your own level use it instead; If you don't have a level use the one included - it should work and will be very handy. SCREEN UP / DOWN MOTION After having finally mounted my screen I was very anxious to try it out as you can imagine but was a bit pissed because I couldn't get the battery housing open to install the batteries. However, after finally getting the plastic case open and installing the batteries I pointed the remote to the top left corner of the screen and pressed the down button: As if by magic the screen began to slowly descend with a very low purr of its motor. Now, some other reviews have complained that the speed is too slow. Personally, I didn't find it slow, though it is slower than a Dalite screen I also have. But I like the very deliberate and dramatic pace at which the screen descends. Similarly, pressing the UP button causes the screen to return upward. Pressing the stop button at any point simply stops all motion. Now, on a Dalite motorized screen I have (at least 20 years old), pressing the up or down buttons on the electrical switch (it has no remote) requires that you pay close attention to stop it at just the right point, otherwise, it continues to move in the direction it was going. And if the Dalite screen is moving up, and you don't stop it, it continues up into the casing and the screen will roll around in its case causing quite a bit of a racket. I've never tried to see what happens if it continued in the down direction... perhaps it would damage the screen. However, I am very pleased to say that with the Elite screen, it automatically stops when fully dropped or raised - there's no danger of the screen recoiling on itself. This feature is not mentioned anywhere I could find but should be pointed out because it's important to know, and makes the screen more reliable and easy to use. HOT SPOTS As my first movie with this screen, I played The Martian (2015), starring Matt Damon on Bluray: I noticed absolutely no hot spots whatsoever with the screen. All areas of the screen were evenly lighted and appeared perfectly the same. (refer to the end of the review for the equipment I used.) COLOR ACCURACY Color accuracy can, of course, be affected by the kind of screen and its interaction with the particular projector being used. I didn't measure color accuracy using a colorimeter but could tell there were no visible color aberrations. The screen simply displayed whatever the projector was throwing at it and if any colors were "off" it wasn't the screen causing it. In addition, this is a matte-white screen with a 1.1 gain, and unlike a silver or gray screen, a matte-white is generally not likely to alter color at all. Colors looked vibrant when they were supposed to be and in dark areas, the detail was apparent (this presumes your projector is capable of good shadow area detail). The images I got using this screen were both impressive and extremely well detailed almost to the point that you'd think you were watching a 4K movie. OTHER REPORTED ISSUES: ODORS: Some reviews mentioned a strong chemical odor with their new screens: I can say the same: My screen has a particularly strong chemical odor - actually, a vinyl odor. If you've ever opened a new vinyl tablecloth you know what they can smell like, but the odor quickly dissipates. With my screen, I can confirm, as other reviewers have stated, that there is a very strong (vinyl-like) odor. The odor seems to only be noticeable when the screen is in its down position; When the screen is rolled up the odor seems to go away. I would presume that after a period of time that the odor will completely dissipate. CURLS / ISSUES WITH PANNING: Similar to chemical odors, there were reviews saying there were curls (or worse, such as wrinkles) on the sides of some screens: I did notice that at the very bottom, around 6 inches up from the weighted poll, the outer rims of the screen had a very slight curl. However, so does my Dalite screen. And I have to say that once I adjusted my projector's image to fit the larger size of this screen (I went from a 120" 4:3 screen to this 125" 16:9 screen) I saw absolutely no image distortion whatsoever. In addition, Elite Screens mentions that you will need to keep the screen rolled down for a couple of days to help with any possible wrinkle or curl issues (and also to help dissipate the chemical odor as well). Others have reported issues when scenes with panning took place: I have not seen any issues whatsoever on scenes with panning in them. And as I mentioned, there were no image distortions at all that could be seen from the viewing position with this screen. I don't do gaming so I can't attest to whether panning issues were related to gaming. I've had my screen two days now and am following Elite's recommendations regarding any curls (and chemical odor). I kept my screen down overnight and did notice a slight improvement with the very slight curl at the bottom; I will do similarly this evening and for the next couple of days or weeks and see how that changes anything. However, in my case, it's simply a visual thing since there's no image distortion, so I am not concerned at all. PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION: OUTSTANDING: As of right now, I would have to say that the Elite screen, at least the one I have, is an exceptional value for the cost, and I would not hesitate for one second to recommend the product to someone else. EQUIPMENT I USE: Projector: Panasonic AE8000U (original lamp, less than 170 hrs of use) Lamp Mode: ECO (Economy) Bluray Player: OPPO BDP95 I will return to this review as necessary to update it accordingly, otherwise, it remains as it is. UPDATED REVIEW: UPDATE - 3RD DAY POST MOUNTING: Chemical Odor: The strong vinyl odor is just about completely gone, except if you get up real close to the screen and take in a wif of air. Slight Curl at Bottom: I've been keeping my screen in the down position as much as possible to help the screen stabilize. It's improved somewhat. What I have noticed is that a) with a very slight pressure on either end of the weighted rod at the bottom of the screen, any curl is removed, and b) if the screen is raised about 15 or 20 inches up from its fully lowered position it significantly improves: this may be an issue with how the screen material is rolled onto the roller or perhaps that the weighted rod could be just a bit heavier to give more downward pull. I will continue to watch this issue and report on it, but as I previously stated, the slight curl at the edges does not distort the image I see at all.