Elite Screens Inc | Elite Screens China Corp. | Elite Screens Europe ...

Product Review
Canada HiFi • http://www.canadahifi.com/review36.php
Review By Suave Kajko / CanadaHiFi
Let's face it, most of us don't have the space for a dedicated home theatre
room, where a giant screen can be installed permanently on the wall. Even if
you do have the space, it's rather unlikely for your significant other to agree to a
permanent screen. So how can you recreate the movie theatre experience at
home? The solution is to get yourself a manual roll-up or an electric screen.
These screens are simple to install, can be placed in a living room or a basement
room and neatly roll out of sight when not in use. And if you think that you can't
afford an electric screen, think again. Of course there are companies offering
electric screens that cost thousands of dollars. But there are also a number of
well respected companies that offer very reasonably priced electric screens.
One of these companies is Elite Screens based out of California. Its extensive
line-up of home and commercial projection screens includes a wide variety of
electric, manual roll-up and fixed frame screens with a broad array of sizes,
formats and materials. The Elite Screens' Home2 series represents a line-up of attractively priced electric screens ranging
from a conservative 75-inch model all the way up to a gargantuan 180-inch model.
The topic of this review is the Elite Screens Home2 HOME90IWH2 electric screen which retails for a reasonable $825 CAD.
This is a 90-inch, 16:9 ratio screen which comes in a compact, white aluminium casing. The casing measures roughly
87.75 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches. The screen offers a 160 degree viewing angle and has a gain of 1.1. Gain is a measure of how
reflective the screen material is, with 1.0 and 1.1 being popular choices for most home theatre applications. The Home2
series uses a MaxWhite-Fiberglass multi-layer material with a black backing to eliminate light penetration for superior
image reproduction. The screen is surrounded by a black mask measuring 1.5 inches on the sides and the bottom, and
4 inches on the top. This black mask is intended to enhance the perceived brightness of the image on the screen. For
rooms with higher ceilings, Elite Screens offers models that have a 30 inch mask at the top. Both the 4 and the 30 inch
mask models have a vertical limit switch which allows the user to customize how far the screen drops down. The bottom
of the screen has a black aluminium bar which keeps the screen flat when lowered. If you plan to place speakers
behind the screen, an acoustically transparent version of the screen can be ordered
from Elite Screens. Last but not least, a 12 volt trigger will automatically drop or rise
the screen when connected to a projector that has a 12 volt trigger output.
151
Every Home2 screen comes supplied with two remote controllers, one infrared (IR)
and one radio frequency (RF). A wired wall switch is included as well. Both remotes
and the wall switch have the same three buttons: up, down and stop. Inside the box
you will also find wall/ceiling mounting brackets, a bracket wrench, wall screws and
even a bubble level. The provided manual could be improved with larger installation
diagrams and clearer instructions.
Installation of the screen casing on my ceiling took about 20 minutes from start to finish, with a helping hand from my
father (whom I had to trick into coming over for lunch so that he could lend me a hand). The mounting brackets and
hardware fit together with ease which made for a simple and trouble-free installation. We mounted the screen about
2 feet away from the back wall so that in the near future I'll be able place a plasma TV on the same wall and the screen
will roll out in front of it. The white casing blended well with the ceiling, despite the black end-caps, and made for an
elegant presentation.
Then came the really fun part - I walked over to my media cabinet and pulled out a few DVD and Blu-ray discs. The
picture was provided by a Pioneer Elite BDP-95FD Blu-ray player and an Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 UB, an
LCD-based projector (also reviewed in this issue). The vast majority of my viewing was done in a completely dark basement
room.
With the push of a button on the remote, the screen lowered out of the casing in about 12 seconds. The tubular motor
provided a relatively quiet and butter smooth operation. The aluminium bar at the bottom of the screen supplied the
right tension to make the screen perfectly flat when lowered. My only comment about the operation of the screen is
that when it retracts, the aluminium bar bangs against the casing.
www.elitescreens.com/reviews