UPDATE MAR 30: Added Peroni's "Superscreen", added Awater3D's „Silver Stereo Max“.
UPDATE FEB 03: removed bright rear projection screen (trivision)
Hi everybody!
When I first approached the world of stereoscopic projection i found myself in a situation with a big lack of informations. Fortunately i had Likay who helped me out. The biggest lack i found was silverscreens. I didn’t know the differences between one silverscreen or another, between front and rear projection, between one viewing angle and another. This is why i decided to write this review. I contacted every single company that produces/sells this kind of material and asked for their permission to write about their products and a small sample. Some companies preferred not to be mentioned, and for sure had their reasons for that. So if you notice that some big companies are missing please respect their wish and leave them out of this topic.
Other big companies accepted and sent me some samples. (thanks
![Mr. Green :mrgreen:](./images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif)
First thing to do is to define what this review actually is. This review is not a product comparison, but more a product description, not meant to advertise one company or another, nor to put another company down. It is meant to give to mtbs users the means to make a informed purchase and buy the product that suits mostly their own needs. I will keep this review as un technical as possible and user friendly to give also to projection-newbies a information they can understand. I will have this review written based on 3 big aspects.
1) Mechanical aspects (such as screen properties, if it is washable, how sensitive it is to wrinkles etc.)
2) Ghosting/Glare (this point is affronted trough pictures taken under the very same conditions for every sample and a short description since i checked them myself while taking pictures)
3) Commercial aspects (such as price range, available formats etc.) [Note that the prices are rounded. And only meant as indication. Prices are in the currency of the producer’s land to avoid problems trough the exchange rate.]
The most important thing is that this review is NOT officially recognized by mtbs, it is a review written by me (Igor Masin, aka sharky) and mtbs does not have any responsibility about its content. For any sort of question or problem about the review please pm me here on the forums or send me an email at the address sharkyenergy AT hotmail DOT com.
The setup used for the testing is the same for every single test.
Projectors: 2x Hitachi CPX5 run @ 2000 Lumen
Filters: 2x SPAR filters
Pictures: Canon ixus i7
The filters are high range and produce virtually no ghosting.
The companies that agreed in this very first user-based review and their products are the following:
- UMA (aka silverfabric)
o Silverfabric
- Stewart Filmscreen Corp.
o Silver 3D
- Hurley Silverscreens
o Digital Dimension 3D
- Harkness screens
o Spectral 240 3D
- Awater 3D
o IC3D
o Rear projection screen (RPS) grey (acrylic glass 3 mm)
o Rear projection screen (RPS) black (acrylic glass 3 mm)
o Silver Stereo Max
- Trivision
o Silverpaint
o Dark rear projection foil
- Peroni (Added 03/30/09)
o Superscreen (Added 03/30/09)
All the posted technical informations are informations provided by the producer of the screen.
The pictures are not hi-quality because my camera has some trouble on dark rooms, but they represent the reality anyway. The amount of ghosting you see is the same amount I saw with a pair of glasses regardless the picture quality. (when i say "almost zero" ghosting, you can see what i am talking about by looking at the "G" of the word ghosting in the black part. that slight brown is the ghosting.)
Here some sample images:
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1209.jpg)
this is the worst case of ghosting (image taken with no filter as example) in order to be able to know where to search for ghosting. (overlayed "GHOSTING" text, graytone box below right, and gray box near the black one below left are not supposed to be there)
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1196.jpg)
Picture two shows the maximum polarization that can be archived with the test glasses on the REAR projection screen’s depolarization test.
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_Ghosting_test.jpg)
Picture 3 is the image I used to test the polarization. The quality isn’t the best because the samples are A4 sized and I had to shrink the image down. But it was up to the task.
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_ghosting_angle.jpg)
Picture 4 shows a certain amount of ghosting. when i tested the screens i moved to the side until the screen reached this amount of depolarization.
Company: UMA
Product: Silverfabric
Mechanical informations:
How is the material?
Fabric, covered with the non depolarizing film on one side.
Is the screen washable? Yes it can be washed with a soft tissue and using only water. If you have the version with black border and eylets, you should pay attention not to make the black border wet because it would shrink.
Is the screen rollable? Yes, but it isn’t sold with a roll system. If you want it you have to build your own and find a way to tension it. Personally I got good results. You shouldn’t roll it up on a radius smaller then 5 cm. (2’’).
Is the screen foldable? No. It is very sensitive for wrinkles and it should be mounted with care. Wrinkles won’t go away. If you fold it it is damaged. The screen is not so sensitive against rubbing.
Pros: Lightweight, washable, rollable,
Cons: Very sensitive to wrinkles.
Ghosting/Image quality:
The gosting is very small, you notice it only on some spots its not disturbing at all and well within the needs of a home setup. The glare is more disturbing. The screen is very reflective and the image is very sharp. The viewing angle is ok too. You don’t have any kind of problems until 30° off. At 30° the ghosting reaches the amount of the sample image.
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1213.jpg)
Commercial informations:
The approximate cost/sqm is around 110 euro.
The screen can be bought in the following formats:
- Screen material only
- Screen with black border, eyelets and rubber straps
- Screen with black border, eyelets, rubber straps and frame.
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1224.jpg)
Overall: This is a material I like very much. It seems to be a very good material that suits very much the needs of homemade setups. I recommend tough to plan the mounting of the screen very well and find somebody who can help you. If you have a big wall or enough room for the frame then this is your screen. I don’t recommend it to who would like to have it rollable and doesn’t have good manual skills to build your own rig. Also the pricerange is accessible for the private users and the quality/price ratio is very good. The ghosting is also low and if the screen is well tensioned (their frames to that perfectly) the image is clear and and the brightness constant over the whole screen. The black border looks good (see image below) , and the quality of the eyelets and rubber straps is very high. It’s a well made screen and I recommend it if you are looking for a good looking affordable medium/high range screen.
Company: Stewart Filmscreen Corp.
Product: Silver 3D
Mechanical informations:
How is the material? 1 mm thick flexible rubber, covered with the non depolarizing film on one side.
Is the screen washable? No.
Is the screen rollable? No
Is the screen foldable? No
Pros: To the touch it feels as a very strong and flexible material. Not so sensitive to WRINKLES as other materials.
Cons: not washable, not rollable, not foldable, the sprayed surface is very sensitive to rubbing.
Ghosting:
The ghosting on this material is ALMOST zero. The glare is minimal and the ghosting displayed on the image on top is reached at an angle of 45°. It has a very soft and comfortable image.
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1211.jpg)
Commercial informations:
The screen can be bought in the following formats:
- Fixed frame
- SNDQ
- AT-frame
- Cine-W
The company does not sell the screen without frame.
Overall:
This screen is indeed a high quality screen. Because of its mechanical properties tough I don’t recommend it for in-home use. This screen is more suited for professional use, big rooms and clean environments. It is a good choice if you have a dedicated room that you keep clean and are searching a hi quality screen.
Company: Hurley Silverscreens
Product: Digital Dimension 3D
Mechanical informations:
How is the material? 1 mm thick flexible black rubber, covered with the non depolarizing film on one side.
Is the screen washable? Yes.
Is the screen rollable? QUOTE: “No. For best image quality, Hurley does not recommend rolling any silver screen materials” . for what I have seen and tested, rolling it up didn’t damage the screen at all and I would probably risk it. (if you do it you do it at your own risk)
Is the screen foldable? No
Pros: To the touch it feels as a very strong and flexible material. Not so sensitive to wrinkles and rubbing as other materials. Washable, rollable at your own risk,
Cons: according to the producer the material shouldn’t be folded or rolled.
Ghosting:This screen had almost zero ghosting, and just a little bit of glare. Amazingly I was not able to reach the ghosting of the sample image at any angle. A very light ghosting starts at an angle of 45° but its amazingly small. The image’s sharpness is medium.
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1212.jpg)
Commercial informations:
The approximate cost is around 130 USD/sqm.
The screen can be bought in the following formats:
- Material only
- Hurley grommeted screens
- HPad screen
- Odyssey screen
- Frame system
Overall:
This screen is nearly perfect for in-home use. When I first got it I thought that it wouldn’t perform good because it doesn’t look promising nor professional in the first moment. (because unlike other screens it doesn’t look or feel sensible at all and looks more like a peace of silver painted building material) But when I tested it I was truly amazed. Way beyond my best expectations. With a ghosting of nearly zero and an acceptable glare and a more then affordable price range this material is one of the best choices. Only folding it and pressing with my thumb very strongly was able to make a visible damage on the material. I was not able to find any negative point on this material, except that (as any silverscreen) it has to be well tensioned.
Company: Harkness screens
Product: Spectral 240 3D
Mechanical informations:
How is the material? thin flexible rubber, covered with the non depolarizing film on one side.
Is the screen washable? No.
Is the screen rollable? Yes, the min rollradius for an electric screen is 150mm
Is the screen foldable? No
Pros: The material is very unsensitive to wrinkles, and easy to handle. It also is not so sensitive to rubbing as others are.
Cons: not foldable, not washable
Ghosting:
This screen had absolutely zero ghosting. Seen from front, and reached the ghosting shown in the image above at an angle of 45°. The image quality is very high, the image is very very soft and also very comfortable for the eyes even at reduced distances.
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1216.jpg)
Commercial informations:
List is £75/sqm non-perf or standard cinema perf.
The screen can be bought in the following formats:
- Material only
- Eyelets
- Framed
- Rollable
Overall:
Overall this screen is the one with the best image quality, but I do not recommend it for in-home use. It can't be washed which i think is absolutely needed at home. If you are searching a great top class screen this is your screen. In my opinion this screen is perfect for big shows or cinemas where the quality of the image is the most important thing.
Company: Awater 3D
Product: IC3D
Mechanical informations:
How is the material? Fabric, covered with the non depolarizing film on one side.
Is the screen washable? Yes it can be washed with a soft tissue and using only water.
Is the screen rollable? Yes, but it isn’t sold with a roll system. If you want it you have to build your own and find a way to tension it. Personally I got good results. You shouldn’t roll it up on a radius smaller then 3 cm. (2’’).
Is the screen foldable? No. It is very sensitive for wrinkles and it should be mounted with care. Wrinkles won’t go away. If you fold it it is permanently damaged. The screen is not so sensitive against rubbing.
Pros: Lightweight, washable, rollable,
Cons: Very sensitive to wrinkles.
Ghosting:
The gosting is very small, you notice it only on some spots its not disturbing at all and well within the needs of a home setup. The glare is more disturbing. The screen is very reflective and the image is very sharp. The viewing angle is ok too. You don’t have any kind of problems until 30° off. At 30° the ghosting reaches the amount of the sample image.
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1214.jpg)
Commercial informations:
The approximate cost/sqm is around 100 euro.
The screen can be bought in the following formats:
- Screen material only
- Screen with black border, eyelets and rubber straps
- Screen with black border, eyelets, rubber straps and frame.
Overall:
This is a material I like very much. It seems to be a very good material that suits very much the needs of homemade setups. I recommend tough to plan the mounting of the screen very well and find somebody who can help you. If you have a big wall or enough room for the frame then this is your screen. I don’t recommend it to who would like to have it rollable and doesn’t have good manual skills to build your own rig. Also the pricerange is accessible for the private users and the quality/price ratio is very good. The ghosting is also low and if the screen is well tensioned (their frames to that perfectly) the image is clear and and the brightness constant over the whole screen.
Company: Awater 3D (Added 03/30/09)
Product: „Silver Stereo Max“
Mechanical informations:
How is the material? 1 mm thick rubber covered on one side. (can be bought also thinner)
Is the screen washable? Yes it can be washed with a soft tissue and using only water.
Is the screen rollable? Yes
Is the screen foldable? No
Pros: washable, rollable, not sensitive to wrinkles
Cons: very bright
Ghosting:
The gosting is very small, you notice it only on some spots its not disturbing at all and well within the needs of a home setup. The glare is more disturbing. The screen is very reflective and the image is very sharp. The viewing angle is ok too.
i used another test image since this screen has been reviewed in another moment. first image shows the worst case (100% ghosting), second image shows the actual ghosting taken trough the glasses.
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1270.jpg)
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1269.jpg)
Commercial informations:
The approximate cost/sqm is around 100 euro.
The screen can be bought in the following formats:
- Screen material only
- Screen with black border, eyelets and rubber straps
- Screen with black border, eyelets, rubber straps and frame.
- The screen can be welded toghether to sizes up to 16x9 meters
Overall:
This screen is the same as "IC3D" with the very very big advantage that it is not sensitive to wrinkles. i have bent it really hard and had no sign at all. The only downside is glare. Else the screen is really good.
Company: Awater 3D
Product: Rear projection screen (RPS) grey (acrylic glass 3 mm)
Mechanical informations:
How is the material? 3 mm thick gray, opaque acrylic glass.
Is the screen washable? Yes it can be washed with a soft tissue and using only water.
Weight: 1.2 kg/ sqm for each mm of thickness.
Is the screen rollable? No.
Is the screen foldable? No.
Pros: Rear projection, washable
Cons: since it is rigid it isn’t foldable nor rollable and also cannot be mounted onto a wall.
Ghosting:
In the image you can see that the screen depolarizes a bit. (totally black is the best)
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1201.jpg)
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1218.jpg)
Commercial informations:
The approximate cost/sqm is around 410 euro for the 3 mm thick material and 580 euro for the 5 mm thick material.
The screen can be bought in the following formats:
- Screen material only
- Screen material with frame. (various frame types available)
Overall:
The gray screen would not be my choice. If I would have to go for a acrylic one I would go for the black one because it has less ghosting, same price range and looks better. The pricerange is quite high for a home setup.
Company: Awater 3D
Product: Rear projection screen (RPS) black (acrylic glass 3 mm)
Mechanical informations:
How is the material? 3 mm thick dark gray/black, opaque acrylic glass.
Is the screen washable? Yes it can be washed with a soft tissue and using only water.
Weight: 1.2 kg/ sqm for each mm of thickness.
Is the screen rollable? No.
Is the screen foldable? No.
Pros: Rear projection, washable
Cons: since it is rigid it isn’t washable nor rollable and also cannot be mounted onto a wall.
Ghosting:
In the image you can see that the screen depolarizes a bit but less then the previous one. (totally black is the best)
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1202.jpg)
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1219.jpg)
Commercial informations:
The approximate cost/sqm is around 410 euro for the 3 mm thick material and 580 euro for the 5 mm thick material.
The screen can be bought in the following formats:
- Screen material only
- Screen material with frame. (various frame types available)
Overall:
This one performed better then the gray one. If you are searching for a RIGID rear projection screen then this is your material.
Company: Trivision
Product: Silverpaint
Mechanical informations:
How is the material? Silverpaint is a material they spray on almost any surface.
Is the screen washable? Yes it can be washed with a soft tissue and using only water.
Is the screen rollable? yes.
Is the screen foldable? no
Pros: applicable on many surfaces, not too sensible, washable, rollable, available for any particular need
Cons: none found
Ghosting:
This paint has almost zero ghosting. And you reach the ghosting of the sample image only at an angle of approx 60°. The image’s softness depends on the material they spray the painting on, both samples I got had a very soft and very nice image. (thats the reason why i only posted one sample. the result was the same)
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1208.jpg)
Commercial informations:
The screen can be bought in the following formats:
- Screen material only
- Screen with big holes for cinema’s with speakers behind the screen
- Screen with small holes for normal projection with speakers behind the screen
- Screens with very small holes for normal projection/short distances with speakers behind the screen
- Addons: Velcro adhesive (front side/rear) , pressure button, eyelets only, frame with eyelets (AL frame or steel frame), mount with tripod, pelican system, motorized rollsystem, frame on request (round, spheric, triangular etc.)
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1189.jpg)
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1225.jpg)
Overall:
This company has amazing screens. The quality of the image is spectacular and based on your needs you can get almost every surface sprayed. (attention, surface type changes the quality of the image) This silverpaint is an amazing product that can be shaped for every single individual. The price is unknown tough, since it depends on the material used the size, the thickness, etc. It is for sure a nearly perfect product for home setups, but with the unknown price range it is difficult to say the price/quality ratio. For sure it is a VERY good material and very suited for inhome use and even professional use. All the material they use are tested and rated fireproof.
Company: Trivision
Product: Dark rear projection foil
Mechanical informations:
How is the material? 1 mm thick dark gray/black, plasticfoil.
Is the screen washable? Yes it can be washed with a soft tissue and using only water.
Is the screen rollable? yes.
Is the screen foldable? yes.
Pros: Rear projection, washable
Cons: needs to be tensioned.
Ghosting:
In the image you can see that the screen depolarizes a bit. (totally black is the best)
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1204.jpg)
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1220.jpg)
Commercial informations:
The screen can be bought in the following formats:
- Screen material only
- Screen material with frame. (various frame types available)
Overall:
Assuming I want a passive rear projection setup I would go for this screen. It has very good properties and there isn’t much glare. It can be soldered into bigger peaces. (see below a soldering joint) Soldering allows to reach screens bigger then usual. the soldering joint is approx 1 mm high.
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1193.jpg)
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1192.jpg)
Company: Peroni (added 03/30/09)
Product: Superscreen
Mechanical informations:
How is the material? very thin flexible rubber, covered with the non depolarizing film on one side, white on the other side.
Is the screen washable? yes, with water or alcohol.
Is the screen rollable? yes
Is the screen foldable? yes for short times. the wrinkles go away as soon as the screen is tensioned.
Pros: To the touch it feels as a very strong and flexible material. Not so sensitive to wrinkles, scratches and rubbing as other materials, easy to store.
Cons: none found
Ghosting:
The ghosting on this material is a TINY bit higher then the other ones. The glare is minimal and the ghosting is acceptable within +- 40° for an overall view angle of 80°. It has a very soft and comfortable image.
i used another image for this review since i made it in another moment. below you will find the image with the worst case scenario (100% ghosting) and teh actual image taken trough the polarized glasses. The ghosting is not visible on the picutres tough. while you play you dont notice it at all.
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1268.jpg)
![Image](http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10498/thumb_IMG_1267.jpg)
Commercial informations:
The screen can be bought in the following formats:
- The material is rolled up and is 2.1 meters wide. it is sold at any lenght (up to 62 meters) with a fixed width of 2.1 meters.
- The material can be bought with any kind of "addon", (straps, eyelets, frames, motorized tubes, etc...) and the price will change according to the user's requests.
- The cost for a liear meter (1 meter x 2.1 meters) is 10.50 euro (approx 5 euro 1 sqm) [No, its not a typo.. the price is really low]
- The minimum order is 50 euro including shipment.
Overall:
This screen is THE SCREEN for projection newbies. It has a amazing low cost, and the price/quality ratio is up to 15 times better then any other screen reviewed here. for sure the best screen for beginners.
Not reccomended tough for who is searching a really high quality screen for a first class setup. its for sure worth every single cent, and is perfect for tradeshows where a screen can get easily damaged or needs to be moved a lot.