Projector Screen Color Comparison | Carl's Place DIY Home Theater Projector Screens

[@LifeofBliss]

Check out all the products Carl's Place has to offer to make your own DIY projector screen! bit.ly/Carlsplace

[@platrok7861]

simple and amazingly detailed, this is the video what people exactly wanted, i wasted so much time on other videos

[@LifeofBliss]

Glad it helped!

[@aboobakarsiddieq5577]

Yes I am also

[@GarrettWatts]

I’m only 100 seconds in and this video is already exactly what I was looking for, that’s so incredible they sent you that specific screen for comparison sake!

[@LifeofBliss]

They were awesome to work with. Great people over there. Hope the video helped man!

[@eccentricz82]

oh my god didnt expect to see you here ! :D

[@chucknorris8704]

Don't know how I missed this video all these years, one of the best screen comparisons ever.

[@challengegravity]

Thank you so much! I had always wondered why projectors come with white screens when they only have the ability to brighten what they display on. I wanted to go with black or a shade of grey, so I really appreciate you testing out different colours to see the benefits of each, at least in your room. Perhaps a perfectly colour netrual grey that matches the brightness of the middle will be the sweet spot.

[@Heart0rHead]

Hands down best video on YT about projector screen color comarison. I think it's best to compare 0% and Outside light conditions because in your room the lights are on the ceiling and near the screen so even at 10% we can see that blacks start to pale and get colorised due to light color temperature mix - different Kelvins from the projector and different Kelvins from the light sources.

[@Keith-p5j]

Pro review by far the best and most detailed and informative I've seen period

[@michaelanthonylewis4543]

I live in the UK and have found it so very difficult to find a company that produces and sells ALR screen material. The closest company I could find was in Germany to which I ALMOST made an order. I am very glad I didn't as I came across your excellent video with a link to Carl's Place where I found the same material measurements for HALF the price of the German company. Including International shipping to the UK and the added 20% tax that UK customs will apply to the order, I am still making a saving of £70! ($86). In short I am saying thank you!

[@LifeofBliss]

Awesome! Glad it helped you out Michael, thats the main goal when making these types of videos. Enjoy your setup! And the extra cash lol!

[@jimmy2shoes75]

Hey Michael any updates on how you got on with the screen? I'm from Ireland and am also finding pretty hard to get a good screen. I just purchased the Elitescreen 5d from Amazon.de but am having buyers tension already and I haven't got the screen yet. I can always sent it back so I'm not too worried. PJ is a Epson 9400 good ambient light control but ceilings are white as well as other surfaces. Thanks

[@FelsvonDrago]

Thank you very much from Germany! This video is so valuable! The first time the screen types, lighting conditions and resulting quality were presented in a understandable way. Fantastic, first class, intelligent, valuable, useful!

[@alexs8335]

Great video! Thanks a lot! Is there a difference between a Gray painted wall and the actual Gray screen?

[@antoclass]

Thank you for this it's an insane amount of work, i currently have a white wall without imperfections and I wanted an alr screen but now that i saw your test it just looked like my plasma tv and it's not the kind of image i want for my projector. Thank you you made me save a lot of money :)

[@JoshM7]

A very well done comparison. I'm the type to prefer some ambient light to keep the strain on my eyes down, so I'd probably want the middle or left one. Or I can sell a few limbs and buy a cool laser projector that might work better in lighted situations.

[@LifeofBliss]

No joke... Like $20k worth, but man I bet they are nice!

[@BigTandJC]

Thanks for the video . It made me go with the 1 gain grey all day

[@Tmmg.8043]

Wow, what a fantastic professional review, very informative and educational, I too prefer the gray. Thank you.

[@eliyasdgl]

Excellent You did a Great Comparison

[@doogiemcdougster6740]

Super video! I applauded for $2.00 👏

[@LifeofBliss]

I think you're the first to do one of those. Appreciate it Douglas! 🍻

[@the_stixXx]

PERFECT VIDEO REVIEW! I feel like the white was the best overall with the ALR screen coming in second. The middle grey looked washed out in its entirety, meaning neither black or white popped. The white screen felt a little over exposed at times, but this may not be as noticeable when viewing it without the direct comparison to the ALR screen. The blacks are the best with the ALR but the whites suffer more than the blacks suffer on the white, if that makes sense. I guess it's personal preference but I would go with the white because I like the brightness and clarity of the whites. My basement can be transformed into a dedicated movie room, when it's not the kids play/sports room and there is no ambient light, for the most part. Blackout shades control the light during the day if it is used but mostly I use the movie room at night so there is no need for the ALR screen. It was hard to tell the color reproduction from this video. Whether it was your camera or projector it was hard to tell how colors popped. But that didn't hinder the review at all. Based on the brightness comparison, I can tell the colors would pop more on the white since the ALR screen washed out any whites. I'm watching this on an LG 4k monitor with very good color accuracy and contrast ratio so I am getting a very thorough view of the different tones that are produced. All-in-all, great review and the time you spent producing this video definitely helped me as well as many others, based on the comments. Kudos!

[@theoracleprodigy]

Came here to say this same thing. It's almost like do you want better blacks or better whites? I also felt the contrast was a bit better at times on the ALR (grass) but better on the white in other scenes.

[@rayl7335]

Simple test and very detailed. For me the purpose of watching movies using a projector is to have a cinema experience. If you want light in your room; buy a TV. The white screen looks perfect for me! Thanks!

[@PSYCHOV3N0M]

I don't see how the white screen looks "perfect" to you in a pitch black room. The contrast looks terrible on it. Black looks Gray. 👎👎👎

[@darylkariniemi1627]

Awesome. Really helps show the difference in shades of gray!

[@timtim2668]

Thank you so much for the high quality of Effort, professionalism and breakdown of all the info of the 3 screens. I very much appreciated the side by side comparison, the types of Colors used (i.e. white matt), the method of FL & how its used, what the gain was for eqch of the 3 colors, etc... I personally liked the middle one out of comparing them all together and the middle color also had the best color and light of average score of the 3

[@dennisnicholson2466]

I had planned on the ALR screen but due to the location in my condo there is limited seating with 40 degree of center and have more angle seating in the 50 to 80 degree range. This was very helpful will be ordering the FlexiGrey :) ty

[@fiddlingaround]

Thank you for making this! I have been wrangling over getting a screen but didn't know what material was best for my space.

[@JosSerr-mw9fc]

Well i just bought a very budget friendly projector (Groview jc818c) and here i am looking for a screen to match.. Seems like something like the middle one is the way to go since my room is quite dark. Not sure if its a good idea with a budget projector like this

[@muggsy_bogues]

я бы сказал что это лучший обзор! the best review, thanks from USSR ))

[@aprilb.4443]

Thank you, thank you! You have been my inspiration to go bold and be brave and paint a gray accent wall for my projector and shadows

[@LifeofBliss]

It's definitely worth doing!

[@Brayden329]

Good man. Thanks for the video. The light grey seems to add a little warmth and contrast without losing too much on the color.

[@LifeofBliss]

Thays what I went with myself

[@johnsharp7931]

Great info and love the Victory signs in the backgrounds.

[@rookiegamer-yt]

perfect video 10/10 i was really curios if a ALR screen was really needed but i see is just need when the room has some light disturbing, so i can just get a good gray screen to have a very decent image quality in my dark room

[@elijahhome3187]

Thanks bro this is amazing, Been sleeping so late trying to find the best screen & boom, here I come across your amazing video at 12:20am this crazy thanks to you now I will be sleeping early... This was really helpful & awesomeness.. Big up...

[@LifeofBliss]

Glad it helped man! Now get some sleep... 😁

[@The.Home.Cinema.Engineer]

great video !!! it seems like the Flexi gray gave deeper blacks without losing to much brightness going to make that my next screen

[@LifeofBliss]

It really did look good. I'm going to up the brightness a bit on my projector to help with that, but should look great once the full screen is installed

[@ChrisKadaver]

It will lose more white than it gains in black level. I got a grey screen and I really regret the purchase.

[@luisnavarrete1602]

@@ChrisKadaver how many lumens is your projector?

[@ChrisKadaver]

@@luisnavarrete1602 2200

[@jonathanmatthew5631]

@@ChrisKadaver Do you have a perfectly dark room or do you have ambient lights? So in your opinion you would opt to use a white screen despite having ambient lights?

[@rolandrohde]

Very enlightening! The white screen looks best, but only as long as it's completely dark. I wonder how that works in your room with the white ceiling... Also, I really would have loved to see a Movie with letterbox bars...they are always a challenge...

[@LifeofBliss]

My ceiling is the same color as the screen wall, Software from SW in their flattest sheen. You'd definitely see more reflections with a white ceiling. And yea I guess I didn't do any scenes with black bars...

[@renerioscom]

Awesome video!!! Looking forward to the follow up on how to build the screen!

[@Mayron85]

Best comparison video I've ever seen. Great job!

[@pjmendoza8871]

Fantastic video . This really helps me out . I chose the Matte grey . 👌 Thank you for the hard work you put in!

[@LifeofBliss]

Glad it helped!

[@pjmendoza8871]

Jimmy Harrelson - I’m open to that! I haven’t bought anything yet. This weekend though I’m ready to buy.

[@ethaningoa7461]

Black are so much deeper on the grey screen! Definitely getting a higher gain screen now 🙏

[@suchinu]

Excellent work thank you so much.

[@Wuozlinga]

Simply a great video. Thankfully I dont have to go to a dedicated store to see the difference myself now, as this looks like a pretty accurate representation. Thank you very much!

[@_sky_3123]

Excelent video, thank you for your work.

[@Reedith]

Love that ambient light rejecting one

[@SuperCleopatrajones]

We have Grey on our walls and I was curious. Thanks for the info!

[@subhodeephemrom8920]

sir what was your projector Lumens of Brightness ? nice informative video..

[@LifeofBliss]

Thanks. Kinda low, probly 450 ansi lumens. Bright enough, but I need to upgrade soon. This is an older model PJ

[@waqasusmans]

Very nice demonstration, no fluff! I wish I had come across this demo before I wasted my time and money on ALR screen samples. I got Flexi White several years ago, now I tried some ALR screen samples but they are too dark for my projector in ambient light. I am sticking to the Flexi White until the real, directional ALR screens + UST projects become more affordable. I was itching for some magical ALR screen because I was deceived by carefully presented image by some reviewers, it turns out there is no magic (at least not in sub-$1000 prices). All of the ALR samples I tried were darker gray, and were too dark for my projector's low-ish brightness (Benq 3550 @2000 lumens max, which is in a coloar-inaccurate mode, real brightness is less than half of it). I tried XY's Black Diamond, BD High Gain, PET Crystal, and SAMS's Screen Pro ALR and their High Gain version. I also tried the Carl's ALR but it was too dark, I would lose all detail in dark scenes when the lights were on. With FlexiWhite at least I can see something, albeit everything is very yellow.

[@rgarzari]

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much for your outstanding comparison.

[@chrisj9008]

I went silver to grey then back to white for my room. The white was best for me in my dedicated HT room with really good light control (flat darker walls). Which let me dial back my projector brightness a bit and not over saturate the image. Great comparison!!!

[@fiogray]

Which white screen did you use? silver ticket? or a pricier one?

[@falixxxxx]

yeah i got a silver ticket gray and am switching to white, I tried to be cool and different with the gray but its just too dark lol

[@Cheekaka]

Great video! I'm still torn between color or size or actual screen or painting the wall on a smooth surface...lol too many decisions.

[@mibz1117]

Thank you you helped me to pick between grey and white

[@lo_fye]

I just found this video searching for DIY projector screens, and as luck would have it I just got a used AE8000U for $350! A big upgrade from my AE3000U. Fun times.

[@rolig3518]

This is a well done video, but it has me confused a bit. You say the ALR screen with 1.5 gain is the second brightest of the three screens. However, it looks dimmest in all of your examples. The lower gain Flexi Gray looks considerably brighter to me. I have an Elite Cinegray 5D screen which was supposed to be 1.5 gain(it's really .8) and am looking for something brighter.

[@ggkurt]

one of the best videos i've ever seen on this subject. my choice would also be the grey.. thanks 👍

[@LifeofBliss]

Appreciate it man. This was an extremely time consuming video, glad it has been helpful!

[@mementorequiem]

Thank you for sharing your results with us, much appreciated! Currently in the process of building out a dedicated home theater room. A few year's ago I did a DIY screen build using Carl's flexigray and it turned out an absolute killer with crazy black levels on Epson 6040UB (mind you, I have vaulted ceiling that is painted white and the screen can easily handle light reflections from the ceiling). With the new room going to be painted dark navy blue (incl. ceiling), dark carpeted floor and no windows - I'm inbetween using gray or white for my new screen. Latter would definitely help with HDR content but I feel like even the smallest ambient light in that room would ruin the picture for me. Guess I should order both and if I don't like the white, I could possibly sell the screen.

[@LifeofBliss]

Glad you like it! That'll be an awesome room as far as light control. Do you feel you'll ever watch with any lights on? I had to ask myself that with my current setup. We really do black out the room most of the time, but the few times we watch during the day or with friends over and bar lights on led me to the gray. Plus the Panasonic projector will have better black levels with it. But like you said, the materials are really cheap enough that you could order both and see which suits you best! Good luck man

[@frankfarago2825]

1. Dark blue walls will mess with your on-screen colors. And with your eyes. Get matte black or extremely dark gray only, When you are not projecting and have room lights on, have some color RGBY LED wall wash lights throw to the walls and screen area. 2. For screen, get pitch black or extremely dark gray. I have a test screen that is 4.8 meters wide in the 1.90:1 Aspect Ratio,, pitch black, it measures at an app. a 0.8 gain. Not exactly OLED blacks, but pretty close.

[@dellvalente]

I live in Brazil, I will use the fabric Salange HX 820, ordered from Banggod, in the size of 100``, to watch without loss of quality also during the day.

[@dark15387]

Helpful bro thanks

[@rcdude86]

Interesting video. Ive always wonder if the grey screens vs white throw off color accuracy, i have i1 pro to spectrometer and always wanted to test the color accuracy for rec709 and 2020 color spaces but i have got a projector and the screens yet. Ive seen no one else do it yet on youtube but its expensive for the equipment wonder if you knew any color calibrators and have them test it. .

[@aboobakarsiddieq5577]

Perfect detail perfect video soul relax❤

[@sippinh2o]

got me at ambient light rejecting, dolby atmos boosting. Automatic smashed-like button

[@LifeofBliss]

😂🤘

[@andreiapetre678]

What would be good for a Sony 270es in a dark room? I`m projecting on a wall right now, the dark scenes look great, almost Oled like. But brighter scenes get a bit washed out.

[@LifeofBliss]

Either the flexigray or white. I wouldn't do alr for that area

[@SafwanAlavi]

Hey can i ask which did you get?

[@silentobserver975]

Awesome video! I appreciate your efforts. Really liked how many different samples you had for comparison.

[@vks4392]

A Superb educational video with superb addicting background music. Fantastic work !!! Thanks. I am building exactly the same 100 inch screen with the FlexiGray for my new Polaris 4K UST.

[@donaldbaxter4254]

You have forgotten the total BLACK screen! It gives the best results indor and outdoor. Viewing angles are 170°. Contrasts can easily be adjusted. I have a 8000 lumens ,360" projector. 12 bit colors. 1080p. 4k-64k videos are stunning even an a dirty white wall. I expect improvents...25% on white, 50% on grey and 100% on black screen. Will build my own Black foldable, portable screen. Please mention BEST PAINT for black screen.

[@paulibarra5449]

depend what lummens light have the projector, the grey dark screen is for projector up from 4000 lumens, and the white projector screen is for projectors down than 2000 lumens, cheers,

[@romenigld]

nice explanation! I bought the jmgo n1 ultra and has 4000ANSI I think the best it will the the flexigrey 0.8-1 gain. what you think?

[@LifeofBliss]

I think the flexigrey would work great for it

[@romenigld]

Hello@@LifeofBliss, I was seeking for this type of screen and I is difficult to search. I live in Europe, Spain. You know some place to buy this type? Where you recommend to buy? Thank you for reply!

[@LifeofBliss]

@@romenigld i have all the links to the Carl's Place screens in the video description 👍🏼

[@PabloEdvardo]

Interesting, the ALR screen appears to actually "crush" the blacks, giving a bit less dynamic range to the shadows. I think I'd rather take more detail but slightly washed out like in even the white screen.

[@frankfarago2825]

ALR screen surfaces are for the birds, really. As are 0.25:1 Throw Ratio UST projectors.

[@MoreiraDon]

Awesome video, bro. Pure value. Straight to the point, no BS. Tks a lot!

[@FrankVila]

Awesome video, thank you for the work you put into. Now asking your opinion... Carl's Palace screen material is used in many DIY screen projects that include even painting on them. But what if the FlexiGray is the right tone but want to add a bit extra gain by spraying on it a very delicate satin coating? mixed in water of course, just enough to give an extra push to the gain avoiding hotspotting of course. What do you think? Would that work?

[@LifeofBliss]

I mean... You could try it and see the results. I honestly don't know how it would affect the picture, that'd be something to experiment with though. I'm willing to bet Carl would have some excess scrap material that is a decent size he could ship to you pretty cheap. Like a 2ft x 2ft piece? That would give you a big enough size to get a feel for what it's doing to the image. Or you could even do 3 or 4 different test panels out of it and see which you like best. Sorry, just don't know without actually trying it!

[@DeanM915]

This is very helpful! Also I love the movie choice!

[@jameshiamimi]

Hi, great video! This has been a huge help. Are you able to cut the material for resizing purposes? I’m looking for a smaller 50” screen.

[@LifeofBliss]

Absolutely. I have another video that went more into the building of the screen if you wanted more info on that. Its just a pvc plastic, so it cuts very easily with either a razor or scissors

[@ngm218]

Awesome, thanks for the great comparison video. You saved my a lot of hassle.

[@VivoVivo-bu5jp]

Which one is good

[@MichaelWilliams-lo3ix]

Best review to date. Thanks for this 😊

[@muhammadakram-ie1jw]

Dear. Wich color you recmend for better result ... Pl name the color . Thax

[@danmalnory7878]

Great video!!!

[@_gc6406]

Great Video. I have a VAVA UST - will the ALR work or will it have hot spots? I am wanting to build a 150" screen

[@LifeofBliss]

You need a ust specific screen. Wont look good with a regular alr screen from what I understand

[@_gc6406]

@@LifeofBliss Thank you. I called Carl's place and they recommended using the Flexi gray. Thoughts?

[@LifeofBliss]

I'd go with the experts opinion 😉 i know the alr would have issues, wasn't sure about the other choices

[@markfelton3484]

Was deciding between grey and white, this vid was everything I needed. Thanks!

[@andrehall6432]

Which did you eventually get?

[@swiftsmith3100]

@@andrehall6432 I think white is great when in a complete dark room, but where there is a bit of ambient light, grey is great

[@noodles_GA]

How many lumens is a “brighter projector” ? As needed for the grey

[@HomeAli-c6y]

Please what is the color code for ALR ?

[@tharsh1234]

So which color is best sir

[@smokinggun2965]

Great job and very helpful video! What would you suggest if I was to do this outside in broad daylight? I know it won't be super clear and I'm not expecting that, I just want to be able to see what's going on at least. My projector is really bright around 3400 lumens.

[@LifeofBliss]

If broad daylight, the ALR screen does the best at rejecting ambient light. It's also worth noting that it works best if the light is not coming from the same direction as the projector (window behind the projector). But in any case, ALR would be my choice. Glad it helped Will!

[@smokinggun2965]

@@LifeofBliss thank you for the info and quick response!

[@erniecheung5282]

Awesome video. It should have 100,000 views.

[@LifeofBliss]

Thanks Ernie. I agree 😉

[@waqasusmans]

​@@LifeofBliss Well it is past 105k, woohoo! It's a very nice demonstration!

[@giuseppefoto]

Thanks for the video !!!!! I actually use my Optoma HD36 on a screen similar to flexigray. I only use with no lights on. Darkness. But my walls and ceiling are white. Then I have some light pollution. Do you think is good to buy a new and better quality screen white with 1.2 gain? And maybe change the settings in my proyector, brithtness, contrast and gamma? Thank you so much.

[@LifeofBliss]

I think changing your room color to something very dark will be the best upgrade to be honest. A better screen won't do much if your walls are reflecting a ton of light

[@giuseppefoto]

@@LifeofBliss thank you. I can't paint my living room in black 🥺. But grey screens are very expensive and not easy to buy in Spain. This is the reason I am looking for a bigger screen, at least 125". And I only find white ones.

[@KayJay940]

How did you do the black border tape. I have my frame made and its near perfect flat and is perfect square. Gained like 2 levels of woodworking. But I am puzzeled on how to do tape dead on straight as someone who cant draw a straight line. I am aiming for 1in border could live with 2.

[@LifeofBliss]

You could always take a straight edge and draw a light pencil mark where the edge of the tape should go. It won't be seen since you'll be essentially covering it with the tape. I honestly can't remember exactly how I did it

[@Jimdish2555]

did you ever get the greyish whites out of the center panel?

[@harcharansingh4807]

Hi which screen is best for ultra short projector?

[@andreafoster56]

Do you think the SW7673 Pewter Cast paint is worth painting to the wall and experience a good cinema when lights are on/off ?

[@LifeofBliss]

I prefer a screen with a border. The wall is a decent option if you are waiting on a screen, I did that myself for a few months. But the right screen for your projector really pops the colors and helps hid light around the edges

[@andreafoster56]

@@LifeofBliss thank you what’s your view on the Carisis A6 projector?

[@LifeofBliss]

I haven't seen much on that to be honest. I tried to get a model to test but they have not gotten back with me

[@suzy_906]

Thank you you’re the best 👌🏻 really appreciate your efforts 🤍🤍🤍

[@mattgotsskill]

at 7:37 , i notice the white screen is looking a little washed out compared to the middle screen, i have an Epson3700 its VERY bright. im debating on weather or not to get a flat white screen... or to go with a grey because of how bright my projector is.

[@LifeofBliss]

Rule of thumb, if your room is completely light controller, go with white. If not, gray or ALR

[@Tearial311]

What paint were you using on your wall? And how did Carl’s compare to that? I currently have a 134” using ProClassic Smooth Enamel Satin Finish from Sherwin Williams

[@LifeofBliss]

Sherwin williams Painters Edge, color is Software. It was supposed to be the flattest paint they have. It was never intended to be the "screen" long term, so I wanted something flat and fairly dark to minimize reflections. The screens were all brighter than the wall, much better picture.

[@cj18cinema]

amazing job kyle 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@T-FLoWW]

Thanks for this very helpful demonstration but your device has a bulb and mine is a DLP which has a Led light source, i am told that awlays White screens should be used for the Led projectors, any suggestions on that?

[@LifeofBliss]

It more depends on your ansi lumens the projector is capable of. I'd head to that webprojectorcalculator site and see what it recommends

[@bfellgalaxy]

Great video. Well done sir.

[@LifeofBliss]

Thank you sir

[@idontreallycareyoutu]

Is it just me or does the ALR look better every single time? Even in 0% light which white is supposedly better for. Maybe I just prefer a darker image?

[@ImDead1nside]

It does look much deeper in colors but some details are lost in dark scenes so keep that in mind

[@SolarAbyss]

I have an Epson 4010 in a dedicated media room. Is it worth it to get the ultragrey or would flexigrey be the better option?

[@LifeofBliss]

The flexi materials allow you to stretch the material over a screen. The ultra materials are stiffer and are better for roll down applications or for attaching them to a surface without a frame and adding borders. I personally like the flexi materials

[@SQUAWWW]

Thanks for all the hard work!

[@thomasluukee1625]

From moving from the wall to the screen, did you find much of a sharpness difference on a 120" screen? Thanks!

[@LifeofBliss]

Um maybe a bit. The quality of image did increase, but I feel it was due to it being brighter and having a defined edge with the black edge of the screen.

[@kasirajan6802]

So which one is best?

[@russ.tech2you]

I use a block-out dark grey roller blind and everyone is amazed...pretty dark room

[@merindymorgenson3184]

This is really helpful. Thanks.

[@Blue_flock]

Hi I have 3200 brightness projectors which screen color would fit with it ?

[@adrianbarac3063]

Excellent review. Thank you.

[@martindye]

I have a magnolia wall, so it's going to be an improvement even with normal white paint! What's the difference in gain of the white screen compared to matt white paint? I'm guessing normal matt white paint is 1.0.

[@LifeofBliss]

Depends on the paint, sheen, etc. Plus walls aren't as smooth as a screen

[@ppp1410]

Thanks for reviews. Could u advise screen materials which matching with projector viewsonic px727 in the uncontrollable light ,living room?

[@LifeofBliss]

Well it would depend on the size of the screen, but you'll probably be happier with either the Flexigray or ALR materials in an uncontrolled lighting environment