Quote:
tonyvdb wrote:
 Thanks for the welcome,
I dont remember the code but it was Behr Ultra white eggshell finish. The projector is a Sanyo Z2. I am happy with the blacks but find it still could be blacker but Its a limitation with the LCD of that time. the Silver screen paint was a good compromise to give me a slightly grey screen for better contrast as apposed to going with just white.
I have not tried any of the polyurethane top coats, do you think I should do it? |
NO! The eggshell is a higher gain. If you are not getting any hot spotting then there would be no benefit.
{Read on, I change my mind later as I think about the characteristics of your projector.}
The best way to get darker blacks is to darken the ceiling and walls to prevent any rebound ambient light. The Silver Screen is already a fairly dark gray as far as screens go. My buddy has a Z2 as well, so I know what you mean about the blacks not being very black due to light leakage.
You could try a low sheen finish though. Just a sample at first. It would cost you a piece of 2'x4' 1/8" whiteboard from Home Depot and a quart of UPW #1050. I would try the following tint:
===============
Quart Custom Tint
Behr UPW #1050
0 5 0 Lamp Black
0 2 0 Yellow Oxide
===============
OR . . . . If you feel like doing a little experimenting let me know and I will tell you what to get to try several different shades of gray until you dial it in for your room and projector. If you want to do this let me know and I will post everything you need to know here.
My thoughts: Whenever I added gain I noticed that it does not care where the light comes from. Since you used a Behr Eggshell, which is more like Glidden's semi-gloss, it reflects more light back at you. Normally that is goog except that your projector is not capable of turning the light off completely for black. Since your screen is efficient at reflecting light back it does so with the light that is where there should be none. Therefore the blacks look washed out. So with a flat finish it is more absorbent. It should look darker with the same black light leakage. If the gray is more neutral it will actually look brighter for the light areas. So my hypothesis is that a flat finish will actually look blacker where it should.
Another approach would be to apply a coat or two of Behr Matte Polyurethane #780. It would actually reduce the gain a bit in your case. It will also make the overall gray a bit darker. The slight yellow color that some have reported seeing in the poly will actually help to neutralize the SS. By decreasing the gain it will reduce the overall brightness of the screen though. You would then want to do a brightness and Contrast calibration. More than likely you would end up increasing the brightness a bit. Again if you want to be sure then make up a sample first. With your screen size there would be plenty of poly to do a 2'x4' sample as well as the two coats over your screen. I am assuming you probably have some of the Eggshell SS left to make a sample.
I gave my buddy some sample to take home and try. They are neutral gray with a pearl clear coat. In his case it is a very dark room and he is using a matte white screen now. Based on your experience I am wondering if I should have given him some darker samples too. The ones I gave him were white, (0 1 1 LB + 0 0 1 YO), and a (0 3 0 LB + 0 1 0 YO). Silverscreen has around 0 8 0 Lamp Black per quart, so those are quite light gray in comparison. If I hear anything from him I will let you know.