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Jamestown Home Theater Screen review

55K views 54 replies 20 participants last post by  sga2 
#1 · (Edited)
So last month I decided to jump into buying a real 120" 2,35:1 home theater screen but I found many manufacturers were very pricey in the size that I wanted. I was checking out eBay and found a guy who manufactures screen to order and the price was very reasonable so I contacted him and placed an order and it arrived Monday March 7/11

Jamestown Home Theater Screens take about 10 days to manufacturer mine took a little longer due to some delays on his end.

The box came well packaged delivered by UPS and there was no damage to the box or the contents inside.





The screen is made of Aluminum square tube and Cabinet grade hardwood plywood. The tube is attached to the plywood with machine bolts and nuts embedded into the wood to allow for proper tension of the screen material later during assembly of the screen.



The pre-upholstered black velvet on the wood frame looks and fits very well and works very well for maximum light absorption.



The entire frame attaches together with pre drilled holes in the square tube and makes a nice solid fit once fully assembled.



The frame has a nice center brace down the middle that adds to the solid construction and prevents warping of the frame once the screen material is in place and tension added.



The High Definition Cinema Quality Matte White screen is made of Multi-layer PVC based material and on my order has a 1.2 gain.
The material is cut with tabs all the way around that slide between the woof frame and the aluminum tubes, by loosening the bolts in the tubes you can simply slide the screen material between them.



Once this process is done all the way around you simply start placing tension on each tab and tighten down the bolts all the way around working your way around.

 
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#34 ·
so when you say completely dark , do you mean dark walls,floor,ceiling? and full light control

what if you had light to med gray ceiling and carpet with full light control with 90% of the time watching movies.

the other 10% you could through in day time watching and sports

projector i am looking at is the epson 5020ub?

thanks
 
#35 ·
Yes, as long as you can block out most of the outside light and make the room dark then a white screen is the best if you watch sports and other stuff with lights on then a grey screen would be better suited for the room.
 
#42 ·
I still have my original screen from him back in the day when he was just getting started. Its now almost 3 years old and not one issue. I have no idea what he used for a screen material but he now has the Seymour XD material posted on the website for his AT screens.
 
#46 ·
Got my screen this weekend and installed it. I have a few questions before I give my impressions. First, did you find the French cleat to provide enough support for the frame? Second, I still have several wrinkles and waves in my screen even though I stretched it twice (following the instructions provided) and many of the wrinkles seem to coincide with how the screen was rolled on the PVC pipe for shipping. Do you have any advice for getting these wrinkles/waves out? How did you stretch your screen to get out all the wrinkles?

Overall, the quality of the frame is pretty good. The wood construction is great and the velvet fabric is high quality. The screen itself is pretty awesome, including the innovative way that you attach it. However, stretching all the wrinkles out has proven difficult (see above questions) and many of the wrinkles are waves where the fabric was rolled. I have no idea how to get them out. I was disappointed by the support (French cleat) because it supports the frame at the weakest point (the seam of the wood frame), a better design would have two to three cleats supporting along the top edge. It wasn't about the weight of the frame because a French cleat will support a ton of weight but about creating stress at a weak point.

Overall I would recommend the screen (assuming the above two issues can be addressed). I would add two French cleats (one about a third of the way toward the middle from either end) and figuring out a better way to tighten/stretch the screen material. It looks amazing and high quality - I don't want this feedback to seem too negative as I don't have a problem adding more cleats (I wanted to anyway). The biggest issue is getting all the wrinkles out which I still have not found a way to do. All ideas are welcomed and appreciated.
 
#47 ·
What size screen did you go with?

The waves will sometimes disappear after a week or so of it hanging in place. It takes some patience in getting them out, sometimes just a little finesse is all it needs.
My screen is 120" and has now been in place for three years and its never come loose or shifted from the cleat and I have removed it and put it back a few time without issues.
 
#48 ·
I went with the 120 as well. I'm hoping the waves come out in a few days. I'm going to take the screen down and install two more cleats for my own peace of mind. When I do that, I'll try stretching the material again. The projected image is awesome. Just gotta figure out this whole stretching thing. Any tips for getting out the wrinkles? (not the ones from the tube as you said those would come out naturally, but the other ones) Start in the middle and work out?
 
#49 ·
Yes, start in the middle but dont over do it or you will just stretch the material.
 
#53 ·
I'm considering a 110" 2.35:1 screen from Jamestown. The system for screen material attachment/stretching, which would seem to allow me to change to nearly any other material later, has me intrigued. I have two concerns and hope someone here can chime in.

First, from the photos in this review the outer frame corners appear to be butt joints instead of mitred joints (which provide a more finished appearance in my opinion). Is this noticeable when the room lights are on?

Second, does the interface between the outer frame and the screen provide a tight, straight screen border without casting any shadows (from the projected image) on the screen?

Regards,
sga2
 
#54 ·
Considering the screen I posted this review on is now 4 years old I have not had one issue with it. The butt joints is fairly standard as it has to be shipped in pieces so miter joints would not work and it looks fine even with the lights on.
As well there is no shadow cast by the image with the boarder made the way it is, again fairly standard for a fixed screen.
 
#55 ·
Considering the screen I posted this review on is now 4 years old I have not had one issue with it. The butt joints is fairly standard as it has to be shipped in pieces so miter joints would not work and it looks fine even with the lights on.
As well there is no shadow cast by the image with the boarder made the way it is, again fairly standard for a fixed screen.
Thanks! I think that seals the deal.
 
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