Cooperative Screen Companies - will send samples

**mechman** · **03-02-09, 10:37 AM**

Just as we have an 'Uncooperative Screen Company' thread, we'll have a cooperative one as well.

Two companies bend over backwards and send us whatever we requested.

Elite Screens - very easy to deal with and has sent everything I requested

Da-Lite sent everything I requested

Carada will send samples.

Stewart Filmscreen - will send 8.5X11 inch samples but you may have to call them

Vutec - email them and they will send a sample

Beamax

HoloDisplays

DNP - sending a sample for review and will follow up with their newer material when it's released in June.

Draper - sending everything they have

SI Screens (Screen Innovations) - took awhile but I did receive samples from them

Harkness Hall

Tribal Projection Screens

Goo Systems - AH Theater is providing the sample for testing

Again if you know of any that you'd like for me to try and get in touch with, feel free to let me know.

**mechman** · **03-09-09, 05:42 PM**

Vutec added as they are sending samples.

Stewart added as they will send smaller samples - I'm waiting for approval for larger samples.

Calling SI Screens now...

**mechman** · **03-11-09, 06:53 AM**

Beamax is sending samples.

**coolhead** · **03-11-09, 10:08 AM**

I assume SI is screen innovations? I would love to see that "black diamond" black screen. It is out of my budget and is fixed and I need roll up but the idea makes sense to me and I think more and more screens will head that direction (would love a read an 3rd party review). Also, have you tried the dnp supernova for samples? It is another screen I have not seen but seems innovative as well.

**mechman** · **03-11-09, 11:17 AM**

Quote:

coolhead wrote:

I assume SI is screen innovations? I would love to see that "black diamond" black screen. It is out of my budget and is fixed and I need roll up but the idea makes sense to me and I think more and more screens will head that direction (would love a read an 3rd party review). Also, have you tried the dnp supernova for samples? It is another screen I have not seen but seems innovative as well.

Yep SI is Screen Innovations. I'll give DNP a call or email.

**wbassett** · **03-11-09, 11:42 AM**

Mech you forgot HoloDisplay. They sent us both 60" diagonal screens and the wooden shipping crate alone was impressive!

I also have smaller (around 7"x10") samples of every screen material they make. Most of the samples are for rear projection though and the main one of interest for us was the HoloVega, which we both have.

**wbassett** · **03-11-09, 11:44 AM**

The dream screens I'd love to get for a full review are DNP's SuperNova, Planar's screen, and Sony's dark screen.

I seriously doubt we'll get anything from any of them though.

**mechman** · **03-11-09, 11:45 AM**

Yep.

Forgot about them. Added.

**coolhead** · **03-11-09, 12:35 PM**

I'm not sure how you approach these companies but I would suggest speaking with the marketing manager and giving some sats on your site, posts, google page rank, registered users, and how many pages or lines you would dedicate to a write up, links back to company/product ect. I would be shocked if all these guys did not jump at the ability to grab free press you just need to deal with the people in the organization that understand the value of a review.

**mechman** · **03-11-09, 05:27 PM**

I emailed their US Rep. Sometimes I have to call them sometimes I don't. I haven't had anyone ask to see the web stats yet. But I know where to get them if I need them.

It seems like a phone call to some of them is all it took. Although I am still waiting to hear back from Stewart, SI Screens, and DNP. No contact yet from DNP other than me sending them an email.

**coolhead** · **03-12-09, 08:43 AM**

This is taking your thread a different direction but here is some info for you (and my apologies if I am preaching to the choir and you are already familiar with this) Your google page rank is about 4 of 10 (10 being highest) not sure what your "key words" are (the words you target in google) as I did not see a meta tag or title tag for your website when I looked at it's source code(these tell google what you are about). Once again sorry for the web talk on a screen thread...just went through these things with my own business/web site (web is not my business but I had to learn to use it to help promote my business and not spend $$$$) and it really helped me with google and If I can share some info when I have gotten allot of screen info on your site......

**mechman** · **03-12-09, 10:21 AM**

Kent,

Shoot Sonnie a pm with that info.

He'd know what to do with it. And thanks! I'm off to the lab for the day...

**Sonnie** · **03-12-09, 10:37 AM**

You can see the general stats here.

As far as page rank... 4 is about as good as it gets without serious deep linking from high ranking sites. Meta keywords do not help with Google. Google uses meta title and meta description with keyword density on the page, which is why we use VBSEO, designed for vBulletin forums.

Good marketing reps can look at a site and see all they need to see to determine if they would benefit from having press on the site, but it seems many are just lazy. When they won't even respond to emails and you end up having to call them, they are obviously not too concerned with what's going on in the Internet world.

**coolhead** · **03-12-09, 10:55 AM**

Quote:

Sonnie wrote:

You can see the general stats here.

As far as page rank... 4 is about as good as it gets without serious deep linking from high ranking sites. Meta keywords do not help with Google. Google uses meta title and meta description with keyword density on the page, which is why we use VBSEO, designed for vBulletin forums.

Good marketing reps can look at a site and see all they need to see to determine if they would benefit from having press on the site, but it seems many are just lazy. When they won't even respond to emails and you end up having to call them, they are obviously not too concerned with what's going on in the Internet world.

Don't want to step on any toes and also take this thread way off subject but just trying to help as I just went through this process over the past year or so and was willing to share some of my knowledge with you all as you have shared vast knowledge on screens and home theater. If you would like to discuss further you can look up my information in my registration and contact me offline (I don't want to post any other personal or contact info on this and break forum rules)

**Sonnie** · **03-12-09, 11:25 AM**

Thanks... we stay on top of it very well for a forum, which Google looks at in a completely different light than that of a regular web site. I have been going through it for almost three years now. 488,000 indexed pages on Google and 482,000 on Yahoo.

**mechman** · **03-17-09, 04:22 PM**

DNP is sending me a sample for review. It will be of their .8 gain Supernova material. They won't be sending their higher gain material as it is being replaced in June. They will be sending a sample of that material when it is released.

SI Screens (Screen Innovations) will not be sending anything. They decided to do other forums instead - whatever that means.

They will be going back onto the uncooperative list.

Stewart is the last one that I have yet to hear from. I'm having a tough time getting in contact with the individual who needs to approve my samples. I will be persistent.

**mechman** · **03-17-09, 04:47 PM**

Draper added to the list.

**coolhead** · **03-17-09, 05:06 PM**

I just saw a sample of the SI Black Diamond at a Hifi retailer....it is black not grey or white....and it is highly reflective. I saw a sample that was on a "sample board" that was not being projected on but was picking up images comming off of tv's that were 50 feet away. It was not like you could see the images from the tv's but you could see flashes of light that went along with the picture (the sample was up against the SI "white screen" and the white screen was not showing anything that the BD was). I would love to see this thing in action. The screen was thin and hard as if it was laminated to metal or stiff fiberglass and perfectly smooth with no visable texture.

FYI if anyone is looking for a Stewart firhawk fixed screen this same store is selling there display 92'' to put up the SI BD for 449.00 (I can't use a fixed screen need a pull down

) normal price is 2,007.00.

**mechman** · **03-17-09, 07:30 PM**

We had something similar to that at work at one time - a hard black screen. They were replaced with 56" plasma monitors. I'm unsure what brand they were. Who else makes black plastic type screens? Is that Sony a black screen? Regardless, they were unimpressive in moderate ambient light, whatever they were. I may have to do some digging tomorrow at work and find out what they really were.

While I respect SI's unwillingness to send out a 24" square sample, that same unwillingness leads to a lot of unanswered questions.

I may have to go out and find one of these locally and take a look at it.

**coolhead** · **03-17-09, 08:01 PM**

Believe it or not Best Buy is selling them some have them up. It looks very different than the sony screen and I think the actual surface is some how reflective. It looked extremely flat/matt/non sheen. It is not pearl, or beads, or surface sheen. With no light it looks dead black but as soon as any light is around it looks more grey. As i said it was set on top of a "white screen" and the white screen looked like any white screen with out light being projected on it (just a white screen) but the black diamond was picking up reflections and light from plasma/lcd tv's 50' away....at first thought they light source on it but then I realized it was the video loop on the tv's reflecting off the screen. I can't imagine what it does when a 1-2k lumens projector is pointed at it......as a tv 50 feet away can't be pushing any lumens in a fully light show room (this was in full light tv showroom not a theater room).

**mechman** · **03-18-09, 05:26 PM**

Vutec samples have arrived.

**mechman** · **05-05-09, 08:07 AM**

Screen Innovations has sent me two samples.

DNP review is up, with Beamax and Vutec being finished up this week.... hopefully.

**canary_jules** · **05-07-09, 05:49 PM**

For those in the UK like me I can recommend Harkness Hall. They're really helpful and will send out samples. I've used them years ago when I built my present matt white 1.0 gain 16:9 screen. However I'm looking at building a 2.37:1 screen and they sent me A4 samples of their silver and perlux material. Prices are very good too.

**mechman** · **05-08-09, 04:52 PM**

Thanks Julian!

I'll add them up above.

**BigArt** · **06-17-09, 01:16 PM**

Tribal Projector Screens gives away free screen material samples. Go to their store website to fill out a form or just email them.

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