Projection TV set up

[MuleShack]

I got a deal on a HD projection TV along with the pull down screen 60" diagonal that came with it.

I am using the pull down screen because it is in the basement and it is unfinished, but with the size of the screen, the 16:9 resolution makes the viewing small, so I set it to 4:3 so it fills the entire square screen.

I would like to move the projector back farther to make the picture bigger on the wall and change it to 16:9 for true HD picture, so that means removing the pull down screen and putting up some dry wall.

My question is, once I get the drywall up and taped on that wall, what is going to be the best color to use on the wall for the best picture?

Is a pure white the best choice? (I'm assuming so but just looking for opinions)

Also would you use a flat finish, or semi gloss? Assuming I wouldn't want a high gloss on the wall.

[delcecchi]

I searched "wall paint projection tv" and came up with

http://www.projectorcentral.com/paint_perfect_screen_$100.htm

Quote:

Time to road test another brand. We went to the local Sherwin-Williams store. Based on our experience with the Valspar, we started with their version of Satin, which they call the Duration Satin Extra White. As with the Valspar, we used the base stock paint with no pigment added. After two coats on another sample board, we set it up against the Valspar, and put them both in front of the Studiotek 100.

Wow! Now we were cooking with gas. The Sherwin-Williams Duration Satin Extra White was an absolute dead ringer for the Studiotek 100 in terms of color balance, and oh so close in contrast and saturation. There was some subtle variance in its ability to hold black levels compared to the screen, but for the money, who would quibble? It was hard to believe that an inexpensive paint could produce such stunning results. There seemed to be no more room for improvement, so we thought we had our winner.

But we weren't done yet.

The Problem of Screen Resolution

One key advantage to the professional high resolution screens is that they have a perfectly smooth surface which enables them to reflect images with the optimum amount of detail. With 1080p projection, this is an important consideration. The problem with most painted surfaces is that you end up with brush strokes or mottling from the roller. The surface is not as smooth as a professional screen, and this will take a bit of edge off the sharpness of the image.

The only way to replicate the smoothness of a high quality screen is with a paint sprayer in the hands of someone who knows how to use it effectively. Most people don't have paint sprayers or the skill to use them. You can rent them for $60 a day, but you need to spend some time (and paint) practicing to get the results just right. Since our objective was to find the simplest and cheapest solution, we wanted to get the best results without going the paint sprayer route.

Back to Sherwin-Williams we went. Their staff had two suggestions. First, use a roller with the smallest, tightest nap you can find, since it will produce less mottling of the surface. Second, instead of the Duration, try the ProClassic Smooth Enamel Satin Finish. This product has a different surface tension that will cause it to settle into a smoother surface than the Duration. It is made for trimwork and doors, not walls.

We bought some of that, brought it back, and put two coats on another test board. Yep, it worked as advertised. The finish was indeed a bit smoother, with fewer obvious surface flaws than any of the previous paints.

Setting up the test board with the ProClassic Smooth Enamel Satin against the Studiotek 100, we discovered that we had not only arrived at our objective, but surpassed it. Color balance was dead on, just as with the Duration. But this paint actually delivered a slightly brighter image with deeper blacks. With a checkerboard test pattern, the black and white squares that fell on the test board were visibly higher in contrast than those that fell on the screen. A spot meter confirmed what we could already see--white highlights were brighter by about 10%, and blacks were blacker by about 10%.

This paint had a gain of about 1.1, with higher contrast than the Studiotek 100. But even more intriguing, the slightly smoother finish of the Enamel was doing its job. There was very little difference in 1080p image resolution. Practically speaking, most people looking at the two would say there was no difference at all.

To net it out Sherwin williams proclassic smooth enamel satin in the base stock paint, nothing added. Use a really low nap roller. Right up there with fancy screen. Or so the man says.

[MuleShack]

Thanks for the info, now I gotta go do some sheet rockin'.

[lawdog]

60" is not projection size, no sense to that, you'd be better off with a LED/LCD at that size. I have 100" screen with my projector which is only about 10' or so away. I paid a lot for the screen because the tech guy said its really important to have a good screen. I'm not sure about painting a wall. Would think it would work if hte surface was prepped right and you did the right paint but I don't know.