As I was sitting here scrolling through all of the content that comes to us every day, I saw an updated press release for a series of projection screens that we just recently offered as a solution/response to a reader’s comment about what our favorite drop-down solution was. That lit a fire in me that led to turning this into a story because, well, it deserves it.
Home movie theaters are exploding as both a hobby and obsession with movie lovers since it isn’t so expensive to build one out anymore. Which is great for the average consumer sitting at home wishing that they themselves had one in their home, right now (hint hint).
A decent projector can be found for the same price as a middle of the road LED display ($500-$800). You can also find a phenomenal projector within the $1,000-$2,000 range (like the Epson 4010 4K model, or for a little more, one of our favorites, the Epson 5050UB).
Leaning back toward affordable, you need a screen to go with it. Not everyone wants a screen permanently stuck to the wall when it isn’t in use, therefore motorized screens are quite popular for a little more in price, yet still affordable.
Our favorite drop-down motorized option? Elite Screens’ Spectrum Series (as well as their Spectrum 2 Series). It isn’t their creme de la creme, but it is if you are on a budget (especially when you are lucky enough to find the one you want on sale). They are available in sizes up to 180-inches, which covers just about every possible home-use you can think of. For example, 125-inches alone takes up a significant amount of space when you consider the fact that you also have to squeeze your speakers into the design of everything without spreading your mains too far apart from each other. In fact, for an average home, we wouldn’t recommend 150 to 180-inches unless you are using something like Creative’s Atmos-equipped Soundbar from below, as the spread would be too much for your speakers, causing things to sound a bit off.
We have a number of demo setups here that we use for the testing of all sorts of product. In them, we have the 125-inch models installed, usually with tower speakers at each side. The footprint and experience is unforgettable and has led to many of our own staff buying into something at home (it’s viral).
When you get them on sale, the 125-inch model can drop into the $250+ range, making for quite the steal, and the prices make their way up from there if you want larger (or less if you need smaller). The quality of these screens for the price is absolutely wonderful and ours have lasted quite some time, thus far.
So there you have it! Elite Screen Spectrum Series! In our opinion, the best motorized drop-down option out there when it comes to both price and beauty.
