Handy and easy-to-use screen -- with some (livable) flaws

I've been using the Epson Duet (or Accolade) screen in my apartment's little home theater set-up for a couple of weeks now. For the most part it's been a good experience -- affordable, easy to use, and portable -- and I would make the purchase again, but it is also not without its flaws.

SET-UP: My projector set-up is in a small living room, so I installed the included wall bracket. (The alternative is to use the included tripod, but this would cut significantly on viewing distance in a small room, due to the sizable gap between the screen and wall, made necessary to accommodate the tripod legs.) Installing the bracket proved relatively easy. As per the instructions, I found the center of my projected image, matched it to the center of the bracket, and drilled two 1/2" holes at the corresponding spots. The bracket allows some bit of swivel play in the bottom hole, so that when you first mount the screen on it (a quick and easy enough feat for most teens/adults, as the screen is about 25 pounds), you have a chance to properly level the screen, then remove it and tighten the screws in the bracket. (The included screws have toggles on them to securely anchor them to your drywall or plaster wall.)

Once placed on the bracket or tripod, the screen can be expanded to the advertised lengths: one click-stop is for 4:3 viewing, the second for 16:9 viewing. The 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio allows for an 80" diagonal, which more than fit my needs in a small NYC apartment.

Closed, the screen can easily be lifted off the bracket and stored in a closet or corner of the room. The ease of set-up and removal lends itself to having a nice painted, decorated wall behind your screen -- a welcome departure from a pristine white wall otherwise required for projector use. The wall bracket is small enough to be discreetly covered by a framed picture, perhaps 8x10 or larger. Thus you can enjoy a living space without a large LCD/Plasma/Projector screen dominating the wall even when not in use.

PORTABILITY: The screen folds up pretty compactly -- the fact that the screen retracts into the sides and not the top, allows for a less unwieldy object to carry. The closed unit accommodates tripod storage, and attachable carrying handles allow for easy portability.

THE SCREEN: The screen is matte white. I know little of the technical aspects (gain, weaving), and do not know how white compares to the gray screens out there -- so I'll only say that it faithfully produces a clean image. When using my Optoma HD70 Projector, my eye is not able to detect any screen texture. A black border on the top and bottom of the screen material is complemented by the black casing on either side of the screen, creating an attractive framed aesthetic for the projected image.

FLAWS: Now to the flaws. Because the screen is not tensioned on the top or bottom, it exhibits a very slight dip in the top center of the screen. This is not the absolute perfect rectangle one would get with a "fixed screen." Secondly, I have found that the screen is prone to very mild "waves" -- on my screen these tend to appear on the left bottom area of the screen -- again, presumably due to the lack of tensioning on top and bottom.

What do these flaws mean for viewing? In ideal lighting conditions, not much. Checking out some HD material after hours last night -- Letterman, Conan, a movie or two, all looked brilliant -- I was not able to detect flaws in the resulting image. However, in conditions of ambient light -- say, the summer rays of the sun creeping round my shades at 6:00 PM -- the slight waved areas become detectable when a field of same color passes over them -- panning through a night sky scene, or over the surface of a still lake. The waves manifest themselves as crescents of slightly lighter color in the image. Again, these "wave" flaws are noticable seemingly in only ambient light, in fields of same color, and especially when you are looking for them. The more casual viewer -- e.g. my less anally retentive friends -- are likely not to give much notice at all. Note also the slight "dip" in the top of the screen can result in a mild bend of the image in that area, but again for me this is only a slight concern as my projected image is some inches less than the 80" diagonal, and so whatever bend or curl that may exist tends to be in an unused border area.

Now these flaws are certainly enough to put off the more exacting projector users, seeking that perfect image. (And I must say it's crossed my mind to possibly seek out a "fixed screen" solution, thereby bypassing and "wrinkle" or "wave" issues common among this and a lot of pull-down screens; but such fixed screens are more inconvenient to store when not in use.) Considering the affordable price, the portability, the ease of set-up and take-down, and -- for the most part -- the faithful rendering of brilliant HD image, it may be more than worthwhile to give the screen a chance.

CLEANING: If it becomes necessary to clean the screen, it is advised to use only water and a clean white cotton cloth. Within a day or two of purchase, a small red spot from an unknown source -- looked like a piece of flower bud -- got stuck on the screen, and I was able to gently scrub off the tiny stain with water.

OTHER NOTES: Demonstrations of screen use can be found on Youtube. Just search for Epson Duet. A couple of folks demonstrate how quick and easy set-up and take-down is.