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Carada "Brilliant White" Projection Screen - Review

Posted on February 24, 2006 by Art Feierman

Specs Preview

Carada Criterion Specs
Price 789
Technology Gain: 1.4
Native Resolution 1000x1000
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim) 10
Contrast
Zoom Lens Ratio
Lens Shift No
Lamp Life
Weight
Warranty

This review is a long time in coming. I received the Carada Brilliant White screen over a month ago, but with projectors stacked up to review, assembly required, and a new testing room being completed, I finally got it assembled and mounted days before Superbowl, and have now used the Carada screen for viewing 6 different projectors (5 home theater, and one business projector). Again, this screen is mounted in my testing area/office, and is far away from my standard home theater screen, a 128" motorized Firehawk by Stewart.

And I am finally ready to comment on it.

First I should mention that when I spoke to the folks at Carada, I had originally anticipated getting one of their High Contrast Grey screens. However upon dicussing it with them, they recommended I try the Brilliant White. I also figured that, I know how several brands of HC gray screens work with most home theater projectors, and that working with a high gain screen like the Brilliant White would improve my perspective. Many people have dark walled theaters and no ambient light, and many may need a bright screen with some of the less bright home theater projectors.

Screen Price

When it comes to price, Carada has a big advantage on most manufacturers. They sell directly to the end user, not through dealers. That of course saves the buyer money. To put things in perspective I have priced below the selling price of this particular Carada screen, with similar gain, surface, and framed screens from two major competitors, Stewart Filmscreen, and Da-Lite. Carada's prices are what you will pay. With Da-lite you should be able to get a discount - and (though I am no expert), a 20% discount would probably be really good. With Stewart, you can probably find a discount as well, but in talking to dealers, I'm told Stewart has less profit margin in their screens than Da-lite, so the discounts would be smaller

Carada Criterion, Brilliant White surface Sample Pricing

 Carada Brilliant White, Criterion Frame - Pricing for a 106" diagonal fixed
16:9 with Deluxe Trim $788.85

Da-lite Cinema Contour Screen, Cinema Vision Surface 1.3 gain: 106"

16:9 with Pro Trim $1360 + $150 (for Pro Trim) = $1510

Stewart Luxus Deluxe, StudioTek 130 surface 1.3 gain, 106"

16:9 with Luxus Deluxe trim $2318

For those of you on a really tight budget, Carada offers the same screen surface with a narrower, non-beveled trim (also in black velvet), for less month. The frame drops to 2" wide (from 3 3/8"), and for this size screen, reduces cost by about $120.

For those requiring different sized screens, Carada does provide pricing for every size, and surface, on their website. (They list pricing for 17 different diagonal sizes from 64" diagonal to 142" diagonal, with 12 of those sizes being between 84" and 126" diagonal, which should cover at least 95% of home theater shoppers.

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