It’s been a couple of years since I turned my back on the organic light-emitting diodes and quantum dots of modern TVs in favor of my beloved ultra-short-throw projector.Its bright and clear image beamed onto a big 100-inch ALR screen has turned my living room into a movie theater that rivals some of my city’s repertory cinemas, and it’s the best home theater experience I’ve ever had.But if I had it all to do over, there’s one thing I’d approach differently—the screen.
Or, rather, the choosing or setup of the screen.With so many hours of enjoyment for my family and me clocked on the big ambient light-rejecting panel, I’m not complaining about the picture quality; it’s excellent.But with the sweat, tears, and, yes, blood, it took to get it assembled and on the wall, the mistake wasn’t buying it; it was building it myself.
A 100-inch aluminum puzzle with razor edges The instructions were perfect.The screen was not When I got my first UST projector a few years ago, it came bundled with an ALR screen.Ambient light rejecting screens are engineered to soak up daylight and lamplight to kill glare for the best possible picture, and even though I’ve since upgraded the projector, the screen is still great.
The screen I have is a BenQ 100-inch SNS21 Fresnel ALR panel that went for about $800 on its own—thick material, sturdy frame, and less than 30 pounds assembled.BenQ was bundling in free assembly and installation at the time, but I waved it off.“I’m handy,” I figured.
“How hard could it be?” For the record, the installation instructions were well laid out, and the manufacturer’s website had some great support videos.Don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security, though, for this or any other screen.The frame went together fine, and the fabric was positioned with ease.
But then things took a turn for the worse.Getting the nearly two dozen spring-loaded tension screws hand-driven around the frame’s inner edge to line up was a nightmare, though.Two hours and a trip to Home Depot later, I was improvising with hand clamps and a power drill.
Those tension screws aren’t just fussy, either; they’re how the whole screen is pulled taut enough to ensure a flat surface for a perfect image, and they need to be installed right.And that’s not even the macabre part—the frame’s aluminum finishing edges were katana-sharp, nicking up my fingers and staining the white cotton butler-style gloves it came with red.Oh, the humanity.
Mounting is where UST gets unforgiving The projector can't fix what you get wrong A box of Band-Aids later, and I had myself an assembled 100-inch ALR screen lying on my living room floor.Now, at that point, a wiser man would have retreated and ordered that free mounting service.Not this masochist.
I painstakingly measured, re-measured, drilled things, and hoisted the 28-pound beast onto the precision-placed mounting brackets all by myself.Never again.I’m being a little melodramatic.
Mounting a projector screen on a wall, while tricky, can be done by regular Joes like you and me.With the right tools and well-laid-out instructions, you—and most importantly, a friend—can do it in a couple of hours.I've now done mine twice, and it does get easier.
Close But here’s the thing with UST screens that doesn’t come up enough—conventional long-throw or portable projectors can easily be precisely maneuvered or moved.And modern auto keystone and straightening features can remedy most problems, even if the screen is mounted a few degrees off.A UST projector sits just inches below the screen and throws the light up at a steep angle.
Every flaw is exaggerated, and keystoning on a UST projector is not advisable because it can affect sharpness, cause artifacting, and even light spill around the screen.A slightly unlevel screen mounting, or one that’s not flat against the wall, can mean a warped, imperfect image that can take hours of correcting and maneuvering of the projector or tweaking its image settings.In short—the screen mounting has to be perfect.
What I’d do differently Easier screens exist.So do installers Starting over, as far as wall-mounted screens go, I’m not sure there’s much I would do differently in terms of the selection of the screen I got.As far as I know, there are no wall-mount ALR screens that come pre-assembled—especially at 100 inches and up; they’re just too big to reasonably ship without damage risk.
I would, however, look for screens that emphasize easy assembly, and watch the assembly video before you buy for any surprises.The AWOL Vision ALR screen, for example, has clever bowed "leaf spring" fasteners that are much easier to access with a screwdriver than the buried ones on my BenQ.As far as wall-mounted ALR screens go, hands down, I’d pay for an assembly and mounting service.
Have a look around at your local home theater shops that offer it.Most of these niche expert shops also understand how to properly tension the screen and can even align your UST image.Prices vary, but I’ve seen this service in my area go for anywhere between $300 and $700, and more depending on the sophistication of your setup.
Best Buy’s Geek Squad, on the other hand, offers the cheapest professional option at roughly $250, based on what customers report, but read the fine print, as many of them do not have the expertise for more complicated UST screens.In the end, though, if money was no object and I could hit rewind, I’d probably try a motorized floor-rising ALR screen instead.They sidestep all this nonsense entirely—they arrive as one finished unit, the screen rises up from a cabinet, and there’s no wall work at all.
You pay for it, sure—they can often run $1,500 and up.But many of them, like those from manufacturers such as AWOL Vision, Elite Screens, and Vividstorm, look like slick pieces of furniture and are easy to set up.If you have the means, I would seriously consider this route.
Conclusion Hindsight is definitely 20/20, but one thing I’m sure about is that an ALR screen with my UST projector delivers a beautiful image that I enjoy, and despite it driving me bloody mad, I am happy with how it all came together.I just wouldn’t do it all again myself.That’s the regret—not the money, not the screen, but the day I spent proving I could do it myself when I didn’t have to.
AWOL VISION 100" UST Projector Screen Size 100" Stand Included? No Brand AWOL Vision The AWOL Vision 100-inch ambient light rejecting (ALR) screen is a wall-mounted screen for UST projectors, which is perfect for rooms with a lot of ambient light. See at Amazon Expand Collapse
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