A little help with screens please!!!

[Daniel]

I just bought the Mits HC4900 projector. This is for a home setup. As I'm a novice, I have done some research and everything is pointing me to the Stewart Firehawk screen. Very costly. Can someone please tell me if this is what I need from a cost standpoint, or am I buying a name. Your thoughts are appreciated! Room has controllable ambient light. Looking for a 100" HD screen.

Also, are all HDMI cables created equal? If not, recommendations.

Thanks,
Dan

[Hdale85]

Did you check out our forum sponsor Carada For a nice screen unless your willing to do DIY your going to have to spend about that amount. The Carada's are probably not any cheaper but very nice screens. Good screens = more money.

[George Bellefontaine]

Stewart screens are the most expensive out there. You can get something similar to the Firehawk from Carada. Contact them, tell them what your set up is and they will make the proper recommendation. You may not need the Firehawk type, which is more expensive than, say, a 1 gain matte white screen-- something I've been using for years.

As for HDMI cables, well it seems to be a roll of the dice. Regardless of cost, they seem to either work or they don't. For long runs, though, I would certianly go with a heavy gauge. Mine is 30 feet and is 24 gauge and works just fine. It was around $140 plus tax, so not cheap.

[Ovation]

I went the DIY route and came under 75$ (in real world costs--some of the material I used was free to me, so my actual cost was about 20$). I intended it to be temporary until I could get my final setup and go with a Carada or similar screen. I have to say, though, despite my modest DIY skills, the PQ I get is very nice and I'm not motivated to move to a "professionally made" screen anytime soon. Just something to consider.

On HDMI cables, I got a 25 foot length of 24 gauge cable with a nice, strong sheath for a VERY GOOD price (but as there is an official cable sponsor here, I will not say how much or where on a public post).