Customer Reviews

106 16X9 Model B High Contrast Manual Pull Down Screen

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was initially pleased with this screen. Reasonable price, great contrast.

After about 45 days (15 days past when I could return it), the screen developed deep vertical wrinkles, tapered toward the bottom (like this: \ / ).

I called Dalite to see what they could do about it. They rep immediately rattled off a long list of "things I could try". One of the suggestions was to completely disassemble the unit, iron it through a towel, retension the springs and put it back together. Another suggestion was to get 3 people together, have 2 people start in the center of the bottom and work their way out, pulling the screen tight in unision while the 3rd person holds a hair dryer on the wrinkles.

I got the feeling that the Dalite support reps just sit around all day waiting for calls from the hordes of customers who have warped screens.

What they wouldnt do was send me a new screen or repair my screen. I've tried a few of their fixes and thus far nothing has helped. I've now spent several hours trying to get these wrinkles out.

I don't think this is a well designed product, I would not buy another Dalite screen, and I would not recomend anyone else by one of their pull-down screens.

I plan to research other non-pull down screens, or possibly other mfg. pull down screens after asking their reps if wrinkles are a problem.

I was choosing between this one and Accuscreen and decided to go with this screen due to Dalite name and their excellent customer support. I called/emailed Dalite several times to make sure I'm selecting the right screen for my needs and they were always extremely helpful and patient with me. Per Dalite's recommendation, I actually chose Matte White over high contract grey one because I'll be installing the screen in a light controlled basement (not to mention matte white is typically 30% cheaper!). they also said grey tends to diminish color tones so as long as the room is dark matte white was to the choice to go. The material was fairly sturdy and easy to stall. I drilled a couple of eyehooks to ceiling joist and attached it to the screen and that was it. It took a lot more time to make sure the screen measurement fits my room.
Now, two minor downsides:
1. The smell of chemically coated screen was pretty bad for first few days but it eventually went away.
2. Rolling up the screen was a bit tricky. First time, we couldn't roll it up all the way without locking the screen so I asked Dalite and they told me one trick for getting a screen to retract is to pull the fabricout at a 10-15 degree angle towards me and tug firmly, then release the fabric. Well, that worked and it just takes a little time to get used to it.

This screen is terrific. It's not cheap price-wise, and there are probably less expensive screens out there. But the price for this huge 106-inch model is quite decent. In either case, you definitely get what you pay for. It is built totally solid and the retracting mechanism is very smooth.

The screen itself has no flaws. The delivery was done in the time promised.

Overall, I'm very happy with the product and experience. Da-Lite has a great reputation in AV and lived up to that with this purchase.

I initially liked this screen very much: it's bright and contrasty and didn't take much time to set up. However, after a few weeks of hanging, it developed very visible wavy creases across the screen. They went diagonally from the pull handle at the bottom to the upper corners. When viewing a uniformly colored image, like the red Netflix loading screen or a blue sky, the creases are strongly visible and distracting. This is not an issue of mis-handling; it's a design flaw. All I did with the screen was hang it on my wall, pull it down, and leave it for three weeks.

The other aspects of this screen are fine for the price, but because of this one flaw I don't think it's worth owning.