Customer Reviews

Epson Duet 80-Inch Dual Aspect Ratio Projection Screen, Portable 4:3 and 16:9 Aspect Ratio Screen (ELPSC80)

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As a professsional speaker I've seen hundreds of screens over the past 25 years and this one really stands out. It is everything you could hope for and more. I love the design. It sets up fast, is easy to open and is just the right size for a living room or a medium size (up to 35 people) business meeting. I can't believe the price! I thought it was a good value at the original $250 price and now Amazon has it for under $85. If you need a protable screen, this is a great choice. Since it opens horizontally it is much shorter than other screens of this size. I am considering upgrading my projector now to show movies on tis screen instead of my old 27" TV.

The quality of the product's construction was unexpected. It is sturdy and has an attractive design.

Quick to set up and take down. Stored it stands discreetly in the corner of my apartment. The two large black borders that double as the case of the screen were well designed.

I paired this screen with the Optoma DV11 and found it really did bring out the colours and brightness of the projected image.

A significant complaint that I have is that the top inch and a half of the screen sags. I'm still trying to find a solution to this, however overall I do not find that it affects the projected image significantly.

I now have had the Duet Projector Screen for about a month. The unit is just great. It takes up little space folded which comes in very handy in a motorhome. I also comes with a wall mountable bracket to do away with the stand which folds and attaches neatly to the unit. All you do is slide it on the stand and pull it to one of two detents. One is for 4X3 aspect ratio or 16X9. Very easy to work with and the gain of the picture is very good.

I only paid $119 for this screen! This screen is light, compact and portable. The tripod can be removed, folded and then can be placed behind the screen when it is compacted back in. There is a handy dandy nylon carrying handle that makes it very easy to carry by your side.

It is the only one that I found that has a duel screen format, 16:9 (widescreen) and 4:3 (full size). You just pull it out sideways until the first click for the full size and if you want widescreen, you keep extending it until it clicks a second time.

I do agree with most reviews about there being a slight crease in the very top middle area. This is due to the screen not being locked in tightly BUT honestly you will never notice it when there is a movie playing because it is so slight.

One more negative is the fact that the middle tripod leg is facing to the rear. In other words you cannot plae this up directly against a wall because the third leg pushes it out about 2 feet.

Overall I rated this 5 stars because although there are two negatives that I found the overall quality, compact design, size and value far outweighs me to bring this down to four stars. I do wish Epson would come out with a 100+ inch duet screen for us to play with.

I love this screen. I bought one for my classroom at a retail store after a significant price drop and wall-mounted it. Opening and closing the Duet while mounted on the wall is effortless and will not require a boost if you can reach the releases midway up the screen. I use both the full screen and the widescreen settings, and it makes discernible "clicks" when opened to the appropriate points. I use the Duet with an Optoma EP719 Projector (2500:1 contrast ratio, 2000 ANSI lumens), and the images are bright even with ambient sunlight in the room. For rare occasions when there is too much light in the room (when I need to keep the fluorescent lights on in half the room, for instance) I must use another screen with a higher gain to make the images "pop."

Impressed with the Duet's performance and ease of use, I decided to purchase a second one for home, this time through Amazon. The screen is portable enough to dismount from my classroom wall and bring home with its tripod, but a shoulder injury prevents me from easily removing the screen from the wall bracket without assistance. The projector, however, DOES come home with me on weekends (it, too, is mine, not the school's). My home Duet sets up on its tripod in one simple motion that I can perform even with my injured shoulder. The projected images look fantastic in my darkened living room, and I cannot wait to watch the Super Bowl on this thing! I even use the Duet with a widescreen laptop hooked to the projector, and a wireless keyboard and mouse paired with the laptop. When Monday morning comes around I break down the Duet in about thirty seconds and slide it under my bed where it lies in wait for the following Friday night!

Okay... why not five stars? Well, if I could give it four-and-a-half, I would. But, I share a minor quibble common among other Amazon reviewers: there is a slight but noticeable sag along the upper edge of the screen. This is not usually a problem with moving images, but sometimes when using a laptop with text applications or static graphics the sag skews the tops of the images. It's definitely not a deal breaker, and for the Duet in my classroom I mounted a brace to the wall behind the top-center of the screen. It helps to square the screen by "catching" the top of it where it tends to bow. The brace is placed in such a way that it does not interfere with the screen's ability to open and close. The addition of a built-in tensioning device would certainly add to the cost of the Duet, and may in fact make its operation more difficult.

The Duet is a fantastic portable screen. Setting it up and breaking it down is a cinch, and its horizontal open-close feature is easier to use (especially for short folks like me) than tripod screens utilizing a top hook. The tripod slips into the back of the screen when it is closed, and with the attached heavy-duty straps the screen and the tripod are easily transported as a single unit. Highly recommended item!!

Would give 4.5 stars if this was Star Search ;)

Pros:
1) Great for portability @ ~27 lbs. When compact its 42" high and ~a foot wide. Fantastic design!
2) Clicks when you have expanded it to 4:3 dimensions, and clicks again when further expanded to 16:9 dimensions. Brilliant!
3) Picture shows very bright/dark colors well on the screen.
4) Watching a wide-screen movie without the black bars on top is a dream come true.

Neutral:
1) The stand itself is not adjustable beyond ~3 feet. So when on the stand, the screen is maxed at ~6' 4" high :( But I hear the Duet is actually taller than other portable projectors with similar screen specs so I couldn't call it a "CON."

Final Judgment:
"Saved" a lot space in the office by not having it in a fixed position. In addition, the Duet is great if you need a portable wide-screen projector screen. When folks see you expand it horizontally you'll get all the ooh's n' ahh's and words like "This is so high tech" fill the room. :)
But, if you don't care for ooh's n' ahh's and have the space for a permanent or wall mounted stand you might as well get something was wasn't meant for portability. ;)

I recently picked up my first projector, a Panasonic PT-AX200U 720p, and am using it with this screen. In summary, I am 100% satisfied - the quality and brightness of the image is all I could have hoped for. Even in a room with ambient light (or a lamp turned on), I get a clear and detailed picture.

I chose the Duet screen for the following reasons:

- Dual 4:3 and 16:9 modes (although in practice I always use 16:9)
- Portability
- Price

The main concerns I've read about this screen are the sagging, and the stand which prevents you from putting the screen closer to the wall. For me, I wall-mounted my screen, so I can't talk for the stand. But, I don't notice the sagging at all - and I even often play side-scrolling movies/games that fill the full view of the screen.

I originally picked up a projector so that I could transport my setup and host occasional movie nights outside of my house, and the portability of the Duet is really nice. Essentially, the Duet slides closed and is then encased and protected by its plastic shell. Then you can attach a handle-strap to its back (screwdriver required) and carry it it around as is (no special cover necessary). It has been real easy to carry and fits in my car just fine.

All of this, and a price-point of $120 (especially when I was expecting to spend $400), have left me a very happy customer.

This screen arrived quickly, and set-up was a dream... a dream that took 1 person and all of 30 seconds. I especially like the option of hanging it on the wall as I may use it for a second home theatre when not using it for presentations. The widescreen option is fantastic and really makes for an impressive presentation. The fact that the whole thing is self-contained (no need for a bag or case) and that is is quite light and easy to stash in trunk or store in the corner of my office when not in use is also a bonus. There is a bit of keystoning in the very center top, but in my experience it is not noticeable when you are actually projecting an image onto the screen. I am very happy with this screen and glad I opted for this over a traditional screen.

This screen is terrific! The screen collapses into a case with a convenient carrying handle. It easily fits in the trunk or across the back seat. My wife has used it on the road for presentations and just loves it. I've used it to convert 8mm movies to digital format by projecting the old movies onto the screen and recording them with my camcorder.

For it's price, it's actually a good deal if you use it as a business presentation and watching wide screen movies. But compared to regular portable tripod screen, it is not the most portable, lightest, or cheapest tripod screen out there. I found an Elite portable 71" x 71" tripod screen for $50 including tax and shipping. It's thinner, lighter (only 15 lbs. compared to Duet which is 30lbs.), and cheaper!!