A professional remote battery-powered screen is built for either work or home.
I've used a Da-Lite matte white electric screen in my home theater and as one of my technical evaluation screens for years. I've been incredibly happy with the retractable screen's convenience and, more importantly, the picture quality I get when projecting images from long, standard, short, and even ultra-short throw projectors. This professional-grade screen has been an absolute champ, but nothing lasts forever.
Recently, some debris got rolled up when I retracted the screen, and this started a chain reaction of ever-worsening wrinkles that showed up on the screen, making it unusable. I got on the phone with the people at Da-Lite to discuss a possible repair solution or to buy a new screen roll to replace the one in the existing chassis.
Da-Lite was incredibly responsive, and it wasn't long before I was talking to one of their senior product managers about my existing screen, the company's recent advancements in screen chassis and material technologies, and some very exciting changes at Da-Lite as a direct result of the company becoming part of the LeGrand AV family in 2017.
After a little information exchange, Da-Lite offered to let me use a newer Tensioned Designer Contour Electrolol screen. Within a few weeks, the screen arrived in a single box. Unfortunately, it sat while waiting for my lab space to be remodeled, which took far longer than anticipated. My apologies to the Da-Lite team, but it's now done, and I'm ready and excited to review what looks like an amazing screen.
OVERVIEW
Da-Lite is a company that has been in business for over 100 years. Founded in 1909, it is the world's largest producer of high-quality screens for business professionals and residential projection screen markets. Da-Lite manufactures and supplies projection screens, screen surfaces, and accessories to consumer and professional customers worldwide. Its screens are installed in home theaters, classrooms, houses of worship, and meeting and conference rooms.
Da-Lite's reputation for quality and reliability means that its screens are a go-to brand for rental houses and staging spaces, where screens must survive heavy use in tough environments like tradeshows and event marketing venues. In 2017, Da-Lite became part of the Legrand AV family of companies and has since become an even bigger force in the professional side of the industry.
I used Da-Lite screens when I began my career as a freelance projectionist and later in my twenty years working for a large AV corporation where tradeshows and events were a regular part of my responsibilities. I've used Da-Lite screens at tradeshows such as CES, boutique marketing events, auto shows, museums, Hollywood studio events, and in the boardroom, presenting the latest of a long list of technologies I've brought to market. During that time, Da-Lite was one of the most reliable brands I've used at work and at home.
Da-Lite Tab-Tension Motorized Wireless screen is battery-powered, which eliminates the hassle of running wires for power
When it became clear that I needed to do something about my existing screen, I reached out to Da-Lite because of my personal and professional experience with the company and the screens it makes. From a practical standpoint, I was not looking forward to installing a new retractable screen in my space. As I mentioned in my introduction, I was already remodeling my space. I did not want to install a new traditional electric screen, specifically running wires for control and possible power. Running new cables would require tearing out a large amount of wall treatment I had just installed.
Fortunately, Da-Lite had a perfect solution: the Designer Contour Electrol screen system. Right away, Da-Lite's product team put my concerns to rest. They recommended one of their Tensioned Designer Contour Electrol screen systems, which has extremely flexible installation options. This screen can be mounted to the ceiling or on a wall, offering one of the easiest installations I've ever done. I went with a 110-inch 16:9 screen. Other than needing a hand to lift the casing into place while I mounted it, I did the rest of the installation on my own.
This screen addressed my primary concern about running new wiring behind my brand-new wall treatment. It's simple; I didn't have to. The Designer Contour Electrol screen system is an excellent alternative for challenging wired screen installations. It offers all the benefits of an electric screen but with the flexibility of wire-free installation. The screen has a built-in battery-powered motor that Da-Lite calls Agility, which is ideal for installations like mine where flexibility is required.
Da-Lite accomplished this by building a lithium-ion battery into the housing to power the screen's electric motor. This system is a great solution to retrofit historic buildings or environments when wiring for control or power is difficult or not an option. It is charged using a standard 5V USB micro charger, just like the ones used to charge mobile phones for over a decade. The battery can last over 200 cycles on a single charge.
In addition to home installations like mine, the Designer Contour Electrol screen system's battery-powered design means this screen can be installed in classrooms, meeting rooms, lecture halls, and many other spaces where running wires behind a wall for power or control is not convenient or an option at all.
PACKAGING & ASSEMBLY
The Designer Contour Electrol screen system ships in a single long box. The unit was shipped via freight and arrived at my house in great condition. Due to the screen's size and weight, it requires at least two people to transport it. There isn't any assembly, but small pieces of packing foam used as transport protection at each side and down the body of the screen must be removed. There are also transport locks to hold the screen in place in its casing during shipping that must be removed before activating the screen's motor. As screen unpacking and assembly go this Da-Lite screen is a breeze. You will need help carrying the unit inside and mounting your screen, but two people should be more than enough to get the job done.
The Designer Contour Electrol screen system casing is low profile. The system chassis design is stylish but ubiquitous enough to blend into various spaces, from a living room to a wide range of professional spaces like boardrooms, meeting rooms, and almost any event space where a screen is permanent or, in the case of the USB version, even temporarily installed.
The Designer Contour Electrol screen system casing is available in black and white. I wanted to minimize as many light reflections as possible in my space, so I went with the matte black version. It reduced the chance of any uncontrolled ambient light in the room being reflected off the casing and ultimately hitting the screen. The black and white version of the chassis is powder-coated, which should minimize any damage caused by contact over the years.
Compared to normal use, powder coatings are durable and designed to reduce scratching and chipping over time. This is particularly valuable for business and education customers. I unintentionally put this to the test when I was loosening the front panel of the casing to get access to the manual control button inside to lower the screen. I swung the panel too far forward, and it dropped off of the recessed lip it was attached to and fell on my hardwood floors. Once I picked it up and re-installed it, I expected to see visible signs of the eight-foot drop on the casing, but there was no mark or blemish.
Various casing finishes and veneers are optionally available, making this screen's chassis a seamless addition to any room.
SCREEN MATERIAL
The Tensioned Designer Contour is available in 16:9 and 16:10 aspect ratios. The 16:9 version is available in screen sizes up to 110 inches diagonally, and the 16:10 version comes in screen sizes up to 113 inches diagonally.
Da-Lite offers screen surfaces that are 16K-ready in two of the three screen surfaces. While 16K projection is just an aspiration at this point, Da-Lite does a significant amount of business in the professional industry, where these materials are used with screens far exceeding the 110-inch screen size of this screen. While there are currently only a handful of 8K projectors available to purchase, it is reasonable to assume that the professional side of the business will be the first to see projectors up to 16K long before they will be needed for home users.
Da-Lite offers three Tensioned Designer Contour system screen materials: HD Progressive 0.9, HD Progressive 1.1, and Da-Mat formulations. All three materials are GREENGUARD and GREENGUARD Gold certified to meet and exceed stringent standards for indoor air quality. They can be cleaned with mild soap and water, are flame retardant, and mildew resistant.
Da-Lite HD Progressive 0.9 and 1.1 support up to 16K resolution, HDR and 3D Video. Da-Mat screen supports up to 480p .
HD Progressive 0.9 is a front projection screen surface designed for high resolution up to 16K. This screen material is recommended for laser projectors with ultra-short, short, and standard throw lenses. Its subtle gray appearance enhances image color and contrast and is available in sizes up to 16 feet high. This premium surface is ideal for projects with edge blending and small or large venue projection needs.
HD Progressive 1.1 is a front projection screen surface designed for high resolution up to 16K. Recommended for laser projectors with ultra-short, short, and standard throw lenses, its neutral white appearance provides brilliant image color and is available in sizes up to 16' high seamless. This premium surface is ideal for projects with edge blending and small or large venue projection needs.
Da-Mat is a front projection screen surface, and it is the only material of these three designed for standard resolution (480p consumer or XGA professional). This material suits lamp-based projectors with ultra-short, short, and standard throw lenses. Its neutral white color provides everyday image quality and is available in sizes up to 16' high seamless. This economical surface is ideal for projects with large venues and basic projection needs.
The Designer Contour Electrol is a Tab-Tension series screen. This type of projection screen utilizes tabs or clips attached to the edges of the screen material and pulled tight when the screen is deployed. Tab-tensioning prevents wrinkles or distortions that can affect the image and ensures a perfectly flat projection surface for excellent image quality. Key benefits of this type of screen system include a ripple-free image, a more consistent image, maintaining the screen's shape over time, and, like I experienced, a simple installation process.
CONCLUSION
The Designer Contour Electrol Tab-Tension series screen is a beautifully designed easy to setup and use screen.
I saved the best for last. This screen can show a great picture. I chose the HD Performance 1:1, a matte white screen. The colors look good on this screen, as shown in the pictures above. I used a 3,000 ANSI lumen Hisense ultra short throw projector for this review. Most of the images are taken in the projector's THEATER modes, which are more color-accurate but not as bright. 1.1 is a small gain, but this small boost helps improve the displayed picture.
The Designer Contour Electrol screen system can show a picture even during the day, especially with the projector set to a brighter mode for sports or games. As seen in images four and five, the picture is still good with lights on. Black levels get worse with lights on, but the screen still shows details of the dark area.
As I've said in the review, this screen is also fantastic for pro customers. To illustrate this point, I've included some shots of business content to show how well the screen displays PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets. I've included both both lights-on and lights-off shots.
The Designer Contour Electrol screen Wireless Series delivered outstanding picture quality.
The Designer Contour Electrol screen is a low-profile wall or ceiling-mount screen system that two people can quickly install. While this screen is meant to be installed mostly in permanent spaces, the USB version that I used for this review can be moved from venue to venue since it's pretty much self-contained. The HD Progressive screen material displays accurate colors and blacks even with a small amount of uncontrolled ambient light in the room.
Its tab-tension motorized screen can be raised and lowered at the touch of a button with the included remote or via the hidden control behind the casings from the panel. Users can even set a custom screen height that is optimal for the projector's position so the screen stops where it needs to every time it is lowered.
In permanent installations, the Designer Contour Electrol screen eliminates the hassle of running power and control wiring behind the wall or in the ceiling. Once charged, the internal lithium-ion battery lasts 200 cycles before needing to be recharged.
The screen is available in 16:9 and 16:10 aspect ratios and in three different screen materials, rated for up to 16K projection, making this system future-ready.
This screen's image quality is so good that I intend to use it as one of the primary testing screens in the testing space.
If you are looking for a high-quality motorized screen system that is low profile, relatively easy to install, and displays excellent colors and blacks, I highly recommend the Da-Lite Designer Contour Electrol screen system for your business, educational institution, or even home theater room.
