Best Choice Products 119-Inch HD Indoor Pull Down Projector Screen is a manual pull-down style projector screen with a metal body and a matte white vinyl screen. It provides an absolutely massive value proposition, although it’s important to temper your expectations in regards to the screen size. This is a square 1:1 aspect ratio screen, not a 16:9 or 16:10 screen, so the actual diagonal viewing area when viewing high definition content is significantly smaller than it says on the box. This Best Choice Products screen is still a very intriguing option even with that caveat, so we set one up in a home theater environment to see how it really performs in the real world. We paid attention to things like how easy it is to set up and use, the quality of the materials, color accuracy and brightness, and more.
Design: Basic design cues that wouldn’t look out of place in a classroom
The most important point we need to convey about the design of this screen is that it isn’t a 16:9 screen. The manufacturer’s website uses pictures and language that suggest it is a 16:9 screen, and several websites where the screen is available for purchase also give that impression. The fact is that this is a 1:1 screen, not a 16:9 screen, which means it has exactly the same width and height when fully extended. If you buy this screen expecting a 119-inch diagonal widescreen projector screen, you’ll be disappointed. According to our own measurements, the diagonal measurement is closer to about 97.5 inches when viewing 16:9 content on this screen. That’s pretty good for a manual pull-down projector screen in this price range, it’s just unfortunate that the manufacturer and third-party sites don’t make that as clear as they could. With that out of the way, the basic design of this screen wouldn’t look out of place in a classroom, although it’s nondescript enough to blend into the background of your home theater room when not in use. The main body is a basic white metal case that provides two hanging methods, plastic caps on either end, and a metal ring that you can use to pull the screen down. The screen pulls out easily and holds in place through an internal friction mechanism. If it has gears or teeth to lock it in place at specific intervals, we weren’t able to feel them during operation. We were able to extend it far enough to approximate a 16:9 screen without any trouble at all.
Setup Process: Couldn’t be easier
If you’re new to the world of home theater and projectors, and you just want a screen that you can get up and running with a minimum of hassle, this screen is what you’re looking for. The screen is literally ready to go out of the box, with no assembly required. Simply hang it on a wall, pull the screen out, and you’re ready to start watching. This is an especially nice treat compared to most portable and fixed projector screens that can take half an hour to an hour to assemble.
Construction: A metal body with plastic end caps
The main body of this screen is made out of steel sheet metal, and it’s painted a matte white. The end caps are plastic, one set of hangers are also plastic, and the other set of hangers are metal. It feels fairly solid, but the metal itself isn’t very thick or resilient. Despite shipping with a number of foam spacers for protection, our test unit arrived with a number of superficial dents in the main body of the unit. It’s unlikely to be subjected to such force once mounted on a wall, but you’ll still want to take care not to allow anything to fall or bump into it.
Screen Material: Basic white vinyl
The screen is a basic white vinyl material with black-dyed edges. It appears to be the same material throughout, just black on the back and edges, and white within the bounds of the viewing area. When pulled down, we noticed some waviness in the screen that was very apparent to look at, but less obvious with a projector in use. The screen pulls down with a bit of a jerky motion, but it holds in place very easily. Getting it to start retracting is also quite easy, but it doesn’t retract very smoothly. We were able to get it to retract evenly with great care, although it will roll up unevenly if you aren’t careful.
Mounting Style: Fixed with a pull-down screen
This is a fixed screen with a manual pull-down mechanism that’s designed for semi-permanent installation. It’s quite light, and very easy to mount, so you could feasibly move it from one location to another without too much trouble. The main issue is that it is very long, making it difficult to maneuver. The main body of the screen has four mounting points, only two of which are intended to be in use at any given time. The first two are plastic and designed for wall mounting, and the second two are metal and are designed to hang on a ceiling mount. Both are good options, and you can use whichever is best for your own home theater setup.
Key Features: Easily adjustable between 1:1 and 16:10 or even narrower
The biggest issue with this screen is the confusion over size and aspect ratio, with there being potential for a buyer to assume that it’s a 16:9 screen with a 119” diagonal viewing area. The fact is that it isn’t, but that’s actually a useful feature if you know what you’re getting going into ahead of time. Unlike most projector screens, the Best Choice Products 119in HD Indoor Pull Down Projector Screen has a 1:1 aspect ratio. Combined with a friction-based locking mechanism, you can freely adjust the aspect ratio from 1:1 to 16:9, 16:10, or virtually any aspect ratio you want. If you want to watch old 4:3 content, you can adjust the screen for that. If you want to switch to 16:9 DVDs, making the adjustment is very easy. This isn’t a feature that everyone will be interested in, but it is worth considering if you ever watch video content that isn’t in the standard 16:9 aspect ratio.
Price: Extremely affordable
The Best Choice Products 119in Indoor Pull Down Projector Screen has an MSRP of $127, but it’s typically available for between $52 and $60. In that price range, this screen represents a very good value. Just keep in mind that it’s more like a 97-inch screen than a 119-inch screen if you’re watching typical high definition content.
Competition: Lots of decent choices
Perlesmith Manual Pull Down Projector Screen: Typically available in the $66 to $80 range, this is another screen that bears a very close resemblance to the Best Choice Products screen. The body is silver instead of white, but it’s otherwise a very similar design. The Perlesmith screen is also just a bit larger, at 100 inches, so you do get a little more real estate for the extra money. It also has a slightly different gain, at 1.2 compared to 1.1 for the Best Choice Products screen. Zueda Manual Pull Down Projector Screen: Usually selling in the $66 to $70 range, this is another screen that’s very similar to the Perlesmith and Best Choice Products screens. The Zueda screen has a black body instead of white or silver, but the overall design is very similar. The 1.1 gain matte white screen is 100 inches. Want to take a look at more reviews? Check out our guide to the best projector screens. The 119-Inch HD Pull Down Manual Projector Screen is not the screen you’re looking for if you’re in the market for a 119-inch screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio. But if you’re interested in a screen that’s closer to 97 inches, with the option to expand into a 1:1 119-inch configuration, then it’s worth taking a look at this one. It’s extremely easy to set up and use, and the price is right, as long as you’re okay with a screen that’s just shy of 100 inches on the diagonal when viewing HD content.
