Monday, August 4, 2014

Elite Screens Yard Master 100" Outdoor Projection Screen Review by Jenafer Roy

Video has come a long way. I remember the days when IT guys would bring home the business projectors to watch movies on the family room wall. Our first projector was a business one with a sheet! This was about 20 years ago.  Not only have projectors been perfected for home theater, they have also made their way to the outdoors. Up for review today is an excellent, portable outdoor screen from Elite Screens Yard Master 100" outdoor screen.


Features and specs:
• Ideal for any outdoor activities, such as camping, parks or movies in the backyard
• The outdoor DynaBrite Material is durable 24/7, rain or shine
• Available in diagonal sizes 100", 120", 150", 180" and 200" in 16:9 aspect ratio
• Also available with rear projection material, in diagonal sizes 103" and 123" in 16:9 aspect ratio
• Heavy-duty frame construction for all types of weather
• Setup and Takedown is simple and quick with portable carrying bag for easy storage/transportation
• Kit includes ropes and 8 stakes for wind stability
• Durable aluminum wheeled travel case included for easy storage/transportation (OMS150H / OMS180H / OMS200H models only)

The screen came shipped in a standard box opening the box revealed two carrying bags inside one of the zippered bags was the screen fabric. Inside the other zippered bag was the steel frame, broken down into multiple labeled pieces. The bags were made out of a heavy duty nylon weave material. The pole pieces appeared to be made out of steel or another type of durable metal with little metal pop up pins to hold the connections securely in place. Quality of materials used was very good and the same could be said for the quality of construction. The fabric for the screen appeared to be part nylon or polyester but also had some spandex type material with stretch to it. The stitching appeared very good as well. All in all, this looked like a product that would last quite a while. Included in the package were the two bags, one with the screen fabric and the other with the poles along with the instruction manual, stakes and rope for securing the screen in case of inclement weather.

Putting the screen together was fairly simple. And the included instructions were easy to follow. Each pole had a label sticker with a letter on it corresponding slots they were to match up with. The included storage bag was even labeled with each letter so you knew which piece stored where in the bag. I thought that was really cool. Once the frame was put together it was then just a matter of sliding the material over the frame. On the bottom of the screen were about 5 or 6 metal loops attached to Velcro straps to cinch down the screen for a tight tension that made for a good looking image to view. The included stakes worked well for securing the screen to the ground. The only complaint, if you could even call it that, was that the labels were little round stickers with the letter printed on them, if they were to come off, it might make set up a bit more difficult. I would recommend that they be wrapped with a bit of clear tape to keep them from getting scratched or coming off. I had a few stickers that were both. But that is an easy fix.

Now that it was set up, I was able to take a step back and look at the end result. I was pleased to see that I was not surprised. This is the type of product I have come to expect from Elite Screens. They really do make an excellent functioning as well as attractive looking product. And I could tell all of my nieces and nephews were all excited for the test run in the cul-de-sac. And as with all screens previously reviewed for elite screens, the image showed well lit, uniform, and detailed.  The contrast portrayed was just as my projector put out, with pleasantly deep colors without being overly saturated.  Not only was the image extremely detailed, there was good depth to the image as well for a 2D model projector.  Shadow detail and black levels were also good.    

Kudos to Elite Screens for continuing with their expected high quality products. The quality and features were very good, everything was very well labeled so it was easy to set up and put away and will give years of use to those looking for such a well made product. At an MSRP of $249 it has an excellent bang for your buck.  And everyone had a blast using it. It’s easy to think of Elite Screens as the Babe Ruth of their industry. If you’re looking for a high quality product with a lot of bang for your buck, Elite screens is constantly hitting it out of the park.  Based on their design, features quality and performance the Elite Screen Yard Master 100"Outdoor Screen has earned our Editors Choice Award!  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.elitescreens.com.

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