Edge Free Fixed Frame Series

I am very pleased with the final result of the 125-inch fixed frame series AKIA screen. I was able to fully assemble the screen alone. I originally was concerned that the screen material would not stretch over the frame, and was certain that I was sent the wrong size screen. I contacted customer support by phone and was given encouragement that convinced me to continue. I reviewed several videos on assembly of these type of screens that use springs and slowly but surely was able to complete the process. My setup may be different than most. I basically did a ceiling mount (Actually floated from L brackets), so the frame is about 8 inches from my wall. This was needed as I had 2 windows behind my wall that would limit the size of the screen. Previously I had a 82 inch custom build projection screen that fit between the 2 windows on the wall. I always wanted to go much bigger on the screen but originally felt that would not be possible. Here is what I finally did: I added 6 L-brackets to the top of my wall. Four of the brackets would be to support the screen using the supplied Wall Brackets. (The directions tell you to use 2 of the brackets for the top and 2 of the brackets for the bottom. I changed this and placed all 4 of the wall brackets on the top. I purchased a large curtain rod from Amazon that was adjustable from 120 to 170 inches. This Rod was simply supported on the top of the 6 L-Brackets. I also purchased 8 Theater Grade Extreme 100% Blackout Grommet Curtain Panels, 52” x 95”. 6 of the panels were black and for the ends, I used 2 red panels. This took care of blacking out the background from the 2 windows, and I was now able to have full light control in the room. I was able to make 4 custom metal bracket adapters that I painted flat black, which allowed me to mount the screen to the L-Bracket and wall mounting brackets to float the screen. Wire or other mounting options would have worked here as well. The screen had a tendency to angle in toward the wall slightly. For this reason, I placed 2 additional L-Brackets at the bottom of the screen hitting the Frame so that the screen was now perfectly vertical. The curtain panels completely hide all brackets and the screen has a nice floating look. I am considering adding 2 4x4 blocks cut to size from floor to the bottom of the screen to relieve any pressure on the bottom of the screen. In all honesty, I am not sure this is even needed as the frame this screen is supported on is very heavy duty, and I doubt any sagging would occur over time. Overall, I am very happy with how this has turned out and I believe the screen is of exceptional quality and a very good product. The only issues I had are as follows: Tension Rods: Horizontal rods, were fine with proper overlap. The 2 Vertical rods were too short. The rod length just matched the length of the outside holes of the fabric. This result on one of the sides tearing through the mounting hole. I ended up having to purchase 2 brass rods of the same diameter to get some overlap for the springs to attach to the frame. While nowhere in the manual is this mentioned, I found it much easier to mount the screens with the spring oriented in a certain direction. One end of the spring seems to make a perfect half circle (Better for tension rod), and the other end, is less angled, and that end seems to more easily mount to the metal frame. Also, I found that in many cases it was easier to first start the spring by attaching it to the frame, and then pull it over through the tension rod hole. The supplied Allen wrench was not of the greatest quality. It was starting to strip as I was tightening the screws. I switched to a much higher quality Allen wrench I had, which greatly improved my ability to tighten down all screws without slippage or striping. Overall, I am very pleased with the result. It is a bit of work, and my fingers are still a bit numb from stretching the springs into position, but the supplied tool does get the job done.

I bought this screen as I moved to a new apartment and had to set up my projector in essentially the brightest room imaginable without much ability for light control. My previous screen was a Silver Ticket 100" Grey screen and I am using a Xiaomi UST laser projector for reference. Akia is the same build and material as an Elite screens but at a better price point on amazon. The silver ticket screen is great for its price point but this screen is a significant improvement. The main thing to keep in mind is that the CLR3 material will not magically reduce wash-out in a nonlight controlled room. In the daytime the screen is very washed out which is annoying but a realistic expectation when using a projectors in a typical living room. The material does not do much to block out horizontal light from the windows. The screen really shines, however, n medium to low light situations. The contrast, blacks, brightness, and reduced glare blow away the silver ticket screen. The living room lamp no longer blows out the blacks as before. The screen material almost completely eliminates bounced light to the ceiling which is a major contributor to maintaining the image contrast. It also makes this screen appear more like a huge TV than a typical screen with light scattering everywhere. The viewing angle is excellent. Packaging was done well. The materials are well organized and the metal is smooth without sharp edges. Set up is not difficult but boring and time consuming. Two people are recommended but I did it solo without much difficulty. The screen is not heavy but I would recommend having another person assist you in hanging it up as it is very large and awkward to hold. In terms of mounting the screen the instructions and videos on Akia's site are not useful. If you have not mounted a projector screen before I would strongly suggest you take your time to plan it out. You have limited ability to manipulate the image position/size on a UST than on a standard projector. A couple of laser levels, painters tape to mark off borders, measuring tape, ruler, and a level were all necessary for me to get the perfect location on the first try. If you mess up the brackets can be positioned slightly higher or lower and the screen can slide horizontally. I used the included drywall anchors which were fine.