Rubberized canvas material is sometimes touted as an excellent projection screen material, and frequently bought by home theater enthusiasts on eBay. The real questions is whether it can compare to projector screen fabric used in commercial screens or to more common DIY projector screen materials such as seamless paper or blackout cloth.
Rubberized Canvas Material Vs. Commercial Projector Screens
First of all there is really not much comparison between rubberized canvas and the material that is used in a high quality projection screen such as a Da-Lite projection screen or Draper projector screen, typically these will be a vinyl projector screen. The image from a good commercial screen will be vastly superior, but this will dependent upon the projector used. With a high-end projector this may not be a large difference, but even then ambient lighting could have a dramatic effect on the lower gain typically associated with rubberized canvas material. Rubberized canvas typically makes a good HDTV projector screen, as these projectors will typically have a high output of lumens. If you think gain could be a problem be sure to check to see if the seller provides information on the amount of gain provided by the canvas or even try to obtain some sample material before ordering a complete set.
Rubberized Canvas Material Vs. Seamless Paper
Seamless paper is perhaps the most commonly used material in a cheap projector screen. With seamless paper you have the advantage that there will be no wrinkles in the paper. A disadvantage of canvas, and seamless paper is that they may both be unusable as rear projection screens. With canvas fabric there could be some slight wrinkles although they should leave with time, especially if the screen is tensioned. If there are any problems with the seamless paper you can simply toss it out, and with the low cost there really is not too much to worry about. Overall seamless paper does not provide the results of canvas material that is created especially for your home theater, and will need to be tensioned, it is almost definitely not going to be a portable solution. Projector screen canvas could also potentially be used in a motorized projector screen while seamless paper does not have the durability. Seamless paper has the advantage of being cheap, and readily available at photo shops.
Rubberized Canvas Material Vs. Blackout Cloth
Blackout cloth is another material used in cheap projection screens. This can be a difficult material to work with as it is typically somewhat creased, and will likely need to be tensioned, more so than rubberized canvas. Gain is actually pretty good with blackout projector screen cloth, but there is the hassle of creases and of marks on the screen. A screen made of blackout cloth will typically require more care than one made of a canvas projector cloth, it could be turned into a portable screen, but there are problems with creasing and dirtying the screen so that is not recommended. Blackout cloth is typically available from local fabric stores so it is easy to obtain.
