I would like to thank Grandview & ProjectorScreens.com for supplying the review sample.


With their continued gain in popularity, projectors have long moved beyond the office or school environment. Classic, short, and ultra short throw projectors have evolved into bright and silent enough solutions that give TVs a run for their money by offering ample brightness while allowing for much larger screen sizes. The Grandview Dynamique DY3 ALR screen is a so called fixed frame variant, which means it utilizes an aluminium frame the special fabric is stretched and attached to, essentially making it a huge picture frame the projected image bounces off and towards the human eye. ALR stands for "Ambient Light Rejecting," which is a specific type of fabric that directs light coming from the projector towards the user, while dispersing light from the surroundings.

Package and Parts

In the past, fixed frame screens would be delivered fully assembled in a wooden box and on pallets, which made these types of surfaces unobtainable for household use. However, more recently, brands like Grandview have managed to modularize the design so that you will receive yours in a long, sturdy cardboard box. A few large stickers display the brand, while a smaller one on the side provides the model, fabric type, and screen size. As you can see, we received the 100-inch Grandview Dynamique DY3. The DY3 surface allows for a viewing angle of up to 140° and provides a gain of 0.4. You may also opt for the DY5, which comes with the same viewing angle but a slightly higher gain of 0.6.


Within the package are several neatly arranged, smaller packages with clear labels, so rest assured your screen will arrive in perfect condition. Blue foam spacers are employed throughout to fill any voids.


Within the smallest cardboard box are all the parts you will need for assembly purposes. In addition to this, Grandview provides two pairs of white gloves, as the assembly process is a two person job. Overall, most of the small parts, like screws and springs, come with a few spare elements as well, just in case you happen to break/loose some during assembly. A very basic and tiny 2-page manual is also included. I cannot emphasize enough how important the correct assembly of screens like this is. Even the linked color manual doesn't go into all the details, like which of the screws to use exactly. I am sure a multi-page, IKEA-style manual would avoid a lot of customer support requests.


The frame parts come in two separate boxes, with the slimmer one labeled "Vertical Frame Parts." Here, you will find the two side parts of the aluminium frame neatly stacked on top of each other.


The second package clearly proclaims to hold the horizontal frame parts, as well as additional structural frame elements. It is also neatly arranged and held in place by blue foam bits.


The third package is where the magic is hidden. This box contains the ALR screen itself, which Grandview has pre-rolled unto a heavy duty PVC pipe and protected with a foam layer. Naturally, of all the parts, this is the element that is the most expensive, so one will really need to handle it with care.

Assembly Process

Before diving into the actual assembly, we acquainted ourselves with the general setup of the parts and size of the Grandview Dynamique DY3 ALR screen. Knowing it is 100" is very different than seeing a 100" screen in your living room space. Each part of the frame, of which there are six in total, comes in two parts: the inner frame and decorative outer layer. Both are made out of aluminium. It looks like an extrusion process is used to make the elaborate shapes of these. This is the same method as for things like modern window frames, for example. Grandview has pre-applied the springs you need on each side of the frame and taped them down so they don't fall out during transport. On top of that, screw plates have also been pre-installed, which you will need later on in the assembly process.


The first step revolves around actually assembling the inner frame the screen will be stretched over. The horizontal parts are held in place by two black metal plates connecting them with four screws. The same method is used for the corners, but only requires the inner plate and two screws to attach them together firmly.


Next, one has to take a deep breath and gently unroll the ALR fabric across your clean, level working surface. Odds are that will be your floor due to the sheer size, so Grandview has layered the screen with a foam sheet to ensure it won't get scratched during this part of the assembly. Once unrolled, you have to channel your inner Mr. Miyagi, put on those white gloves, and start to even out the screen, which can be achieved by classic "wax on & wax off" movements. Stickers let you know which edge of the screen has to be on the bottom and which on the top.


With the screen ready to go, you have to attach the screen to the frame. First, one has to slide in the metal rods acting as anchor points for the springs and spread the tension evenly across the fabric edge. Grandview provides tools for you to easily clip each of them in place. While I managed to do this on my own, it would have been much easier with a friend helping out. You have to be extremely precise in centering the frame on the screen, and have to connect the springs in the right order to achieve that perfectly smooth surface. Starting with the corners, you have to attach the ones at the center by the support beam and then go from left to right, attaching the same springs on the top and bottom of the fabric. It took me two tries to get the final result, but once I understood the nuances, it works out great.


Once the canvas is perfectly stretched across the frame, one has to install the black, decorative parts. These are held in place by metal bits that screw into the pre-installed screw plates of the silver, inner frame of the Grandview Dynamique DY3.


The last step centers around the parts you need to apply to hang the whole thing on your wall. Grandview includes two plates to hang off screws and two round metal bits on to which two magnetic cylinders will snap. This means you have to install four elements on your wall to hold the whole thing in place, and Grandview includes all the screws and plastic anchors to do so.

Use and Conclusion

We used a stud finder and simply sank wood screws into them. With that done, we adjusted the hanging hooks to fit the two installed screws. Due to the imperfect wall of the old building, we could even skip screwing in the magnets. Instead, we just snapped them onto the bottom frame elements, and the screen thus rested nicely on the four points we then had, floating above any wall imperfections. As you can see in the first image above, the screen surface looks dark, which is the correct way to install an ALR screen like the Dynamique DY3. This means surrounding light does not make it back to your eyes. Projecting an image onto the screen with the Wemax Nova UST 4K Laser Projector—yes, once again our favorite trailer of Top gun Maverick in 4K—is simply mind blowing. For comparison, to the left of the screen is a traditional 55" LCD TV. As I am typing this, sitting in front of the Grandview Dynamique DY3, I am continuously awed by the sheer size and image detail of the screen saver pictures the Android TV throws up at 100".

While you could get away with using a traditional projector on a white wall, short and ultra short throw projectors have two main elements that make ALR screens like the Grandview Dynamique DY3 essentially a must-have. First, most wall surfaces are neither perfectly smooth nor perfectly flat. The steep angle of projection with these types of projectors cannot handle uneven surfaces, which then end up as wobbly lines most prominent at the top edge of the projected screen. Second, even the brightest projectors have to compete with surrounding light, be it sunlight or ceiling illumination, so UST projectors can really take advantage of a surface that subjectively "eats" surrounding light (and is thus perceived as dark by the human eye) due to the fact that the entire image is coming from a very small range of angles.

The Grandview Dynamique DY3 ALR screen may be a bit tricky to assemble, but once it is up on the wall, all of that will be forgotten and you will quite literally not be able to take your eyes off it. At 0.4 gain for the DY3 or 0.6 gain for the DY5, it is at the lower end of the spectrum, which is perfect for the biggest-possible viewing angle with UST projectors, which tend to be devices that manage to easily provide 100"+ viewing experiences with high illumination. This means they do not require a screen that provides high gain, which would cut down on the viewing angle. The rule of thumb is that quality 100" fixed-frame ALR screens cost around $1000, and the Grandview Dynamique DY3 ALR Screen is no exception, coming in at $1099 with free shipping from ProjectorScreens.com.