A question often asked is 'how black is Fidelio velvet?' I have setup this page with original images (only resized in paint as the originals are too large in size) from a fairly quick photo session I did on the 20th April. I took around 90 photos comparing the Fidelio to other flockings used in the industry by other reputable screen companies. I also managed to capture the black level of the Rosco black velvet scenic paint which are the first 3 shots below.

Notes: All photos were taken with the flash on using a Canon EOS450D Digital SLR camera. They were taken outside but not under direct sunlight. I played around with manual and auto settings a little but did not note what photo used what setting as there were over 90 photos in all and it took a little time to capture the black levels correctly. In all photos you will clearly see Fidelio velvet is still the blackest material out the samples I had on hand.

The smallest swatch is a sample of a Warwick fabric from the soft furnishings industry. I will order some more Warwick samples later and do some more testing. (I am trying to source an acoustically transparent material blacker than the GOM fabric) Will also test all these again under the projectors light, however it will make little difference, Fidelio is still blacker and soaks up any overscan more effectively than all the others.

To get that defined edge to your projected image, the blacker the surround the better. You will notice the edge of a projected image is quite blurred and not well defined. You should not want any gap between the edge of the image and the frame so some of that soft edge will and should be pushed onto the frame creating a perfectly formatted and crisp edge. The idea that the screen should not be seen when in use is what you should be trying to achieve.

A floating image with no visible screen textures or frame reflections is one of the keys to an enjoyable Home Theatre.

It's quite simple to do using a white field and or some TV shows and DVD's, a little patience testing and zooming during your initial setup will give you the desired result. There is no point in having all this high end gear and not aligning everything properly, creating a 'weak link in the chain' so to speak.

What is Velvet?

What is Flocking?

For those who want to order this paint, here are his details. It's $90 for a gallon which is 3.78 litres.

It is called Supersaturated Roscopaint and the colour is Black Velvet #6003.
Adam P. Smith
Rosco Australia Pty Limited
42 Sawyer Lane, Artarmon NSW 2064
+61 (0) 2 9906-6262

Below are the 9 best images that best captured the true black levels of these materials.

	Fidelio and Rosco paint. When the Rosco paint is wet it's quite black but wet means glossy. It dries a very matte dark grey colour by comparison. My demo room is painted with Rosco black velvet paint. It is extremely matte in finish which should be a great non reflective surface.
	As it starts to dry it becomes quite light in colour but very matte. Sitting it next to the Fidelio is an unfair comparison to be honest but I just wanted to show what the finish looks like. This sample was 2 coats at a 1:2 mix.
	Taken from another angle and drying a little more. Note how matte it looks.
	Far left are some competitors screen frame flockings. Top middle is the original Majestic flocking before Fidelio came onto the scene. Far right is the Warwick fabric. Flocking is not velvet, more of an imitation velvet that nomrally uses synthetic fibres that are negatively charged under high voltage causing the fibres to stand upright and adhere to the base material which has a glue on it. What is flocking? This is probably one of the more true to life shots I managed to capture.
	Same photo from above under a different camera setting. From memory this was a portrait setting..?
	Fidelio top right and front under the Warwick and original flocking we once used. Top left competitors flockings. The white speckle you can see under the Fidelio at the bottom of the image is the white paper backing. The Fidelio has a very fine fibre and would normally have a slight openess factor. Top right is some Fidelio without the paper backing. Paper backing is on the rolls we order to apply to the Majestic screen frames. Peel off paper backing with glue.
	Same from above but take from the left hand side. The Warwick fabric went from light grey to dark grey by simply turning it around, or in this case, moving the camera from the left side to right side. See above, it appears blacker from the right side. These types of fabrics could be used on ceilings and walls if you turned it the right way to get the darkest shade. Though I do not believe this sample would have the openess factor required to be used as an acoustic fabric to attach to owens cornings and ultratel type sheets.
	Same samples again with a slight camera setting change. Fidelio is still blacker than anything I've seen. As you will note, it makes all other samples look grey by comparison. I would like to get a sample from NASA of their new 'nano tech' produced black material that they plan to line the inside of the kepler telescope with... though I don't like my chances.. Does anyone have their email? : )
	Same as above with slight angle change. Fidelio velvet is still blacker by a good margin against all these samples.