Improving Black Level

[Nathan Arizona]

I've owned the EPSON Powerlite 720p for just over a year now and for the most part have been extremely happy with this projector; however, this weekend I watched Harry Potter HBP and the limitations of the black levels became obvious. This is a very dark film, and I'm usually not so picky but it did hinder the viewing experience. Other films with a better balance of brighter and darker scenes look fantastic for the most part. I watch movies on the Theatre option and have about 500hrs on the bulb.

I project on a painted light grey screen (a formula I got on an AV forum) and have painted the wall around it a dark colour. Outside light is not a problem as I have a blackout blind on the one small window.

I'm looking for some ideas to improve the black level with my existing projector as upgrading is not an option at this time.

Would a proper projector screen improve black level or contrast and fool my eye into thinking it's darker?

Part of the problem is my dark wall around it; I can tell I'm not getting an inky black when I look over at it. Maybe this should be lighter? I also have a white stucco ceiling.

I’ve gone through all the options on the projector and no matter what option I’m on or any amount of trying to customize it, I have not been able to affect the base black level at all.

Any ideas for improving the black level are appreciated.