We recently posted a white paper on finding the right projection screen for ambient light in commercial settings. That piece had its start in an article for Commercial Integrator Europe.
Not long after, we worked on a similar assignment, this time for Residential Systems Magazine—and this time featuring Amy Madden (MBA, CTS, LEED® AP), Draper’s Residential Market Manager. Once again, the project went so well that we decided the material would make en excellent white paper on the subject.
The resulting white paper—The Right Screen for Ambient Light-Residential Settings—has been released and begins below.
In the “good old days,” when a projection screen was being installed in a home it was mostly for a dedicated theater room. After all, it was called “home theater!”
In those situations, viewing surface choice was fairly simple, because ambient light was controlled and the screen was almost always being used in the dark. Put up a 1.0 gain matt white surface and you were ready to go.
But over the years the concept of home entertainment has advanced. Sure there are still plenty of dedicated home theaters, but now people are also wanting to use their screens for more. If you’re throwing a party to watch the big game, for instance, you want the lights on. In addition, there may not be room for a dedicated home theater so the screen is going in a multiple use space. Which, again, means more ambient light.
Because people have been using 1.0 gain white projection screens for so long, however, we still see them in use—even in those multi-purpose rooms with ambient light—and a room with uncontrolled light is definitely not where you want a white screen. They’re very diffusive and spread light in a very wide pattern, and they do this with both projection light and room ambient light. That means both types of light are competing at the viewer’s eyes, so the image on the screen looks “washed out” when the light is not controlled.
There are other options available to the homeowner.
To continue reading this white paper, or to download/print a PDF version, please click here.
