Ambient light has traditionally been one of projection’s worst enemies. Before ambient light rejecting screens, as soon as you turned on the lights, the image on the screen washed out, sometimes almost completely disappearing.
Now, not only can we fight ambient light through screen technology, we offer several ways to go about doing it.
So, which of Draper’s ALR solutions is right for you?
XH800X ALR UST
Most ambient light rejecting screen surfaces are manufactured to reflect off-axis ambient light away from the viewer and can hotspot severely with ultra-short throw projection. TecVision XH800X UST ALR breaks through that barrier and is optimized to balance ambient light rejection with the demands of ultra-short throw projection. It rejects up to 57% of off-axis ambient light and has a reasonable gain of 0.8 without sacrificing projection light or causing major hot spots. Short throw projection is an important tool in classrooms, where the lights need to be kept on for students and instructors to work together. TecVision XH800X UST ALR will dramatically increase the effectiveness of these classrooms.
XH900X ALR
When you have very wide viewing angles, TecVision XH900X ALR is the best choice. This surface provides good off-axis viewing performance. XH900X ALR is great for rooms that have more width than depth, and in situations where people are seated to the sides. While reaching half gain at 50 degrees, the brightness roll off is so gradual it isn’t noticeable. To avoid hotspotting issues, we also recommend a lens/throw distance ratio of 1.2:1 or longer.
XH900X ALR rejects 60 percent of ambient light. It works best in moderate to high ambient light conditions. Its “H” for high contrast means black retention is enhanced as well.
Use in:
- Control rooms
- Amphitheatre-style classrooms
- Wide spaces
MS1000X ALR
MS1000X ALR provides better overall performance in ambient light than XH900X ALR. Rejecting 73 percent of ambient light, this surface works well in high ambient light, but also has more moderate viewing angles than XH900X ALR. MS1000X ALR reaches half gain at 35 degrees off-axis, so we recommend using this surface where viewers will be within 45-50 degrees off-axis. To avoid hotspotting issues, we also recommend a lens/throw distance ratio of 1.4:1 or longer.
In addition to a higher ALR percentage, MX1000X has superior contrast. This designation is reserved for surfaces with remarkable contrast and resistance to ambient light, and these surfaces meet or exceed the contrast offered by any competitive viewing surface.
Use in:
- Conference rooms
- Typical classrooms
- Home theatres
- Square spaces
CS1000X ALR
CS1000X ALR rejects 82 percent of ambient light, so it will perform very well in spaces where there is high ambient light and no way to control it. This surface also provides superior contrast that meets or exceeds that of competitive viewing surfaces. CS1000X ALR’s half gain angle is 20 degrees, so we recommend using this surface where viewers will be within 30-35 degrees off-axis. To avoid hotspotting issues, we also recommend a lens/throw distance ratio of 1.6:1 or longer.
Use in:
- Conference rooms
- Classrooms
- Home theatres
- Narrow spaces
CS1200X ALR
CS1200X ALR also rejects 82 percent of ambient light, like CS1000X ALR. It also provides superior contrast and is suited for spaces where there is high ambient light and no way to control it. An 18 degree half gain angle means this surface is best in narrow spaces, but will perform well out to about 28-33 degrees off-axis. However, it has a slightly higher gain to help with projector brightness. To avoid hotspotting, we recommend a lens/throw distance ratio of: 1.7:1 or longer.
Use in:
- Conference rooms
- Classrooms
- Home theatres
- Narrow spaces
- Applications where some additional gain is needed by sacrificing off-axis performance
To learn more about our TecVision ambient light rejecting surfaces, including how to buy, click here.
