ESSENTIAL PROJECTORS AND SCREENS
Short-throw projectors and high-performance screens are a powerful combo (image courtesy of Sim2 and Pulse Cinemas)
SCREEN TEST Jan Walter, global business development manager at AV Stumpfl, says screens are definitely here to stay. Only a few years ago, it was not uncommon to find AV technology pundits who were convinced that projection screens would soon disappear altogether, or at the very least be reduced to a bleak niche existence. One of the major reasons for these kinds of predictions was and is, of course, the seemingly unstoppable rise of LED display screens in multiple markets. Whilst it is undoubtedly true that LED screens did and do represent a great choice for a variety of setups, (especially since the competition between a multitude of manufacturers is so fierce) their rise in popularity did not result in the doom and gloom scenario that some predicted for projection screens. The bottom line is, that the general category of professional projection screens did not die, but that most manufacturers successfully adapted to the changing landscape instead. The first line of defence for screen manufacturers is without a doubt projector manufacturers, who introduced a great number of innovative and powerful new products in recent years. With brightness being one of the key killer arguments when comparing LED displays to projected images, it is unsurprising that on the whole there have never been so many great projectors to choose from, that are both as bright
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and as compact as never before. The latest generation of ultra-short throw projectors in particular are convincing many AV tech buyers to take another look at the traditional combination of projectors and projection screens for a variety of scenarios. It is not the case however, that screen manufacturers simply waited for the usual suspects of the projector manufacturing world to come to their rescue. The ability to offer more and more custom produced screen systems in a variety of shapes and sizes, combined with new screen surface materials, are opening up exciting new possibilities. One such trend is the wider introduction of screen systems that feature ambient light rejection surfaces, or ALR for short. In an ideal world, you can easily control the lighting situation in your company‘s conference room, your living room or your beautiful home cinema. Dealing with the effect of ambient light sources can however be a little bit tricky sometimes, if you can’t control all of the incoming light. To help customers enjoy the best image quality possible, products like the AV Stumpfl Decoframe Ambiance systems employ advanced surface material technology that usually features a grid structure, which leads
to the projector‘s light being less impacted by ambient light sources and results in a visually stunning projector performance. High quality projection screen frames can be used for decades, which makes them an attractive choice in terms of sustainability, a topic of growing importance. There is also evidence that classical projectors may cause less eyestrain than other display technologies. It is of course true that projectors do produce ‘blue light’ as well, but instead of having to look directly at a light source, a projector’s light reaches the human eye indirectly. When it comes to fixed installations, with ease most projection screen systems can be hidden from sight, either due to a products’ modular design or the use of ceiling casings, make them particularly attractive choices. In live event settings, projection screens continue to be popular due to the fast build-up time and relatively easy logistics involved. The great speed with which screen surfaces can be changed and/or existing screen system frames can be adapted or replaced to fit different size requirements are additional reasons that this technology will continue to be relevant in different parts of the AV world for years to come.
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