Archives October 2024

As the role of projectors in daily life becomes increasingly prominent.more and more families are abandoning TVs and choosing projectors. However, a question that follows is whether a projector needs to buy a screen? What kind of screen should be bought? Many people think that buying a cheap screen may not be good and is not suitable for the projector.Too expensive screens are unnecessary, so they can only choose to use white walls as projection backgrounds. So, how should the right projector screen be selected? Let’s take a look at it together.

Screen properties

1. Anti-light properties

Resisting the influence of stray light on the picture is generally related to the texture of the screen surface and the depth of the screen color. The darker the color, the stronger the light resistance.

However, while the anti-light screen resists ambient light. it will also reduce the brightness of the projector projection, making the overall picture darker. Therefore, a screen with strong light resistance must be matched with a projection with high ANSI lumen.

Like the screen below, the left side is a white soft screen, and the right side is an anti-light screen. When the window is closed during the day,the anti-light screen is obviously darker, and the soft white screen is colorful.

However, the advantage of high contrast of anti-glare screen can be demonstrated when the window is open during the day.

2. Gain attribute

The screen gain can increase the brightness of the projector projected onto the screen. The higher the gain, the higher the brightness of the projector on the screen;

For example: if a projector with only 800 lumens is projected onto a screen with a gain of 2.0, the final brightness will be 1600 lumens; if it is projected onto a screen with a gain of 1.0, the final brightness will still be 800 lumens.

Most of the screens currently on the market have a gain range of 0.9-2.0.

Like the anti-glare attribute, the higher the gain, the better. If the gain is too high, the white balance of the picture will be out of balance. The reflection will be excessive. As a result, the color details will be lost. Especially for high-end audiophile projectors, the brightness is often not very high, but the contrast is much higher. If you choose an inappropriate high-gain screen, the original black level performance of the projector will be lost, and the original high contrast of the projector will not be reflected;

3. Viewing angle

Screens of different materials have different light resistance and gain, which will also affect the viewing angle of the picture;

Screen characteristics
Currently, the most mainstream screens are fiberglass and soft white screens. They are reasonably priced and have excellent gain effects. These screens can cover the needs of 80% of users.

In contrast, matte white screens are too cheap and not suitable for home use. They are generally used in small conference rooms. If used at home, unless there is no white wall, it can replace the white wall, or the projector is too cheap and it is not worth investing more budget to buy screens, then you can also choose white plastic screens;

In addition, there are anti-light screens that meet anti-light requirements. There are acoustic screen that can better transmit sound. There are also metal screens with unique characteristics. Because of the different materials used, the price difference is large. However, in the field of screens, not the more expensive the price, the better the screen. You must remember that when buying a screen, don’t buy expensive or cheap, just buy the right one. The right price is one aspect. What’s important is to match it with the projector and the projection environment. (Read on, I believe you will feel the same way) Based on this, let’s take a look at the screens of various materials:

1. matte white

PVC is used as the cloth base. The middle interlayer is made of chemical fiber synthesis. The white plastic in the figure also adds a high-definition layer. Matte white is softer and cheaper than the fiberglass below.

2. Fiberglass fabric

A more mainstream curtain features PVC material. The bottom layer uses glass fiber weaving. Finally, it’s coated with special PVC material. Compared with matte white fabric, fiberglass is smoother and not easy to curl. The final effect is significantly higher than white wall, and the gain and contrast are improved.

Compared with soft white fabric, the upper limit of fiberglass curtain is lower. The highest-end fiberglass is not as good as soft white. Therefore, more dark audio-visual rooms choose soft white.

3. Soft white fabric

There are other names like: PVC,nano PVC fabric, etc., all the same.

Made of PVC material, the gain is generally around 1.1, the viewing angle can reach 160°, and the price is not expensive. It is currently the most mainstream screen;

Thanks to the extraordinary maturity of the PVC (polyvinyl chloride) industry, not only can very high-end screens be made, but also very cheap screens can be made, with high upper and lower limits, so the user audience is very wide, and high-end, medium-end and low-end users can buy it;

The basis for distinguishing the high-end of soft white screens is: the fineness of the screen surface is different. The finer the screen, the higher the picture resolution can be.

Although they are both soft white screens, the fineness of the screen surface is completely different. The price must also be very different.

4. Ambient light rejecting screen fabric

The common ambient light rejecting screen fabric is a crystal coating on the screen surface. It relies on its dark or gray color. The special paint coating absorbs the ambient light. This type of ARL screen fabric does not mean that the picture looks particularly bright in a very strong light environment. The main function of the ARL screen is to increase the contrast of the picture. This reduces the influence of ambient light. Compared with the non-anti-glare screen, the anti-glare screen is brighter. If you only look at the brightness, the anti-glare screen’s gain is lower than the soft white screen. It is generally a few tenths.

The ambient light rejecting screen is obviously darker when the window is closed during the day. Its color reproduction and brightness are not as good as the soft white screen. When the window is open, the soft white screen is obviously white when it is illuminated (the gain itself is high, and it will be whiter when it is illuminated. If the gain is high, the reflection will basically become white. What can you see? What color can you say? It is easy to understand this way.) The ambient light rejecting screen is different. It absorbs part of the ambient light, so the contrast and black level effects are better. Therefore, the gain of the anti-glare screen is generally <1, and the purpose is to absorb ambient light.

As we mentioned earlier, the quality of the screen’s light resistance is mainly determined by two aspects, one is that the screen has a specific texture, and the other is the depth of the surface color, which can be reflected in the following two types of ambient light rejecting screens:

they achieve light resistance through physical means, and the more typical ones are black grid screens and Fresnel screens:

Black grid screen (soft or hard)

The screen cross-section is serrated (see the figure below). It is designed as a black and white prism. The top is black to absorb ambient light and act as a light-resistant. You can look down at the screen and see that the screen is completely black. The bottom is white, which is mainly used to reflect the light of the projector. You can also look up at the screen and see that the screen will turn completely white.

The structure of the black grid screen can absorb the interfering light above. It plays a good light-resistant effect. The ability to resist ambient light can reach 93%. This type of horizontal anti-light structure has little effect on the visual angle. The maximum viewing angle of the black grid screen can reach 160°.

Fresnel hard screen

The Fresnel screen’s structure features a semicircular fan-shaped spiral. It ranges from large to small across the entire screen surface. This structure is only sensitive to the projection light below the center of the circle. It only reflects the light emitted from the projector position. When installing the projector, align the lens with the center of the circle. This alignment can gather the light within a certain range. It increases the brightness.

This structural problem makes the Fresnel screen only usable as a hard screen. In contrast, the black grid screen can be a soft screen or laminated into a hard screen. The black grid is more convenient in transportation.

The above two types of screens are mainly used for ultra-short-throw projection or laser TV. They are both relatively expensive, and Fresnel is more expensive. The characteristics of the two screens are also different:

Anti-light effect: Fresnel> black grid;

Viewing angle: black grid> Fresnel;

Fresnel screen cannot be folded and stored, black grid screen can be hard or soft, and can be made into a retractable screen;

Anti-light screen for medium and long-focus projectors:

The medium and long-focus anti-light screen achieves light absorption effect by coating the surface with a special coating;

This special coating achieves the anti-light effect of the medium and long-focus screen. It works based on the projector light and ambient light waves. Based on the principle of different lengths, it absorbs the light that meets the wavelength requirements of the ambient light, and reflects the light that meets the wavelength requirements of the projector light, completing the effect of absorbing the ambient light and reflecting the projector light, thus achieving the anti-light effect;

Finally, it is not difficult to find that no matter whether it is Fresnel, black grid anti-light screen or various medium and long focus screens, as long as it is an anti-light screen, the color of the screen is basically gray, dark gray, or even completely black. Its purpose is also to improve the contrast of the picture and make the black position effect of the picture better.

In fact, the principle is also easy to understand. The darker the screen, the more light it absorbs, and the better the black level and contrast. However, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. It will definitely absorb some of the light from the projector, so try to use a dark-colored screen with a high-brightness projector;

5. Silver screen

The principle of the silver screen (metal screen) is somewhat similar to the glass beaded screen. Both achieve high gain effects by gathering light to the middle, generally between 2.0 and 3.0, but the viewing angle is relatively small, and the 3D effect is better. It is generally used in theaters;

6.Acoustic screen

The biggest feature of this type of screen is that the screen has holes. For example, users who build a home theater often choose to put the speakers behind the screen in order to have a better sound field experience, so the screen with holes can better transmit sound. This type of screen is generally woven from high-density special imaging fibers, and the holes are also divided into woven holes and laser punched holes, each with its own characteristics.

7.Glass bead fabric

A kind of fabric that is almost out of use. The bottom layer is woven with textile threads and the surface is coated with glass beads. Because glass beads can reflect light (think of light shining on diamonds, sparkling, the same principle), the most notable feature is that the gain is very high and the cost is relatively low. It is generally only suitable for projections with very low lumens to meet the minimum requirement of being able to see clearly. As mentioned earlier, medium-priced projections generally do not require too high a gain. Too high a gain will only be counterproductive, and the final effect may not be as good as a white wall. It also has the disadvantages of being environmentally friendly, short life, and difficult to maintain, so it is basically out of use.

Screen size

Projector screen has too many different sizes,like 72″,84″,100″,120″,150″ etc.,you should choose a right projector screen size depended on the room and Viewing distance.

Screen format

Usually common screen format is 1:1,4:3,16:9,16:10 and 2.35:1,choose a right projector screen needs choose a right format,

1. 1:1 and 4:3 projection screen
   4:3 projection screen is the most common ratio, suitable for PPT presentations, education and training, business meetings and other occasions. Its aspect ratio is 1.33:1, which is also very suitable for some old projectors. But for the current home theater, if you choose a 4:3 ratio screen, there will be a certain black edge. If it is an HD picture, since the 4:3 ratio cannot be fully adapted, the picture will be compressed or stretched and lose its original clarity. Therefore, if you are using a projection screen to watch HD movies at home, it is not recommended to choose a 4:3 screen.
2. 16:9 projection screen
   16:9 projection screen is considered to be a high-definition ratio with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. It is suitable for playing HD movies, live sports, games and other occasions. The 16:9 ratio screen is wider and clearer, allowing viewers to enjoy the visual effects better. For home theater enthusiasts, a 16:9 ratio screen is the best choice.
3. 16:10 projection screen
   The 16:10 projection screen is a choice for business people and office workers. Its aspect ratio is 1.6:1, which is wider than 4:3 and taller than 16:9. This ratio of screen is suitable for displaying the company’s annual speech, business data and other information. Since the 16:10 ratio is more suitable for displaying documents and charts, it is more common in business occasions.
4. 2.35:1 projection screen
   The 2.35:1 projection screen is also called a wide screen, which is suitable for displaying widescreen movies. Its aspect ratio is 2.35:1 or wider. This ratio of screen will present a larger picture, allowing the audience to better immerse in the world of movies.

Summary
From the above content, it can be found that different types of screes have different effects. Therefore, when purchasing, you should choose a right projector screen the one that suits you. Don’t choose the screen blindly, otherwise it will not bring the best effect.

For more information,you can contact with us:

www.cynthiascreen.com

www.cynthiacn.com

info@cynthiacn.com