Key Material Decision Factors
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Quick Reference
1. Lighting Considerations
- Ambient light is any light that exists in your viewing environment. It may be indoor lighting or street lights, etc. If you have a dark room where the lights can be turned off we call this controlled light versus dealing with a street lamp, for example, which you may not have control over. An example of a dark viewing environment is a movie theater, low light might be a small light coming from the next room and high ambient light would be any light in the same room as your screen.
- Unfortunately, none of our materials are meant for full sunlight.
- Generally speaking, the darker you can get your viewing environment the better the results. We recommend using white projector screen materials for dark environments & gray projector screen materials for environments with low ambient light concerns. You will not need gray if you have a dark viewing environment. Gray only provides additional contrast if you have ambient light concerns.
- If you wish to begin the movie at dusk/sunset and your only ambient light concern is 20 minutes of viewing time at dusk, go with white. If you will experience ambient light throughout the entire movie, even after the sun goes down, go with gray.
- Always choose the material that will be best for the majority of your viewing.
2. Screen Mounting
- When a screen is pulled tight (or bungeed) evenly all the way around the screen we call this tensioned (like an artist canvas or trampoline). Tensioning provides a flat screen for even light distribution and reduces image waving on the surface. Securing tension-mounted fabrics at the top and bottom, just the sides or only in the corners will not provide a flat surface for even light distribution.
- If you want to wrap material over your frame, be sure to select a tension-mounted material. You may also need to order extra material to cover the thickness of your frame.
- Our thicker, stiffer, non-tension materials cannot be stretched and work best when simply held flat. Non-tension materials are usually stapled directly onto the wall. Do not fold or wrap these stiff screen materials. These materials also work well rolled. These products are available in raw material only.
- Compare Front Projection Materials:
- Compare Dark Viewing Environment Options
- Compare Options for Environments with Lighting Concerns
- Compare Rear Projection Materials:
- Rear Projection Options
3. HD Screen Materials
- All of our projector screen materials are compatible for HD projection, though your projector, of course, will need to be capable of projecting a native HD resolution. That said, materials with little to no texture can provide the sharpest possible picture for your high-definition and 4K projected images.
4. 3D Screen Materials
- There are two types of 3D; Active 3D (most common) and Passive 3D (2 projectors).
- Ambient Light Rejecting material is a specialized product for everyday usage, HD & 4K in a brightly lit environment. It also works for both active 3D and with (2) passive 3D projectors when ambient light is controlled.
- FlexiWhite and UltraWhite work great for everyday usage, 4K, HD &/or Active 3D in a dark viewing environment.
- SilverScreen and ProSilver are specialized products for passive 3D movie viewing and are the best solution for the purpose of passive 3D. They are highly reflective and not necessarily meant for everyday usage - although we have had some people use it that way - it is not our recommendation. Everyday, Non-passive 3D SilverScreen and ProSilver users may experience hotspots when paired with a bright projector.
- Our other materials are not recommended for 3D usage.
