Projection Screens

Aug 4, 2010 12:00 PM, By Mike Keadle

Da-Lite Arena Electrol

Projection screens have come a long way in the last few years. Each year, we see new materials and designs, as well as improvements on existing product. Screen manufacturers have continued to provide us solutions to keep up with the ever-progressing evolution of video. The new offerings available to us provide not only size and image variations, but also diverse design and aesthetic configurations. We can now follow a design concept to completion without worry of limitation by size, brightness, finish, or function. These latest creations allow us to realize our design potential in projection screen integration.

Available in widths larger than 39ft., Da-Lite's new Arena Electrol screen series is designed for hotel conference centers, auditoriums, and worship facilities. It is a large-scale motorized screen with a built-in balancing system and steel cable guides for a smooth and even retraction. The balancing system also ensures a flat viewing surface for optimum clarity of the projected image. The Arena Electrol series features a steel inner frame, a black case, and fixed mounting brackets. It includes a built in RF remote and a three-position wall switch. Joining Da-Lite's large-screen offerings is the new Large Advantage Electrol series of screens. The Large Advantage screen series shares characteristics of Da-Lite's Advantage lineup: a motorized bottom closure panel and a plenum suitable case. It is available in widths up to 22ft. in a tensioned format and 24ft. in a nontensioned format.

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Da-Lite's new 3D Virtual Black rear-projection screen offers superior 3D viewing by eliminating the ghosting often associated with 3D screens. It accomplishes this by maintaining 99 percent polarization purity. 3D Virtual Black screens are available in seamless sizes up to 16ft. high at any width. The material folds easily for transportation and storage. Da-Lite and Joe Kane Productions joined forces to offer the JKP Affinity series screens. This year, the companies are offering a third material in the lineup: HD Progressive 1.1. HD Progressive 1.1 gain screens are designed for applications that need a small boost in screen gain because of projector brightness or screen size. They are available in seamless heights up to 16ft.

This year, Draper is offering two new screen surfaces: Low Gain Cineflex and Uniflex White. Low Gain Cineflex is a flexible vinyl rear-projection material with a gain of 0.8 that is ideal for short throw lenses—it minimizes hotspots caused by traditional diffusion type rear-projection materials. It also offers a very wide viewing angle and a high contrast ratio. Uniflex White is a flexible screen material capable of both front and rear projection. It is well-suited for edge-blending or edge-matching applications. When used for front projection, Uniflex White offers a gain of 0.5, and a gain of 0.7 when used in rear-projection mode. Since Uniflex White material combines both front- and rear-projection capabilities, it is perfect for rental and staging houses, eliminating the cost and space of storing two separate screens.