Projecting with room light on and window shutters half open.
Use of ALR (Ambient Light rejecting) projection material.
ALR projection surfaces are a great solution for both commercial and home theatre applications.
They allow the viewing of projected images and video in ambient light conditions with almost no reduction in colour and contrast.
But not only this, ALR screens can be a great deal larger then LCD monitors and much easier to move, positions and control, making them great for home theatre users, who can not manage these superlarge LCD's.
Plus ALR screens have a great benefit over many LCD screens since they do not have a glossy surface which reflects light and objects, allowing undisturbed viewing of presented material.
Projection screens with ALR surface are available in motorized roll-down versions and as fixed frame Panel screens and can even be supplied as portable screens, such as the Screenline NewPro or Fashion frame or ITI-EIKON range.
In addition there is also HATO projection paint, which allows the conversion of complete walls into a projection surface. HATO Black (actual more like charcoal) has great ALR properties.
So you can select the best screen for your particular room.
Do you need special projectors?
Generelly no.
Your existing projector will work well with ALR surfaces. Of course you need to consider if the projector is bright enough to compete with the ambient light level compared to the screen size.
In this case we need to measure the LUX levels in the room. If you have a smartphone, you can download a LUX meter.
Once you have the room LUX level, you need to determine the screen LUX level.
Just multiply the width and the length of the projection screen. This gives you square meter. Take the Lumen level of your projector and divide by the square meters. This gives you RAW LUX.
Now we need to look at the gain factor for the screen . So if it is 0.8, you divide the RAW amount by the gain factor.
Let say:
3500 lumen projector.
Screen 2m x 1.5m = 3 sqm
3500 : 3 = 1166 LUX
gain 0.8 = 1458 LUX
Ambient light LUX in the room I am in at the moment: 800 LUX
So my projected LUX level is higher then the ambient. I will see an image on the screen.
I deally the projected LUX level should be 2x the ambient LUX level.
You may say, that you will see an image anyway on the wall or a white surface. That is correct. But only in the light areas. The dark areas will be washed out. But the ambient light rejection of the ALR screen will ensure that you can also see details in the dark areas. Have a look at the last picture. The white screen washes fully out, while the ALR screen still shows details.
Of course, if you can keep the room a bit darker, you will get an even better image.
Do you need special projectors? No. Any projector can be used. Only the brightness is important.
Do ALR screens do 4K? Yes, but you need to ckeck if the material has any pattern which could creat moire effects.
Want to know more? Just send me a note.
