August 11, 2009
Some off-the-wall ideas for you to improve your projected presentations. All too often, I’ll walk into a conference or meeting room and be forced into watching a presentation that is being projected on a white wall. Now, it’s generally not polite to harp about image quality to someone just trying to do their job given the resources available, but for a little bit of added cost, you can easily perfect your image. Except for rear projection or active display technology, it is probably safe to assume that having a nice, properly sized, electrically operated front projection screen is an ideal situation. For a 16-person conference room, you are usually looking at about a 100-inch diagonal image. As a rule of thumb, I typically assume that a motorized projection screen in that size range usually costs about $3,500 installed. To maximize your $3,500 investment and “perfect your image,” you will want to consider the following things when selecting the right projection screen. What type of electric screen do I want?
There are several major manufacturers of motorized projection screens, like Da-Lite, Draper, and Stewart Filmscreen. All of these vendors make screens that basically consist of a case, trap doors, a roller, and a screen. There are however differences from model to model with regard to how the screen conceals itself in the ceiling. You should take a good look at how your ceilings are constructed, or talk to your architect about what they would prefer before selecting a screen. Usually, the better concealed a screen is, the more favor it receives with architects. However, if mounting your screen in the ceiling is not possible, there are motorized screens that are designed to mount directly to a wall. There are even screens that are designed to ascend up from a floor. What type of projection screen surface do I use?
Eleven years and over 280 projects ago, I felt lucky to have a projector that was capable of producing 800 lumens. With such low light levels, many manufacturers worked very hard to develop screen materials that actually improved contrast by reflecting more light back. This phenomenon is known as screen gain. Some manufacturers are able to produce screens with a gain of 2.8 times the incident light, which is a lifesaver when dealing with such low-powered projectors. There is however, a definite drawback when using high gain screens. Higher gain screens generally have narrower viewing angles. With today’s projection technology, if you have more then 3,000 lumens, you don’t need to rely on high gain screens, but it does make sense to consider a material that is durable and easily washable.
What are those stringy things on the sides of projection screens that I sometimes see?
Most manufacturers make what is called “tab tensioned” screens. They are designed to apply an even amount of tension on the projection surface to keep it perfectly flat. The theory being that, if a screen has indentions in it, the focus in certain areas would be out. Personally, I think it’s a little extreme for the big sales PowerPoint presentation, but there are a lot of people out there that swear by this simple technology. So, are they necessary? Not really unless you have a very critical viewing scenario. What options should I get with my screen?
There are usually several options you can select when ordering a screen. Some of the more popular ones are an up/down/stop switch, extra black drop, and a low voltage controller. The low voltage controller allows you to interface your motorized screen with a third-party control system from vendors like AMX, Extron, or Crestron. Extra black drop is also a good idea if you have a high ceiling and you want your screen to come down to a good height above the finished floor. Most screens come with 24 inches of extra black drop from the factory, but it is cheap to add extra drop, so its always a good idea to get an additional 24 to 36 inches just to make sure your screen is positioned where it should be. Lastly, the up/down/stop switch is very handy to have in case your control system is on the fritz and you want to manually get your screen down. That way, as a worst-case scenario, you can set up a portable projector and still use your projection screen. We just can’t afford $3,500 for a projection screen. What else can we do?
If you can’t afford the cost of a good motorized projection screen, then you can always use a manual screen. By the time they are installed, they usually end up costing less then $1,000, and they’ve come a long way since the days when we were in elementary school. Most of them have multiple surface options, extra drop options, and even devices that simplify and control the screen return rate. OK, we still can’t afford a screen. What else can we do?
If you just can’t afford any sort of retractable screen, there are paintable options from companies like Goo Systems, Paint On Screen, and Screen Paint Supply. While you can’t expect the viewing quality of a professional screen surface, they have a number of lower cost options that are still better than projecting onto a regular latex-painted wall. Can we just project onto our whiteboard?
You can, however, since they are usually quite reflective it’s not a good idea. What usually happens is that the lamp for the projector will put a glare in the image when it’s being viewed from any angle. It generally leads to audience fatigue and headaches. There are however a few companies that make markable projection screens such as Smart Technologies, and Wall Walkers. Although projectors are cheaper and cheaper every year, you will want to project onto a surface that maximizes the quality of your investment. Joey D’Angelo is a principal consultant with Charles M. Salter Associates in San Francisco, CA, and specializes in AV/telecommunication systems. He can be reached at joseph.dangelo@ cmsalter.com.
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