Electric Projector Screens

What are Electric Projector Screens?

Electric Projector screens are screens that work on a motor, which makes the screen rolling and unrolling possible with the touch of a button. They are more comfortable than pull down screens which require manual pull down. An electric screen also saves space. It can be easily rolled back into its casing when not required or in use. The freed space can then be better utilized. Since all this happens at the press of a button, it turns out to be a great product in homes where space is sometimes limited.
Projector screens are available with a variety of options, from screen material to ratio and size, to help optimize your projector image quality. When deciding on a screen, it's important to consider some important factors, like the projector you'll be using, or how much ambient light enters the room. When deciding on a screen size, many projectors have recommendations for the image size that they can project from a given distance without losing image quality. Ambient light is another factor that can affect image quality; choosing the correct screen material is one way to offset this deficiency.
There are 2 important technicalities to consider when buying a projector screen. They are: Projector Gain and Viewing Angle. Electric Projector screens should have a high viewing angle, typically 120 degrees or greater and a gain around 1-1.5. The screen should also provide a mechanism to hold the unfolded fabric in flat and sturdy conditions so that the images don’t become distorted.

How to Choose an Electric Screen:

Electric screens are all about the WOW factor. What better way to impress your friends or co-workers than to sit down in your home theater or business and watch your huge projection screen descend from the ceiling with the touch of a button.
Another reason to go for electric rather than manual pull down is convenience. Many businesses are incorporating electric screens into their offices to modernize their services with video clips and other multi-media presentations. Often times these screens are mounted up on high ceilings. A motorized screen is the only way to pull these screens up and down.
Electric projection screens are more expensive, but once installed can be operated from the comfort of your chair or podium at the touch of a button or remote control. Many electric screens must be hard-wired but more manufacturers are developing plug-and-play versions now for those who don’t want to hard-wire their screen. Electric screens can be mounted externally to the ceiling with brackets or can be flush-mounted with recessed cases to hide the screen within the ceiling surface. For the best viewing surface, tensioned screens are great for keeping the screen material flat and wrinkle-free.

The decisions you will need to make are:
• Wall or Ceiling Mounted or Ceiling Recessed
• Tensioned or Non-Tensioned
• Hard-wired or Plug-and-Play
• Remote Control Options or Wired 3-position switch
• Optional 12 Volt Trigger or Video Projector Interface

Consider these options before you make your screen selection. Choosing the right electric screen will make a big difference in the appearance of your viewing area and the quality of the image.
Types of Screens

Choosing the proper mounting option is the first process you should consider when buying a projector screen for your home theater or business. There are three types of mounting options: Manual, Fixed Frame, and Electric projector screens.

1. Manual Projector Screens - Most economical choice, requires the screen to be manually pulled to display the viewing surface.
2. Fixed Frame Projector Screens - Fixed frame projector screens are highly recommended for dedicated home theater rooms. A fixed frame projector screen is permanently tensioned and gives a flat viewing surface installed in a fixed location.
3. Electric Projector Screens - Most elegant and expensive style of screen. Can be used with an infrared remote control to raise and lower the screen. A custom casing can conceal the projector screen.
   

Other Projector Screen Considerations - Other features to consider when buying a screen are designer casing, tab tension, adjustable masking borders, and more.
Selecting a Surface

There are a few basic criteria that you have to consider to arrive at the right projector screen surface. This is necessary as different projection screen fabrics are designed to handle each of these basic criteria in a somewhat different manner. The most important things to evaluate when selecting a screen fabric are gain and viewing angle. There is a lot to know about gain and viewing angle and how they affect each other (as gain increases viewing angle usually decreases). Hence, a thorough understanding of these criteria is essential prior to making your choice of a projector screen fabric - this is the only way to ensure that your choice will help you make the most out of the available equipment within the constraints of your environment.

Characteristics of a Projector Screen

• Screen Gain - A relative measure of a screen's reflectivity. A higher screen gain will increase the screens brightness, which in turn makes the white areas of an image appear brighter.
• Screen Size – The size of the room and the setting should be taken into consideration when determining what size screen to buy. You want to buy a screen that is appropriate for your application and won't overwhelm your audience. Another important factor is the capabilities of your projector. Projectors are limited to the size of image that they can display without losing quality. Ideally, the screen size should occupy at least a minimum of a 30 degree field of view for the audience. It is recommended to use a screen height that is approximately one third the distance from the screen to the audience seating.
• Screen Material - Choosing the correct screen material is essential for displaying the optimum picture quality. Factors that must be considered are seating configuration, projector model and types as well as ambient light. Screen Material is made in a variety of shades and textures to accommodate the output qualities for all of the various DLP and LCD projectors on the market today. Every projector screen manufacturer offers different screen materials.

Choosing a screen size

Screens are sized in a few standard formats: square, video format and HDTV. These are some of the most popular format.

Square: Square size screens have a width to height ratio that is generally 1:1, with some variation. Square screens are usually used for data presentations and overhead projectors.

Video: Video format screens have a width to height ratio of 4:3.The 4:3 ratio for standard television has been in use since the invention of television and many computer monitors use the same aspect ratio. Video Format screens are the best option if you'll be switching equally between full screen and widescreen viewing.

HDTV: HDTV screens have a width to height ratio of 16:9. HDTV screens are the optimal format for home theater, offering the best fit for widescreen viewing and are the international standard format of HDTV. Wider options include Letterbox and Widescreen.