How to Choose a Projection Screen

A true Home Cinema experience can only be achieved with a projection screen that brings out the best in the image delivered by the projector.

Here are some factual insights to help you understand why this component matters — and how to choose the right projection screen.
It is still too often dismissed as a mere accessory.

The Role of a Projection Screen

The obvious goal is to display the image, but beyond that, it is worth examining the technical value of a projection screen fabric.

For a projected image to be perfectly sharp, the surface reflecting the light must be perfectly smooth.
This is the fundamental role of a projection screen: to provide the smoothest possible surface so that the projected image is uniformly sharp across the entire area.

The second role is to accurately reproduce the colors of the original projected image.

For more information about our Infinity technical screen fabric, visit this page.

How and How Often You Will Use Your Projection Screen

To determine which projection screen is the right fit for your setup,
you first need to think about how you intend to use it and how frequently.

If you are lucky enough to have a dedicated room to turn into a full Home Cinema space, a fixed-frame screen is likely an excellent choice.
This type of projection screen offers a perfectly flat fabric surface, as the material is tensioned across the frame.
The downside is that a fixed-frame screen cannot be retracted and will always remain visible.

If you are transforming your living room into an occasional screening room, a motorized projection screen is likely the better choice.

Choosing a Motorized Projection Screen

A motorized projection screen is made up of three essential components that determine its overall quality.

• The screen fabric
• The motor
• The housing (casing)

The Screen Fabric

There are two types of screen fabrics used in projection screens.

Vinyl Screen Fabrics

This type of fabric is made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride, for the technically inclined — plastic, for everyone else). It has the advantage of being cost-effective to produce and works well when the screen allows the fabric to be tensioned on all four sides.
However, if the screen does not allow the fabric to be held taut — which is exactly the case with a motorized projection screen — the fabric will stretch over time.
This is how those familiar wrinkles and ripples appear, the kind you have probably noticed during a presentation in a poorly equipped meeting room.

Fiberglass Screen Fabrics

This type of fabric is made up of three distinct layers: a matte white layer for image reflection, a fiberglass weave that provides the fabric with natural structural rigidity and prevents it from stretching over time.

Finally, a black backing layer is applied to the rear of the screen fabric to make it light-opaque and prevent any light from the projector from bleeding through.
Fiberglass fabrics are therefore more expensive, as the manufacturing process is more involved and complex.
The difference in quality is, however, genuinely worth it.

Online, you will find an endless variety of screen fabric specifications from various manufacturers.
These fabrics are typically designed for specific use cases (for example, environments with particularly high levels of ambient light).

If you plan to watch films in complete darkness (lights off, no daylight), a Matte White fabric (Gain 1.0) is truly the best option.

If you intend to use the projector in an environment with significant ambient light, you have two options:
> choose a projector with higher brightness than most standard models
> or opt for a projection screen equipped with an ambient light-rejecting screen fabric.

And to go further, watch our video filmed at Stéphane's home.

Ready to take the next step? Read our complete guide on designing your a dedicated private cinema room with AV Concept Products.