Sooner than later you will ask yourself the question wich screen is te best to buy for your UST projector. In this Blog I will try bring some light into this question. For an UST projector a flat screen is a must, because the picture quality will increase dramatically. In internet there are alot of different terms floating around e.g. ALR, CLR, Fresnel.
My definition of the terms:
CLR: Ceiling Light Reduction. This kind of fabric blocks the light which comes from top, from the top sides and from the sides higher than the loweredge of your screen. The surface of this fabric does have lamellos horizontal lamellas These lamellas ar white/bright from the bottom side and black/dark from the top side. This is the reasion for reflection the light just from the bottom side (where the UST projecctor is located) but not the light which comes from the top and from the sides. See photo:
ALR: Ambient Light Reduction. This kind of screen does reduce the reflection of the ambient light at all. Therefor the CLR fabrics are also part of the ALR family. But ALR screens are also so called fresnel screens. ALR is a an umbrella term for all screens which reduce "extraneous light".
Fresnel screen: Fresnel screens are screens which also beling to the family of ALR screens. Fresnel screens block/reduce also extranous light. However this screens do have a printing of a fresnel shaped lense at the fabric, which just reflects the light coming from middle bottom side, but less the surrounding light. See next picture:
Lets come the point now. Which kind of these soll called fabrics, I would call them screens, is the right one for me?
I made some photos in a direct comparison of the both fabrics at daytime and nighttime.
First of all: The vertical stripe at the middle left side is a CLR fabric. Left and right side from the stripe there is a Fresnel screen as basis.
Fotos during daytime:
Foto 1 Daytime foto with full daylight through the windows from the side and from the backside of the viewer.
Foto 2 Daytime foto with full daylight through the windows from the side and from the backside of the viewer.
Fotos duing darkness:
Foto 3 during darkness
Foto 4 during darkness
The small picture at the right bottome side is an LCD TV-screen.
Conclusion
Daytime:
The black value of the fresnel screen is noticeable better during daytime. Both fabrics are able to deliver a good picture during day, but Fresnel is better in bright surroundings. Good to be seen at the pictures, also my subjective impression confirms this.
Darkness:
Astonishingly the effect is reverse during darkness. This means that the black value of the CLR fabric is better during darkness. Good to be seen at the pictures, also my subjective impression confirms this.
My personal conclusion:
the movie in the evening is alot more important for me than the daytime news in the TV. This is the reason for me to stick at the CLR screen fabric, because this offers the best possible picture quality for my cinema evenings. The new druing daytime is also good to go with the CLR fabric. But if somebody does have the priority office environment during daytime, the fresnel fabric is good to go.
Just my 2 Cents
Michael Gradenegger (c)