You have just received your brand new 4K projector, and you are ready to start watching your favorite movies. Well, not yet! First, you need to choose your projection screen. It is the goal of all home theater enthusiasts to seek out the best quality and value available to get the full potential out of your projector. However, which screen type do you prefer? In this article, we are going to discuss the most popular projection screen solutions and what may be a good fit for your home theater.

Knowing your Projector and Speaker Location is Critical Before Shopping for a Projection Screen

Projection screens are built differently depending on your configuration. For example, are you using front firing projection or rear projection? Front-firing projection configurations often have the projector mounted on the ceiling or somewhere in front of the screen, projecting the image on the front surface. Rear firing projection requires a specialized projection surface that will project the light from the back of the screen to the front. Rear firing configurations need more space but remove the noise of the projector from the audience and features a cleaner look in the room.

Next, we need to consider speaker locations. Speakers can be floor standing on either side of the screen, mounted inside the wall and alternatively, the speakers can be arranged behind the screen. Doing so features a much cleaner look and can result in a much bigger screen as a result. If that is the case, a projection screen must be selected that is acoustically transparent, allowing no “muffling” of the sound.

Ambient Light

Some decide to set up their home theater in a room with no windows and accent lighting that has an insignificant effect on the projection screen. Having a dark room dedicated to your home theater is ideal because the screens you choose are much more forgiving. However, a windowless room is a luxury some may not have. Perhaps your home theater is in your living room for example. You likely have windows letting in ambient. Alternatively, maybe you're setting up a viewing area outside so that you can watch movies or the big game in the backyard and in the pool where ambient light is plentiful.

Manufacturers such as Screen Innovations have solutions that are explicitly designed to cut out ambient light and to accentuate the projector's image. The results are outstanding!

Fixed Screen or Motorized?

Whether you are going for an epic looking custom theater room, or a discrete viewing area, there is a screen for you. Screen Innovations has a full line of fixed and motorized screens available to fit your needs. Their line of motorized screens are compatible with the major home automation systems including Control4 and Amazon Alexa. Imagine with one voice command the lights dim, the screen drops down from the ceiling, and the projector turns on and is ready for your viewing pleasure! Now that’s life!

Final Thoughts

There are many options for projection screens available to you so that you can optimize your home theater. It’s worth the investment to get the right screen for the job. We only covered some of the options though. There are ambient light bars that can project light on the wall around your screen that matches the colors in the content you are watching for a more immersive experience. Some screens can transform the surface size to adjust to the aspect ratio of your content automatically so that there is never blank space on your screen.

Need help choosing what the best solution is for you? Call your CTG rep today, and we will point you in the right direction!

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