How ambient light effects a projection screen

A lot of projection screen manufacturers give you data about their projection screens: gain, viewing angle, surface type and aspect ratio. This can trick you into focusing on these elements first. But despite their best intentions to give you relevant info, your first task is not related to the projection screen.

What you need to do before you buy a projection screen

The first task you have is to learn about ambient light. Ambient light is all the light that doesn’t come from your projector. This includes sunlight from outside, but also light from lamps in your room.  There’s also secondary ambient light, which is the light that’s reflected by white walls and shiny objects, like mirrors and metal or glass surfaces.

In a home theater environment, any light that’s not coming from your projector is unwanted. And that’s because a front projection screen can not “see” which light comes from the projector and which light comes from another source. The result: The screen will reflect everything that reaches it.  And that’s not what you want, because the ambient light will wash out the light coming from your projector.

As the effect of ambient light outweighs all the other characteristics of a projection screen, such as the gain value and the surface type, you need to control the ambient light first. Then you can start refining your home theater by selecting a screen.

Projection screen ambient light control

Now that you know what ambient light is, I’ll show you some ways to control it. Not everything will be suitable for your budget or the design of your room, but it’ll give you a great blueprint. I’ll discuss the different methods by ambient light category: sunlight, interior lights and reflected light.

1. Sunlight

The sun is incredibly powerful, so it’s the source that can have the biggest influence on your projection screen image. Especially when you watch a movie during daytime (like the weekend) or in Summer (when the days are longer), the sun is likely going to interfere with your projection screen setup.

The best ways to keep the sun out are roller shutters, which completely darken the room. They also add benefits like security and insulation to your home. But, they are not cheap. Another good option are black-out blinds. These are roller blinds that come with a special fabric that doesn’t let the sun through. They are available in manual and electric versions, so they can suit different budgets. Make sure they come with guiding rails on the sides to avoid like leakage. A third option is a heavy curtain. Regular curtains are often too thin to keep the sun out on a bright day, so you need thick fabric. Check a sample with a torch to ensure they’re as opaque as you need them to be.

2. Interior lights

It’s hard to move in a room when there are no lights, so you need to have them. There’s always a point in the movie where you want to get a drink or a snack. You don’t want to have to stumble through your room to get it. Your interior lights should be placed as far away from the screen as possible. This will minimize the potential interference with the projection, while at the same time keeping the room well-lit when needed.

Lights that can be controlled (dimmable) are preferred, as these give you the option to control light levels that match the use of the room. Control systems allow you to pre-set these, so you can get the room in home theater mode at the press of a button.

3. Reflected light

To limit the amount of reflected light, white walls and shiny surfaces are best avoided. If that’s not practical, then you might want to think about creating a home theater with a feature wall. A feature wall gives your room a natural focal point and reduces reflected ambient light at the same time.  This allows you to have the best of both worlds: a great-looking room during day-time and a well-performing home cinema when needed.

Conclusion

Before you dive into the specs of the projection screen you want to buy, make sure you have the ambient light under control. Keep in mind that ambient light can come from the outside, light sources from within your room and from reflective surfaces.

Once you have reached the limit of your control over the ambient light in your room, you will not only have created the best possible environment for your room. You’ll also have a much better understanding of what you will need from your projection screen.

If you have questions about your particular situation, let me know in the comments and you will get personal advice.

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