Archive for the ‘Advertising’ Category
Mrlee asked:
They are mostly two new technologies that can grant for this font of TV. One is the LCD, known as the liquid gemstone ceremony, technology. The other one is the plasma technology.
The most successful and unfailing TV technology that is the CRT technology also known as Cathode Ray Tube has been eclipsed by both the LCD liquid gemstone ceremony and the plasma technologies. The newer technologies when useful in making TV sets are known as absolute Panel TVs. Most absolute Panel TVs have very broad viewing panels, able of accepting HDTV screen systems and bracket any of the 720p, 1080i or 1080p panel resolutions. They can be worn as laptop monitors as well as to accept crop from any laptop.
As mentioned before, the only 2 technologies competing in absolute Panel TVs are the LCD and plasma technologies. The different distinctions between the two are in the areas of shine, clout consumption and affect property. Most Plasma TVs are found to reflective. This means that you can see manually in the tumbler just like with a CRT TV. All LCD TVs are shine resilient. This is a great plus when the interval lighting conditions are not in the archetype echelons.
We have just reached the tip of the iceberg, as the remainder of this article will help to further your understanding of this complex subject.
Plasma TVs use more clout as compared to LCD TVs, but the end product is richer affects and the black pixels ceremony deeper black affect. The LCD TVs are slimmer and have gained more affect property in topical days. The worst referee is the patron who will indicate which absolute Panel TV set font can best help his viewing pleasure and be inside his monetary capability.
absolute Panel TVs are the newest obsession in the TV activity. Its force relies on its inherent ability to be able to found a sharper persona with the new digital screen system which will be the customary system com February of 2008. A sharper persona requires more insystemion about the protest being ceremonyed per pixel. This means the bigger the viewing panel of the TV set, the more insystemion is desirable to be screened to provide all the desirable facts for most absolute Panel TVs.
Most big trade companies wish absolute Panel TVs because they can store position interval, have slighter clout consumption and the flexibility of being able to place them somewhere. They can mostly mount the TVs on a edge and screen their party ads simply whether it is in the party pane ceremony or past the edifice.
If you could take the main ideas from this article and put them into a list, you would a great overview of what we have learned.
They are mostly two new technologies that can grant for this font of TV. One is the LCD, known as the liquid gemstone ceremony, technology. The other one is the plasma technology.
The most successful and unfailing TV technology that is the CRT technology also known as Cathode Ray Tube has been eclipsed by both the LCD liquid gemstone ceremony and the plasma technologies. The newer technologies when useful in making TV sets are known as absolute Panel TVs. Most absolute Panel TVs have very broad viewing panels, able of accepting HDTV screen systems and bracket any of the 720p, 1080i or 1080p panel resolutions. They can be worn as laptop monitors as well as to accept crop from any laptop.
As mentioned before, the only 2 technologies competing in absolute Panel TVs are the LCD and plasma technologies. The different distinctions between the two are in the areas of shine, clout consumption and affect property. Most Plasma TVs are found to reflective. This means that you can see manually in the tumbler just like with a CRT TV. All LCD TVs are shine resilient. This is a great plus when the interval lighting conditions are not in the archetype echelons.
We have just reached the tip of the iceberg, as the remainder of this article will help to further your understanding of this complex subject.
Plasma TVs use more clout as compared to LCD TVs, but the end product is richer affects and the black pixels ceremony deeper black affect. The LCD TVs are slimmer and have gained more affect property in topical days. The worst referee is the patron who will indicate which absolute Panel TV set font can best help his viewing pleasure and be inside his monetary capability.
absolute Panel TVs are the newest obsession in the TV activity. Its force relies on its inherent ability to be able to found a sharper persona with the new digital screen system which will be the customary system com February of 2008. A sharper persona requires more insystemion about the protest being ceremonyed per pixel. This means the bigger the viewing panel of the TV set, the more insystemion is desirable to be screened to provide all the desirable facts for most absolute Panel TVs.
Most big trade companies wish absolute Panel TVs because they can store position interval, have slighter clout consumption and the flexibility of being able to place them somewhere. They can mostly mount the TVs on a edge and screen their party ads simply whether it is in the party pane ceremony or past the edifice.
If you could take the main ideas from this article and put them into a list, you would a great overview of what we have learned.
Filed under Advertising
John Young asked:
Bob pushed the shutter release button and…NOTHING HAPPENED. The football passed into his son’s hands and the actual photo he took was one of a cheerleader’s pom-pom. Bob missed the touchdown too. He resisted an insane urge to slam the camera to the ground and jump on it.
This was his first digital camera, and Bob had just experienced an unpleasant surprise. He had used film cameras all his life, but when his Yashica went into the shop a friend loaned him a digital camera. He naively decided to take some action shots and discovered the most maddening “feature” of digital cameras – the shutter delay.
MADDENING AND FRUSTRATING
Articles on this subject have attributed shutter delay to:
1. The camera’s focus system
2. The time it takes the camera to digitally process the image
3. Reaction time of the photographer
Numbers one and three are lag times that most people using digital cameras are accustomed to. Most have used a film camera and know it needs a few milliseconds to focus.
The no-brainer solution is to reduce the aperture of the lens to increase depth of field, or aim the camera at the object you wish to be in focus and depress the shutter button half way in order to “tell” the camera what to focus on, then move the camera to center the image and depress it the rest of the way.
As far as human reaction time, well, it hasn’t really changed much for users of film cameras, and people experienced in taking action shots usually get what they want.
So let’s look at number 2, the time it takes to process the picture.
TIME TO DO THE PROCESSING
Processing the picture (so the camera can be ready for the next one) comes in several steps to move it from the image sensor to flash card storage:
1. Color corrections. The camera has to examine each and every Charge Couple Device (CCD) element on the photo sensor. It adds green, blue, and red to achieve the right color balance. For a 3 mega pixel camera, the processor has to make 9 million calculations.
2. Sharpening. This boosts the contrast by detecting and sharpening edges.
3. Compression. This process converts the 12 to 14 bits of each CCD sensor to 16 bits by “padding” the information and compressing it to 8 bits. This compresses the file size to 9 megabytes.
These steps require a tremendous amount of computational time. No wonder Bob missed his shot!
CATCHING THE ACTION
There are two ways of capturing action:
1. The “consecutive mode”. If the camera has this mode, you can take a series of rapid shots moving through the event. This requires a camera with a large ‘buffer” to hold photos for processing.
2. Anticipating shots by depressing and holding down the shutter release prior to the event. This requires an ability to predict the future, something most of us don’t possess.
THE FUTURE OF FASTER SHOOTING
Obviously this would all be simplified if micro processing were faster. Even with large buffers, the speed in which data is transmitted to the processor is prohibited by the rate at which data is conveyed from the CCD. Micro processing speed is the next bottleneck.
Faster clock rates and data transfer speeds would reduce or even eliminate “shutter lag” time. There are several technologies in the wings that offer hope:
1. Nanotube and nanowire technologies. These are both the offspring of “nanotechnology”, the ability to make tiny machines at the “nano” level, a billionth of a meter in size rather than a millionth of a meter (micrometer) and offer hope for a 500 GHz clock rate or more.
2. DNA Yes, you heard me right. Computing based on DNA strands in which information is stored and processed.
3. Other materials
• Gallium Arsenide with much a faster speed has been used for years for military purposes.
• Silicon-Germanium chips increase the transfer of light signals to silicon. These traditionally have worked best at ultra cold temperatures, but many computer simulations have shown that they may be made to approach 1000 GHz (1 THz) at room temperature.
• Indium-antimonide. Much faster than silicon
• Optical transistors. A glass material known as chalcogenide becomes a switch as its refracting properties are changed. No need to translate those photons into anything else.
• Coated Viruses. The latest research involves coating viruses with a conducting material. Much higher speeds at the molecular level can be obtained. This will give a new meaning to the term “computer virus”.
4. Parallel Processing. As we’ve noticed lately with the war between Intel and AMD over the number of parallel processors crammed into a CPU, digital camera processing would benefit from parallel processors handling the focussing, sharpening and squeezing.
5. Improvement in instructional efficiency by reducing the lines of code would make the whole process more efficient.
HOLD ON AND WAIT FOR THE FUTURE
The REAL solution to this maddening shutter delay appears to be in the material the processor is constructed of, as well as advancements in the software.
But we’ve got awhile to wait for it. Although a few alternate materials have been around for awhile, everything else is still in the research and development phase. Even when it finally trickles out of the labs, it will probably make your future digital camera cost around $10000 – $15000.
Quite a price tag for the ability to take pictures as fast as a film camera! Still…
Except for the lag, the digital camera has it all over film cameras, once the photo is captured by the memory card. The new technology will be worth the wait.
Digital camera owners are known for their ability to wait…as they desperately punch the shutter release trying to grab the fleeting smile of their new baby, or the football that lands in his hands eighteen years later, when he scores the winning touchdown.
Bob pushed the shutter release button and…NOTHING HAPPENED. The football passed into his son’s hands and the actual photo he took was one of a cheerleader’s pom-pom. Bob missed the touchdown too. He resisted an insane urge to slam the camera to the ground and jump on it.
This was his first digital camera, and Bob had just experienced an unpleasant surprise. He had used film cameras all his life, but when his Yashica went into the shop a friend loaned him a digital camera. He naively decided to take some action shots and discovered the most maddening “feature” of digital cameras – the shutter delay.
MADDENING AND FRUSTRATING
Articles on this subject have attributed shutter delay to:
1. The camera’s focus system
2. The time it takes the camera to digitally process the image
3. Reaction time of the photographer
Numbers one and three are lag times that most people using digital cameras are accustomed to. Most have used a film camera and know it needs a few milliseconds to focus.
The no-brainer solution is to reduce the aperture of the lens to increase depth of field, or aim the camera at the object you wish to be in focus and depress the shutter button half way in order to “tell” the camera what to focus on, then move the camera to center the image and depress it the rest of the way.
As far as human reaction time, well, it hasn’t really changed much for users of film cameras, and people experienced in taking action shots usually get what they want.
So let’s look at number 2, the time it takes to process the picture.
TIME TO DO THE PROCESSING
Processing the picture (so the camera can be ready for the next one) comes in several steps to move it from the image sensor to flash card storage:
1. Color corrections. The camera has to examine each and every Charge Couple Device (CCD) element on the photo sensor. It adds green, blue, and red to achieve the right color balance. For a 3 mega pixel camera, the processor has to make 9 million calculations.
2. Sharpening. This boosts the contrast by detecting and sharpening edges.
3. Compression. This process converts the 12 to 14 bits of each CCD sensor to 16 bits by “padding” the information and compressing it to 8 bits. This compresses the file size to 9 megabytes.
These steps require a tremendous amount of computational time. No wonder Bob missed his shot!
CATCHING THE ACTION
There are two ways of capturing action:
1. The “consecutive mode”. If the camera has this mode, you can take a series of rapid shots moving through the event. This requires a camera with a large ‘buffer” to hold photos for processing.
2. Anticipating shots by depressing and holding down the shutter release prior to the event. This requires an ability to predict the future, something most of us don’t possess.
THE FUTURE OF FASTER SHOOTING
Obviously this would all be simplified if micro processing were faster. Even with large buffers, the speed in which data is transmitted to the processor is prohibited by the rate at which data is conveyed from the CCD. Micro processing speed is the next bottleneck.
Faster clock rates and data transfer speeds would reduce or even eliminate “shutter lag” time. There are several technologies in the wings that offer hope:
1. Nanotube and nanowire technologies. These are both the offspring of “nanotechnology”, the ability to make tiny machines at the “nano” level, a billionth of a meter in size rather than a millionth of a meter (micrometer) and offer hope for a 500 GHz clock rate or more.
2. DNA Yes, you heard me right. Computing based on DNA strands in which information is stored and processed.
3. Other materials
• Gallium Arsenide with much a faster speed has been used for years for military purposes.
• Silicon-Germanium chips increase the transfer of light signals to silicon. These traditionally have worked best at ultra cold temperatures, but many computer simulations have shown that they may be made to approach 1000 GHz (1 THz) at room temperature.
• Indium-antimonide. Much faster than silicon
• Optical transistors. A glass material known as chalcogenide becomes a switch as its refracting properties are changed. No need to translate those photons into anything else.
• Coated Viruses. The latest research involves coating viruses with a conducting material. Much higher speeds at the molecular level can be obtained. This will give a new meaning to the term “computer virus”.
4. Parallel Processing. As we’ve noticed lately with the war between Intel and AMD over the number of parallel processors crammed into a CPU, digital camera processing would benefit from parallel processors handling the focussing, sharpening and squeezing.
5. Improvement in instructional efficiency by reducing the lines of code would make the whole process more efficient.
HOLD ON AND WAIT FOR THE FUTURE
The REAL solution to this maddening shutter delay appears to be in the material the processor is constructed of, as well as advancements in the software.
But we’ve got awhile to wait for it. Although a few alternate materials have been around for awhile, everything else is still in the research and development phase. Even when it finally trickles out of the labs, it will probably make your future digital camera cost around $10000 – $15000.
Quite a price tag for the ability to take pictures as fast as a film camera! Still…
Except for the lag, the digital camera has it all over film cameras, once the photo is captured by the memory card. The new technology will be worth the wait.
Digital camera owners are known for their ability to wait…as they desperately punch the shutter release trying to grab the fleeting smile of their new baby, or the football that lands in his hands eighteen years later, when he scores the winning touchdown.
Filed under Advertising
Mike Chow asked:
Looking to replace your old TV? Then you may might to invest in the new HD technology. Unlike regular standard televisions, HDTV sets are much lighter, occupy less space, offer more features and provide better image quality. However, the search for a new HDTV can be a daunting one, especially for new customers who are unfamiliar with the many HDTV technologies. Hence, in this article we will examine the various types of HDTVs and their benefits.
HDTV CRT
HDTV CRT is based upon on the old Cathode Ray technology which is found in regular TVs. Some of the benefits of this technology is its proven reliability (50+ years), picture quality and low price point. However, with this technology you have to deal with bulky, heavy TV sets, screen glare problems and limited widescreen choices. The biggest wide screen you can get for a HDTV CRT is only 34-inches.
Rear Projecting HDTV
Currently there are two types of Rear Projection HDTVs. The older Rear Projection HDTV is based on the CRT technology while the newer one is based on the LCD/DLP/LCoS Projection technology. Like HDTV CRT, Rear Projection CRT offers large wide screens at a very low price point. However, you have to deal with poor picture quality from non digital signals, expensive maintenance, bulky cabinet enclosures and narrow viewing angles. The newer LCD/DLP/LCoS Projection technology offer larger screen sizes, good black levels, larger viewing angle, and great picture quality. However, with this technology you have to deal with expensive bulbs that have to be replaced every 5,000-7,000 hours.
Plasma HDTV
The Plasma HDTV is a mainstream technology for viewing high definition channels. Plasma HDTV displays offer amazing color definitions, large viewing angle, good black levels and they occupy less space. However, with this technology you have to deal with the possibility of screen burn-in problems and screen glares.
LCD Flat Panel HDTV
The LCD Flat Panel HDTV is the other mainstream technology for viewing high definition channels. LCD HDTVs offer wider range of screen sizes (7″ to 65″), greater image resolutions, are very bright, no burn-in problems and last very long (60,000+ hours). However, with this technology you have to deal with poor black levels, small viewing angle and a high entry price point.
Looking to replace your old TV? Then you may might to invest in the new HD technology. Unlike regular standard televisions, HDTV sets are much lighter, occupy less space, offer more features and provide better image quality. However, the search for a new HDTV can be a daunting one, especially for new customers who are unfamiliar with the many HDTV technologies. Hence, in this article we will examine the various types of HDTVs and their benefits.
HDTV CRT
HDTV CRT is based upon on the old Cathode Ray technology which is found in regular TVs. Some of the benefits of this technology is its proven reliability (50+ years), picture quality and low price point. However, with this technology you have to deal with bulky, heavy TV sets, screen glare problems and limited widescreen choices. The biggest wide screen you can get for a HDTV CRT is only 34-inches.
Rear Projecting HDTV
Currently there are two types of Rear Projection HDTVs. The older Rear Projection HDTV is based on the CRT technology while the newer one is based on the LCD/DLP/LCoS Projection technology. Like HDTV CRT, Rear Projection CRT offers large wide screens at a very low price point. However, you have to deal with poor picture quality from non digital signals, expensive maintenance, bulky cabinet enclosures and narrow viewing angles. The newer LCD/DLP/LCoS Projection technology offer larger screen sizes, good black levels, larger viewing angle, and great picture quality. However, with this technology you have to deal with expensive bulbs that have to be replaced every 5,000-7,000 hours.
Plasma HDTV
The Plasma HDTV is a mainstream technology for viewing high definition channels. Plasma HDTV displays offer amazing color definitions, large viewing angle, good black levels and they occupy less space. However, with this technology you have to deal with the possibility of screen burn-in problems and screen glares.
LCD Flat Panel HDTV
The LCD Flat Panel HDTV is the other mainstream technology for viewing high definition channels. LCD HDTVs offer wider range of screen sizes (7″ to 65″), greater image resolutions, are very bright, no burn-in problems and last very long (60,000+ hours). However, with this technology you have to deal with poor black levels, small viewing angle and a high entry price point.
Filed under Advertising
Heather Colman asked:
The popularity of the plasma television has widely increased since its first release to the general public. People are now seeing the benefits of having a plasma tv in their home. Before, plasma televisions were so expensive but now, since a lot of manufacturers are making them, the competition has grown and the cost of the plasma tv eventually decreased.
Plasma televisions are often advertised in tv commercials and on the Internet. Great offers are always available. The advertisers often talk about the benefits of having a plasma television at home but what they do not usually mention is what a plasma tv really is and the technology behind it.
A plasma television contains transistor electrodes. The pixel cells of this new technology have transistor electrodes that prevent the scan lines from appearing in the tv screen. The pixels are made up of three fluorescent lights that are colored green, red and blue. Scan lines are usually noticeable on the conventional tv screens because these screens use beams of electrons.
Plasma television provides a higher resolution than any other type of tv monitors. It can display the high-definition signals of HDTelevision and DTelevision. Plasma tv’s can also receive the computer signals XGA, SVGA and VGA.
The most expensive and the most powerful plasma television can display over 16 million different colors. This means that the color of the pictures seen on the television is so much closer to its color in real life. Your old tv screen is not capable of displaying these kinds of colors.
The design of the plasma television is also for a specific purpose. Plasma tv’s are flat. The flat screen gives a wider viewing angle so wherever you are, you are sure to have a clearer view on the screen. You might have noticed that your ordinary tv has limited viewing angles because of its curved screen. It has a smaller viewing angle than the flat tv. The viewing angle of the plasma television is 160 degrees. Therefore, it is very suitable for group viewing.
Unlike the usual tv screens, the plasma television screens are space savers. With ordinary tv’s, you need a tv table or stand to hold your tv, occupying a lot of space. Since the screen is flat, only about 4 to 6 inches thick and approximately 50 inches wide, it can be hung on the wall or even on the ceiling if you want to view in a reclining position. Very thin materials are used to produce these wide but flat monitors. Since all the pixels are lit in the process, clear colors are produced.
Everybody would surely want to have his or her very own plasma television at home. It is definitely becoming the most popular way to watch your favorite movies and tv shows.
The popularity of the plasma television has widely increased since its first release to the general public. People are now seeing the benefits of having a plasma tv in their home. Before, plasma televisions were so expensive but now, since a lot of manufacturers are making them, the competition has grown and the cost of the plasma tv eventually decreased.
Plasma televisions are often advertised in tv commercials and on the Internet. Great offers are always available. The advertisers often talk about the benefits of having a plasma television at home but what they do not usually mention is what a plasma tv really is and the technology behind it.
A plasma television contains transistor electrodes. The pixel cells of this new technology have transistor electrodes that prevent the scan lines from appearing in the tv screen. The pixels are made up of three fluorescent lights that are colored green, red and blue. Scan lines are usually noticeable on the conventional tv screens because these screens use beams of electrons.
Plasma television provides a higher resolution than any other type of tv monitors. It can display the high-definition signals of HDTelevision and DTelevision. Plasma tv’s can also receive the computer signals XGA, SVGA and VGA.
The most expensive and the most powerful plasma television can display over 16 million different colors. This means that the color of the pictures seen on the television is so much closer to its color in real life. Your old tv screen is not capable of displaying these kinds of colors.
The design of the plasma television is also for a specific purpose. Plasma tv’s are flat. The flat screen gives a wider viewing angle so wherever you are, you are sure to have a clearer view on the screen. You might have noticed that your ordinary tv has limited viewing angles because of its curved screen. It has a smaller viewing angle than the flat tv. The viewing angle of the plasma television is 160 degrees. Therefore, it is very suitable for group viewing.
Unlike the usual tv screens, the plasma television screens are space savers. With ordinary tv’s, you need a tv table or stand to hold your tv, occupying a lot of space. Since the screen is flat, only about 4 to 6 inches thick and approximately 50 inches wide, it can be hung on the wall or even on the ceiling if you want to view in a reclining position. Very thin materials are used to produce these wide but flat monitors. Since all the pixels are lit in the process, clear colors are produced.
Everybody would surely want to have his or her very own plasma television at home. It is definitely becoming the most popular way to watch your favorite movies and tv shows.
Filed under Advertising
Phil Taylor asked:
Home Theater Projector Screens and Surfaces
The recent increased popularity of home video projectors and the large, clear images they can produce has led many new arrivals to the Home Theater realm to choose a video projector as their display device of choice. Video projector images look best when projected onto a properly matched screen surface. Although some anxious new owners may prematurely start by aiming their new projector on a white wall – they soon will want to get a projection screen for best results. Video projection screens come in many varieties – from the simple Do-It-Yourself (DIY) homemade screen to the most elaborate, manufactured remote control electric models and those various models in between. Video projector screens also come in a variety of surface finishes and reflectivity ratios. All of these factors should be considered when selecting a screen for your Home Theater.
Screen Surface Types
Home Theater projector screens come in a multitude of surface finishes. The variety of surface finish you will need depends upon your projector model. Screen surfaces vary from matte white, slightly silver or grey-ish, to reflective glass beaded models. Glass beaded models increase the effective brightness of your projector’s image similar to the way a highway sign reflects car headlights. Lower lumen-level (lumens=light output) projectors such as CRT models benefit most from higher reflectivity (or gain) of a screen’s surface. Higher gain surfaces increase the perceived brightness of the projected image. Conversely – a brighter projector looks best with a matte white or even a silver/gray surface. That is because the glass beads on higher gain screens have a tendency to “splatter” the brighter light waves produced by a high lumen output projector. A silver/gray surface will also enhance the perceived contrast level of LCD projectors which do not have the best contrast/black levels. So first you must decide the type and lumen output of the projector you are purchasing and that will help determine the surface type of the video projector screen you will need.
Model Types
Projection screens come in three basic styles – manual pull-down, electric and fixed varieties. Manual pull-down models are operated much like a window shade. Electric models have a motorized mechanism that does the work for you and fixed screens are motionless and stay right where you place them. Fixed screens also provide the flattest of all screen surfaces. Pull-down and electric screens can be susceptible to a slight waves on their surface. Although not obtrusive if properly cared for, some may prefer the absolute flat surface of a fixed screen model. The drawback to fixed screens is that you must live with them in place whereas retractable models can be deployed for viewing and afterwards be hidden from sight until next use.
Aspect Ratio
There is another very important factor to consider when shopping for a screen – that of the screen’s aspect ratio. The aspect ratio of a projection screen refers to the shape of the available screen surface. Screens come in two basic aspect ratios — 4×3 which is your normal television aspect ratio and 16×9 which is the normal widescreen or HDTV aspect ratio. The aspect ratio of your screen is an important decision to make prior to its purchase. That’s because of the fact that once you buy it there’s no way to change the aspect ratio – other than by masking portions of the screen. You can mask the surface with material or curtains if you want to get creative and that can temporarily change the aspect ratio of your fixed screen.
You will, of course, save a lot of time and trouble by thoroughly researching your screen choice prior to its purchase. Whatever your application and needs — rest assured there is a projection screen surface and model available to fit your particular situation. For further and more detailed information on video projector screen applications for home theaters please refer to the section on projector screens which can be accessed from the navigation bar at
Home Theater Projector Screens and Surfaces
The recent increased popularity of home video projectors and the large, clear images they can produce has led many new arrivals to the Home Theater realm to choose a video projector as their display device of choice. Video projector images look best when projected onto a properly matched screen surface. Although some anxious new owners may prematurely start by aiming their new projector on a white wall – they soon will want to get a projection screen for best results. Video projection screens come in many varieties – from the simple Do-It-Yourself (DIY) homemade screen to the most elaborate, manufactured remote control electric models and those various models in between. Video projector screens also come in a variety of surface finishes and reflectivity ratios. All of these factors should be considered when selecting a screen for your Home Theater.
Screen Surface Types
Home Theater projector screens come in a multitude of surface finishes. The variety of surface finish you will need depends upon your projector model. Screen surfaces vary from matte white, slightly silver or grey-ish, to reflective glass beaded models. Glass beaded models increase the effective brightness of your projector’s image similar to the way a highway sign reflects car headlights. Lower lumen-level (lumens=light output) projectors such as CRT models benefit most from higher reflectivity (or gain) of a screen’s surface. Higher gain surfaces increase the perceived brightness of the projected image. Conversely – a brighter projector looks best with a matte white or even a silver/gray surface. That is because the glass beads on higher gain screens have a tendency to “splatter” the brighter light waves produced by a high lumen output projector. A silver/gray surface will also enhance the perceived contrast level of LCD projectors which do not have the best contrast/black levels. So first you must decide the type and lumen output of the projector you are purchasing and that will help determine the surface type of the video projector screen you will need.
Model Types
Projection screens come in three basic styles – manual pull-down, electric and fixed varieties. Manual pull-down models are operated much like a window shade. Electric models have a motorized mechanism that does the work for you and fixed screens are motionless and stay right where you place them. Fixed screens also provide the flattest of all screen surfaces. Pull-down and electric screens can be susceptible to a slight waves on their surface. Although not obtrusive if properly cared for, some may prefer the absolute flat surface of a fixed screen model. The drawback to fixed screens is that you must live with them in place whereas retractable models can be deployed for viewing and afterwards be hidden from sight until next use.
Aspect Ratio
There is another very important factor to consider when shopping for a screen – that of the screen’s aspect ratio. The aspect ratio of a projection screen refers to the shape of the available screen surface. Screens come in two basic aspect ratios — 4×3 which is your normal television aspect ratio and 16×9 which is the normal widescreen or HDTV aspect ratio. The aspect ratio of your screen is an important decision to make prior to its purchase. That’s because of the fact that once you buy it there’s no way to change the aspect ratio – other than by masking portions of the screen. You can mask the surface with material or curtains if you want to get creative and that can temporarily change the aspect ratio of your fixed screen.
You will, of course, save a lot of time and trouble by thoroughly researching your screen choice prior to its purchase. Whatever your application and needs — rest assured there is a projection screen surface and model available to fit your particular situation. For further and more detailed information on video projector screen applications for home theaters please refer to the section on projector screens which can be accessed from the navigation bar at
Filed under Advertising