Page 1 of 3 >>
Projection Screens
Screen materials can alleviate the effects of ambient light, while portable screens can overcome positioning challenges.
enlarge
A Draper Access/Series V projection screen and ScissorLift SL5 projector lift installation at Stanwich Congregational Church in Greenwich, Conn. Despite the room's ambient light, the projection screen employs a 1.0-gain, matte white surface that makes up in spectral uniformity and wide viewing angle what it lacks in reflectivity.
enlarge
A fixed-position projection screen, Da-Lite's Cinema Contour frame is finished with a fabric that absorbs some of the light that surrounds the screen's viewing area. It can be paired with several screen surfaces, from matte to high-gain choices.
Churches can be challenging environments in which to project video images. Windows and skylights introduce loads of ambient light, and stained glass can wreak multicolored havoc on any projection screen. Even in the absence of windows, most churches run their projectors while lights illuminate other aspects of the service, such as the pastor's face, the praise band, and decorative elements of the stage. In other words, we're not talking about a movie theater here.
The more ambient light, typically the more ANSI lumens a projector will need to overcome that light. But screen materials can alleviate this problem, thereby enabling the purchase of a less powerful—and less expensive—projector.
If ambient light is the most obvious roadblock to pristine projected images, subtler challenges can present themselves as a church is making basic decisions about its video system. Many older churches, for instance, struggle to find even one good spot for a projection screen.
Positioning Basics
An older church's curved walls and architectural elements often eliminate the option of hanging screens on the rear walls. A high ceiling can make it cost-prohibitive to drop a retractable screen from above. Many churches install twin screens on either side of a crucifix or other central object, but for a church with a limited budget, dual projectors might not be an option. Meanwhile, potential screen positions might also be spots where sunlight often falls during services.
With all that in mind, there's still more to consider. The spot and the screen need to be big enough to display text that's legible to the back row of the congregation. One commonly accepted rule of thumb for screen size holds that your screen's vertical dimension should be at least one-seventh to one-sixth the distance from the screen to the back row of seats. That means, for example, if your back row sits 140 feet away from the screen, dedicate at least a 36’ x 20’ patch of real estate for a wide-aspect projector screen. (Another rule of thumb: The front row should sit at least twice the screen height away from the screen.)
The projection screen also needs to offer a viewing angle wide enough to envelop the furthest reaches of the wings. Clearly the projector needs to be bright enough to overcome the room's ambient light—or the screen's material needs to be reflective enough to give those projector lumens a boost. Of course, with a high-gain (high-reflectivity) screen surface, the viewing angle is typically restricted, a problem I'll address again later.
Portability Considerations
Fortunately for many churches, there's a way around the often intractable problem of finding an appropriate location to mount the screen: Don't mount the screen at all. Portable screens create the added flexibility of using the projector and screen in rooms other than the sanctuary.
Most major manufacturers of projector screens offer portable screen models, from simple folding frames to motorized, pop-up models. These screens can run to very large sizes. Da-Lite, for instance, offers its Fast Fold Deluxe line. When a church is ready to use this type of screen, the frame folds open, the fabric snaps onto the frame, and the legs fold out. "[When you’re done,] it can be stored back into a travel case," says Wendy Long, VP of marketing with Da-Lite. "Those go up to 28 feet wide, and can be customized from there as well."
Page 1 of 3 next page >>
Trevor Boyer is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, New York. He likes to write professional A/V and video production stories (like this one) that can be reported via subway travel.
Post a Comment
ADD NEW COMMENT