Choosing a Projector Screen
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I want a Portable Screen
Portable screens are available as tripod, pull-up,
table-top,folding screens or horizontal tripods.
The overall length of a screen is an important consideration when the portable screen will be transported by car. As a rough guide we suggest 80" screens as a maximum for small cars, 90" for medium sized cars and 100" for full-sized cars or 4WD.
Tripod screens are the cheapest but are potentially
- Unstable
- Easy to damage when travelling
We recommend the purchase of tripod screens only when cost is the main
factor and the screen will be used infrequently
Pull-up Screens are normally the best alternative for portable
presentations with a screen size of up to 2.4m wide. For portable
screens wider than 2.4m see the Folding Screens
Pull-up screens are not as cheap as tripods but offer the following
advantages:
- Housing lies flat on the floor and therefore the screen is more
stable
- Everything fits back inside the housing therefore less damage
likely when travelling
We have at least two qualities of pull-up screen. The SG Standard
Pull-Up Range features domestic grade vinyl and a single adjustable
support bar. These are great for regular presentations. The SG Luxury
Pull-up Range features a thicker commercial grade vinyl, a longer black
leader at the bottom of the screen and a scissor action lift to hold
the screen. The luxury screens cost more and are designed for high use
or where a flatter screen image is required. The thicker vinyl is also
damage-resistant and better where the screen surface requires regular
cleaning.
Table-Top Screens are designed for presentations to small groups
of two to four people sitting around a table with the screen mounted on
the end of the table. They are extremely portable but are only
available up to 1m wide. They can be used with a portable or hand-held
data projector and are perfect for preliminary sales presentations or
where frequent air travel is envisaged.
Folding, Foldable,Fast-Fold or Easy-Fold Screens are the choice for trade shows,
performance groups, outdoor use and wherever a large screen needs to be
used then packed for transport.
These sturdy screens feature a heavy-duty metal frame. The screen
surface (available in front and rear projection)clips onto the frame to
provide a flat viwing surface up to 5m wide. When you are finished with
the screen it disassembles easily and packs into a metal road case
which is provided with the screen. The design of these screens make
them very stable and potentially suitable for outdoor and public
performance.
Horizontal Tripod Screens are available in wide format only.
Rather than pull up from the base as in traditional tripod screens the
screen pulls out sideways. The impact of this is to allow the screen to
pack down into a much smaller length making it easier to carry.
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I want a Screen for my Office or Boardroom
Office or Boardroom screens are generally wall-mounted electric or
pull-down screens. Generally these are 4:3 format optimised for
powerpoint presentations. Occasionally fexed-frame (non-retractable
wall mounted screens) are used but this is rare.
The first thing to do is to determine the width of the screen you require. If you have the projector in place turn it on and measure the width of the white area. Match the width of the white area to the width in the table below.Note that the overall width will be slightly wider after allowance is made for the screen housing.
| Width (metres) |
Diagonal Screen Size |
| 1.6m |
80 inch (standard format) |
| 1.8m |
90 inch (standard format) |
| 2.0m |
100 inch (standard format) |
| 2.2m |
110 inch (standard format) |
| 2.4m |
120 inch (standard format) |
| 2.8m |
140 inch (standard format) |
| 3.0m |
150 inch (standard format) |
| 3.6m |
180 inch (standard format) |
| 4.2m |
200 inch (standard format) |
After determining the screen width and format you then need to decide on the type of screen you require.
Manual Pull-Down screens are used for
smaller meeting rooms (say
up to 6-8
people. Manual pull-down screens are an excellent cost-effective choice
for screens up up to 2.4m wide.
Larger rooms generally use electric screens.
Electric Screens are recommended for board rooms and larger
meeting rooms. We offer Electric Screens in at least two qualities. Our
standard L series screens feature domestic
quality vinyl and are very price competitive. This suits the majority
of applications. Our A series screens use a higher commercial grade
vinyl and are suitable for high use environments. We also recommend the
A series because of their durability and ease of cleaning.
We generally recommend electric screens from 2.2m up to 3m wide for
boardroom and
larger meeting room use but these are available in smaller and larger
sizes.
Fixed Frame Screens are more commonly used for home cinema but
are also available in 4:3 format for office use. This screen may be
used for architectural reasons or where the wall is to be permanently
allocated to projected images.
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I want a Screen for my Classroom
Classroom screens are normally manual pull down or electric screens or
interactive whiteboards.
The first thing to do is to determine the width of the screen you require. If you have the projector in place turn it on and measure the width of the white area. Match the width of the white area to the width in the table below. Note that the overall width will be slightly wider after allowance is made for the screen housing.
| Width (metres) |
Diagonal Screen Size |
| 1.6m |
80 inch (standard format) |
| 1.8m |
90 inch (standard format) |
| 2.0m |
100 inch (standard format) |
| 2.2m |
110 inch (standard format) |
| 2.4m |
120 inch (standard format) |
| 2.8m |
140 inch (standard format) |
| 3.0m |
150 inch (standard format) |
| 3.6m |
180 inch (standard format) |
| 4.2m |
200 inch (standard format) |
After determining the screen width and format you then need to decide on the type of screen you require.
Manual Pull-Down
Manual screens are wall or ceiling mounted screens which are
pulled-down by hand. These are the cheapest classroom alternative and
would normally be purchased as 1.6m, 1.8m or 2m wide depending upon the
area available and classroom size.
Electric Screens
Electric screens require a power point available (often above fluro
lights where there is a tiled ceiling)and are available in sizes from
1.8m wide up to more than 3m wide. We generally recommend around
2m-2.4m wide for a standard classroom and 2.8-3.0m wide or larger for a
multipurpose room depending upon size.
Interactive Whiteboards and Smart Classroom Technology
There are a number of different products in this area. The most common
is the interactive whiteboard which is used as a whiteboard replacement
in the classroom and also doubles as a projector screen. The difference
is that the whiteboard is connected via USB to the teacher's notebook
computer allowing software to be used to combine the content from the
notebook computer with electronic pens used at the whiteboard. Lessons
and whiteboard content may often be saved back to the notebook computer
for future work or distribution. There are several alternate
technologies also available. Mimio offers product that turns any
existing whiteboard into an interactive whiteboard which can then be
used in a similar way with the classroom projector and a notebook
computer.
Avermedia provide a system of smart pens which allows any projector screen to be used as an interactive whiteboard operated from student and teacher desks.
We also supply the Julong range of Interactive whiteboards which are an extremely cost-effective alterantive. Julong offer the Uktra IP Board which is designed for lecture theatres and larger conference rooms. This system and software provided allows a large whiteboard more than 3m wide to be split into 4 separately controllable areas. The bottom right hand quadrant is an active interactive whiteboard and as this board becomes full it may be moved at the whiteboard to other quadrants. This is the largest interactive whitebaord solution currently available.
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I want a Screen for Home
Home Theatre screens may be wide or standard format (depending upon the projector used) and are normally electric or fixed frame screens. Many people renting also like the convenience of the portable Pull-Up screens so as not to damage walls.
Wide Electric Screens
These are the most common home theatre projector and are used in conjunction with a wide format projector.In most cases these screens are between 2m and 3m wide.
Wide Fixed Frame Screens
These screens are permanently mounted on a wall (non-retractable) providing a very flat viewing surface but a suitable wall must be dedicated to the screen.
Portable (pull-up) Screens
These screens are perfectly suited to a rental property such as a unit or flat where you are not able to permanently attach a screen.
Standard (4:3) format Screens
Do not ignore standard format screens as they often are a suitable alternative for homes. A 150" 4:3 format screen is 3m wide and reaches nearly from floor to ceiling in a modern house with 8ft (2.4m) ceilings. These are ideal if you need your screen to be positioned in front of windows or french doors as the black back may block out most of the light. Also if you have a multipurpose projector and your viewing is made up of old and new TV, old and new movies and even computer games the 4:3 format will provide an overall larger image for all of these types.
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I want a Screen for a Hall, Theatre or Performance Space
These screens are generally characterised by their large size. The smallest of these is 3m wide and we sell screens up to 6m wide or wider by special order.Typically Large Electric screens are used when this can be a permanent fixture and Folding screens are used when the installation is temporary or outdoor use is planned.
| Width (metres) |
Drop (metres) |
Diagonal Size |
Screen Format |
| 3.0m |
1.69m |
136 inch |
Wide 16:9 |
| 3.0m |
2.25m |
150 inch |
Standard 4:3 |
| 3.6m |
2.7m |
180 inch |
Standard 4:3 |
| 4.2m |
3.15m |
200 inch
| Standard 4:3 |
| 4.76m |
2.68m |
215 inch |
Wide 16:9 |
| 4.88m |
3.66m |
240 inch |
Standard 4:3 |
| 5.0m |
3.8m |
250 inch |
Standard 4:3 |
| 5.31m |
2.99m |
240 inch |
Wide 16:9 |
| 5.49m |
4.12m |
270 inch |
Standard 4:3 |
| 5.98m |
3.36m |
270 inch |
Wide 16:9 |
| 6.1m |
4.58m |
300 inch |
Standard 4:3 |
One of the most important considerations for a screen of this size is how and where it will be mounted. The stage area or the available height will in some cases will determine screen format.
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I want a Screen for my Shop
Screens for shops are frequently rear projection. This allows the windows of a shop to be utilised for product marketing (often after business hours). This is achieved by use of a portable or electric rear projection screen located near the window and a projector mounted within the shop.
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I want to put my projector behind the screen
Rear projection screens are generally only used in special circumstances and may require special equipment such as a short-throw projector.
Rear projection screens use a specialised fabric which allows light to pass through the screen. They are available as an electric screen and also as a portable folding screen. The projector must be mounted far enough behind the screen to allow the screen to be filled. Often this distance is reduced by the use of short-throw projectors.
Rear projection screens are often used when there it is not possible to use a front projection system because of the lack of a suitable place to mount the projector or because of high amounts of ambientlight. In such cases the projector is mounted behind the screen and often in a purpose-built darkened room
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What do the Screen Sizes and formats mean?
Screen Size
The screen size is by convention measured in inches (2.54cms) across the diagonal of the vinyl area. We generally also quote in metres or centimetres the screen fabric's width (always the larger figure) and the screen fabric's height. The overall width of the screen (including the housing), housing dimensions and weight may also be quoted in the product detail. Remember that the screen sizes quoted do not generally include the housing and an allowance must be made for the housing in overall width calculations.
Screen Formats
Projector screens come in various shapes designed to match the projection equipment used.
Previously screens were square and were designed primarily for old slide projectors. Data projectors introduced matched the ratio of the old computer monitors (eg 800 *600, 1024 * 768). These are 4:3 format projector screens and are still the most common for business, education and some home requirements. Most older TV programs and movies closely match the 4:3 format. Wide format projectors were introduced for wide format movies and wide format TV content. These screens have a ratio of 16:9 (suits most dedicated home theatre projectors) or in specialised cases 15:9.
Showing a wide format movie on a 4:3 format screen provides the full width of the screen but there is normally an area at the top of the screen and bottom of the screen with no image. Showing 4:3 content (eg some TV or most computer presentations) on a wide format screen reduces the overall width of the image and has areas each side of the screen with no picture. Most multipurpose projectors are natively 4:3 format but allow you to switch formats to show wide format movies etc. Most home theatre projectors are fixed at 16:9 format.
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What else do I need to complete my system?
Generally the following components are required:
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