The attraction is undeniable. The ability to project 100” or larger sized images, mere centimetres from the wall at a fraction of the cost of similarly sized televisions, is tempting. This is particularly the case for the space-starved or those who live in apartments.

Attractive a proposition as they are, they share much in common with traditional long-throw home theatre projectors and face the same challenges. Even the biggest and brightest of them suffer when dealing with ambient light, resulting in a loss of contrast and saturation, often giving images a washed-out look.

Speaking of image quality, if you want to get the best picture from that swanky new UST projector, forget about projecting it directly onto a wall. As convenient and chic as it may be in modern interiors, good images need a suitable surface. The best option is to invest in a proper screen, and eliminate ambient light. Admittedly, removing light sources is not always practical and sometimes impossible in shared living spaces or during the day. 

If you’ve been in the home theatre community for any time, you may already know about Ambient Light Rejecting or ALR screens. Designed to provide an optimal surface to project images on to and reject ambient light, they’re an ideal companion for UST projectors. However, you may also be aware that they can be expensive, even more than the projector itself. The good news now is that this category has become more affordable thanks to Grandview Screens, founded in 1999 and specialising in high-quality projection screens.

Grandview has recently introduced a range of affordable Ambient Light Rejecting Screens, and its Black Grid ALR Screen has been purpose-built for Ultra Short Throw Projectors. Sporting a matt grey finish, it offers a slim profile with a 12mm bezel and sits just a little over 20mm proud of the wall. The screen surface – which resembles the edge of a saw – reflects light from its upward angled teeth towards the viewing position. This position, referred to as the angle of incidence, is the same angle from which light is received from the angled lens of a UST projector.

Direct light is then directed back towards the viewing position at different angles, which is claimed to reduce eye fatigue. Meanwhile, light that hits the top-most edge of the screen – ambient light – is absorbed by a light-absorbing coating, unique to the top edges of the toothed grid. 

The result, claims Grandview, is an image with more brightness, contrast and colour saturation than traditional matt white PVC screens, even with the curtains open. The Black Grid Screen provides a wide 140° viewing angle and a 0.4 gain.

It features a soft projection material, as opposed to a hard screen. While assembly is required, the smaller sized box overcomes some of the challenges faced when shipping larger assembled one-piece hard screens, such as increased cost. It also reduces the chances of it being damaged in transit.

Grandview’s Black Grid ALR fixed-frame screens are available in both 100” ($1,729 RRP) and 120” ($2,489 RRP) sizes. 

For more information visit Grandview Screens