Draper, Inc.

Nov. 25, 2020 - How does ambient light impact projection? When do you need an ambient light rejecting projection screen? And what gives an ALR projection screen its ability to reject/reflect ambient light away from the viewer to provide a much clearer projected image?

Draper director – consultant relations, Steve Cook, tackles those questions and more in the latest episode of Engineering Value, a Draper podcast.

During the podcast, Cook told host Tyler Kern that the trend toward bigger screens, multiple use facilities, and screens being used in more markets and spaces means ambient light is coming into play more than ever.

"Ambient light impacts projected images in a few different ways," Cook said. "Projection is a two-piece system. You have a projector, and you have a screen with a screen surface. Both of those things come into play, and if they are not selected properly, you can get into trouble right off the bat," he said.

With ambient light, various light sources from around the room bounce off surfaces, including the screen where one only wants projected light to reflect.

"It’s a competition between two types of light. You need to make sure that the light coming from the projector off the screen getting into your eyes exceeds by a good margin the light coming from the ambient light," Cook said.

The diffusion level of the screen surface impacts the amount of ambient light that hits the surface. The more the surface diffuses light, the more light will wash out the image. The two challenges for optimal projection in ambient light are how bright an image returns to the viewer’s eyes and how much ambient light impacts the screen surface.

To combat the problems of ambient light, ALR technology offers a solution.

"Ambient light rejection allows someone to get decent performance from the projection system in a fully lighted room," Cook said.

To learn more about ambient light rejection, click here to listen to the latest episode of the Engineering Value podcast.

https://blog.draperinc.com/podcast/engineering-value-ep-7-the-benefits-of-ambient-light-rejection-in-projection-screens/