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Industry Opinion: Home Cinema Screens - what are the trends? (3/3/2008)

By Yasmin Hashmi, HiddenWires

With growing interest in high definition and larger displays, the home cinema projector market is hotting up. But there is no point in having a great projector if the screen and environment lets it down, and not everyone has the luxury of a spare room that can be dedicated to a home theatre. In order to make the most of the projector and the room it finds itself in, an ordinary screen will often not do, and how it looks aesthetically can be as important as how it performs technically.

To find out how the custom install industry is responding to these challenges, we asked a number of manufacturers, suppliers and installers what the trends are in terms of projection screens, and what recent innovations in the residential market they think are important. Here are their replies:

Greg Jeffreys, Chairman, Paradigm AV

It is hard to read the trends from a market perspective. The best market info we get is via the U.S., and all I can say is that the U.K. and U.S. markets have VERY little in common. But in general terms, I think it's the calm before the storm: people are very watchful of developments in native 1080p projectors. After the technology delays that we've seen are gradually clearing, I think this sector will get very interesting. Our only interest is in the top end of the projection market and we see this 1080p availability as a prerequisite for developing a recognisable channel. This technology jump will feed the demand for high-performance screens and ancillaries.

Derek Kuziw, Managing Director, A+K

Home cinema enthusiasts are ever more aware of the factors that make their home cinema experience come alive. They realise the importance of choosing the right projector and screen for their particular home cinema, and not just settling for a generic solution that has not been tailored to their particular environment.

The best home cinema experience is achieved when projecting onto a smooth and as taut a screen surface as possible, ensuring uniformity of the image across the screen. There are also a number of other factors to consider, such as whether it is a fixed or retractable screen, viewing angles, ambient light conditions and screen size.

If you have a great projector and a low-quality screen, the full performance of the projector will not be realised. The result could be colours not as true as they should be and a lack of uniformity across the image. So while some people may place all the emphasis on the projector, having a quality screen tailored to the viewing experience is also crucial. Indeed being able to compare the same projector on different projection surfaces shows how important this is.

Otto Tromm, Managing Director, Beamax

There's no doubt that consumers are more interested in automating their home. There are more solutions available, it's no longer very expensive, and home automation is hot. From TV shows dedicated to the celebrity lifestyle, to TV campaigns from sun-blind manufacturers, consumers are seduced by high-tech living, and all of this is fuelling interest in home cinema projection screens. The challenge for manufacturers lies in combining cinematic performance with appealing looks. Apparently, a large percentage of men are willing to give up sex for a 50" plasma, but would they do the same for a screen? Perhaps not for any old plain white box. But for a nicely-designed screen, which is either perfectly hidden or 'cool' when in sight? Well, that's a different story - especially since size DOES matter.

I also see the market for game-based set-ups growing. Although this area is largely unexplored, some projector manufacturers are already venturing into it, but have yet to provide dedicated projection screen products for it. Nonetheless, I truly see potential here, because large screens really make sense for games. Imagine getting a group of friends to play together on a split screen. Or playing Wii golf and seeing a life-sized green instead of a 42" miniature. Again size matters, so don't let them tell you otherwise!

Mike Beatty, Managing Director, Pulse marketing

I think the really exciting innovation in recent years is the quality of acoustically transparent screens. The woven coated fibre screens are designed to totally discard any interference common with fixed-pixel displays and traditional perforated screens. They also allow you to place speakers behind the screen with no need for equalisation or minimum clearance between the speakers and the surface of the screen.

Matthias Mikkelsen, Area Sales Manager, dnp denmark

The average European household doesn't usually have the space for a dedicated dark room home theatre, which is why we are seeing a clear move from such rooms to a home cinema that is integrated in the living room. It's here where the family is normally gathered, but this multipurpose room will not be 100% designed for projection, meaning it won't have black walls and sufficient shading. Therefore, in order to achieve a good picture quality in this type of room, you need a stronger projector and a screen which can absorb ambient light. The market shows that projector manufactuers are now offering 720p and 1080p projectors with more ANSI lumens, so you can get a brighter image, while the contrast can be significantly improved by using high-contrast, light-absorbing optical. The result of this combination is clearly visible in the quality of the image.

For living rooms, you also need screens which can be hidden in the ceiling or actually have a nice design when wall mounted. Design, and this applies to the projector as well as the screen, is becoming the most important decision factor, at least in continental Europe.

John Carpenter, Managing Director, Global Technologies and Control Solutions

'Projection systems are great, but I don't have a dedicated dark room in which to mount the screen.' This is a dilemma we have increasingly faced with customers who are interested in a high-end theatre system, yet desire minimalist design, light-coloured walls and few visible components. Fortunately for us, screen manufacturers have been listening and have been developing screen systems which offer viable options for our customers beyond the 'flat-screen display' solution.

One of the most exciting developments has been the introduction of optical screens that reduce the effect of incident light and increase contrast ratios. This optical technology improves picture depth and enhances detail, and at the same time reduces eye fatigue for the viewer. And, for clients who only want the screen visible during use, motorized models are also available. This means that the same solution that makes for great movie viewing is also now available for sports-event viewing with a room full of friends and the lights 'up'. These screens have become an important part of our product mix, allowing us to overcome sales obstacles with uncompromising results.

If you would like to comment on this issue, or to be included in future opinion pieces, please send an email to opinion(AT)hiddenwires.co.uk.