Planar Xscreen Monaco 80

[danrok]

If you really, really love films, you've probably at least entertained the possibility of rigging yourself up with a front projection system. After all, this is the only way you'll be able to get at home a picture size that can really deliver the same sort of vision-filling cinematic impact you get at your local Odeon or Showcase.

See front page:
http://www.aoaforums.com/frontpage/content/view/4198/1/

Comments?

[cloasters]

Looks like a great product-if you can afford it. Does "front projection" mean that the projector is internal to the screen?

[noob]

Front projection is the external projector projecting onto a screen, you are thinking of rear projection.

This is a new screen, that actually looks like it may allow viewing in normal lighting conditions like current CRT/LCD/Rear projector TV's.

As they say typical roll-up screens have been made of fabrics or plastics. This is different.

It means that a front projector may just be back on the table for normal TV viewing.

[danrok]

Rear projection is normally the best way for video projection brightness. That's where the projector is behind a translucent screen. The big draw back is that the projector needs to be some distance behind the screen, so you end up with a lot of dead space.

Quite often front projection screens are just some bright white material, which doesn't throw back so much light at the audience.

A long standing method to improve front projection, is to use a silver screen. That's where the projection screen has tiny particles of silver impregnated in to the surface. Makes it a lot more reflective. But silver is expensive.

The review doesn't say if this is a silver screen, but the price of it indicates that it probably is.

So, it's a modern take on old technology.

[noob]

The price would be right with silver particles.

It seems as though they are using similar tech that is being trialed with cameras to allow visual distinction between objects and shadows in robotics. Which in reality isn't much more than an advanced version of polarised lenses from what I have seen.

Coupled with reflective silver particles, would make an expensive screen.

It would be easy enough to check for polarising though; some polarised glasses, a 90 degree difference and you would only be looking at a black screen no matter what picture was being shown.

[Aedan]

From what I can discern, it looks to be a screen designed to reflect the light back over a narrow range of angles. Thus, light from windows et al fails to enter your visual path. As always, the amount of ambient light sets the darkest black the system can reproduce.

[cloasters]

I wonder how much two 35mm projectors will set you back? It's not like they are huge expensive looking beasts or anything. You need two for seamless "splices," don't want to make the audience wait uncomfortably in the dark! Or not so dark, in this case. Silver costs about $17 per ounce today, I imagine that the process of infusing it on to the screen's surface is what really costs, not the silver itself.