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Projectors Ultra short focal

The simplicity of a TV the pleasure of Cinema

Ultra short throw video projectors use a very wide angle type lens which allows them to be positioned as close as possible to the projection wall. These models are becoming increasingly popular and make it easy to replace a television. Over 1.5 meters diagonal image only 40 cm from the wall, ultra short throw projectors can be placed on a chest of drawers facing the wall or the ceiling.

Ultra short throw video projector: an alternative to television

An ultra short throw projector is practically positioned like a television and on an audio-video unit. It can therefore take place alongside your electronics: Blu-ray player, amplifier, satellite decoder, etc. If it is used in a dimly lit room, it can replace a television, on the condition of acquiring a TNT HD decoder for example. Most ultra short throw projectors are equipped with a speaker and therefore do not require you to invest in an amplifier and speakers.

Ultra short throw video projector: an immersive image

Placed less than 50 cm from the projection surface, the ultra-short-throw video projector offers an image of approximately 1.5 m to 2 m diagonal. A meter away, the diagonal briskly exceeds 3 m. The mirror models are those which offer the greatest proximity to the projection surface, less than 50 cm.

Projectors Ultra short focal

Ultra short throw video projector: an immersive image

The best display technologies

Apart from the very different optical unit and light path, the video projection technologies of ultra short throw video projectors are strictly identical to conventional devices. There are thus video projectors equipped with tri-LCD or DLP 1080p matrices. The projected image is in the latter case composed of more than 2 million pixels.

Ultra short throw projector: less loss of light

Apart Closer to the projection surface, the ultra short throw projector offers better performance. Viewing films with light on is perfectly conceivable.

Ultra short throw video projector: technical screen recommended

Projection screens for ultra short throw projectors are optimized for projection during the day and in living rooms where light pollution is often significant. They thus have a treated surface to limit the effects of this light pollution on the image and improve the contrast. These are most often fixed screens, the only solution for having a perfectly flat projection surface thanks to the uniform tension of the canvas fixed to the frame.

To meet the specific constraints of projection "at the foot of the wall" in a domestic environment that is lit or plunged into darkness but generates light pollution, several manufacturers offer projection screens with a specially adapted canvas. We generally speak of fabrics using an ALR technology (Ambient Light Rejecting). This is the case for example of the manufacturer Lumene with the projection screen Lumene Movie Palace UHD 4K Extra Bright.

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UST Projector screen 90″ 100″ 120″ TV home theater

Ultra short focal projection screens are specifically designed for projection in a bright environment with an ultra short focal projector. They have a technical canvas which returns in the axis of the screen, towards the spectators, the projected image and limits the reflection of the light coming from the video projector. This technical canvas also acts on the ambient light which it reflects outside the projection screen. The result: a more contrasted image and saturated colors, even in broad daylight.

Ultra short focal projection screen: controlling the light

Manufacturers of ultra short throw projectors often put forward as a decisive argument the possibility of projecting the image directly on a white wall. You just need to place the projector directly above the wall to immediately enjoy a big, beautiful picture. The reality is a little more nuanced ...

The surface of a wall, as clean and smooth as it is, does not make it possible to obtain an image as beautiful as a suitable screen. This is especially true during the day or in a lighted room, and more generally when you want to enjoy a beautiful, bright and contrasting image. The often clear walls are all surfaces that reflect light and in particular that emitted by the video projector itself, with an even more noticeable effect in the dark. Light pollution is the main enemy of contrast.

Ultra short focal projection screen: technical canvas

These projection screens dedicated to ultra short throw video projectors are fitted with a technical canvas designed to control the scattering of light. It is most often a micro structured canvas, the surface of which has micro reliefs. This specific structure, which adopts very regular patterns, performs a dual function.

First, it directs the reflection of the light beam emitted by the video projector almost exclusively in the axis of the projection screen, towards the spectators. In doing so, it very significantly attenuates the reflection of light from the video projector on the walls and ceiling of the room. This greatly reduces a primary source of light pollution of the image, and helps maintain the darkness of the room for nighttime screenings.

In addition, these micro-reliefs on the surface of the projection screen divert light pollution from the walls and the ceiling outside the axis of the projection screen. The projection surface is almost no longer illuminated by ambient light reflections. Contrast is preserved.

Ultra short focal projection screen: flat surface

Ultra short throw projectors are placed very close to the screen and project with a closed angle to conventional projectors that are facing the screen.

Since they project almost in “grazing light” compared to the projection screen, they are extremely sensitive to the curling of the canvas. The slightest bump or ripple on the projection surface generates a deformation and can even result in the projection of a shadow on the part of the image behind this bump.

This is why it is highly recommended to opt for a fixed projection screen or for a tensioned electric projection screen when you want to use an ultra-short throw video projector, in order to avoid any problem of image geometry. .

Ultra short focal projection screen: what format?

Ultra short throw video projectors all adopt a 1080p HD or even UHD 4K matrix, in native 16/9 format. The manufacturers of dedicated projection screens therefore offer fixed projection screens in this format.

Ultra short focal projection screen: the concept of gain

The gain of a canvas indicates its property to absorb (negative gain, less than 1) or reflect light (positive gain, greater than 1). The higher the gain (value greater than 1), the more the canvas is able to reflect a significant amount of the light projected by the video projector. A gain measured at 1 is considered neutral.

A projection screen with a canvas with a high gain is therefore recommended with video projectors whose brightness is low, and for projection in broad daylight and in a bright environment. It is also recommended for installations where the distance between the video projector and the projection screen is large, for projecting a very large image, for example. In fact, the further you move the video projector away from the projection screen, the more you enlarge the image and the more its brightness decreases. A projection screen with a significant gain makes it possible to compensate for this phenomenon.

Conversely, with an ultra short focal length projector generally very bright and positioned very close to the screen, it is safe to use a projection screen whose gain is neutral (gain value = 1) or low (gain of 0.5). Screens with a gain greater than 1 may indeed cause a bright halo in the center of the image, if the projector is very bright or if it is installed a short distance from the projection screen.