A real Home Theater is projection based, and must have a screen - a really BIG screen. That's the whole point, otherwise it would be called home TV! Here at K&W Audio we have done projector/ screen combination's since the 80’s, and today handle every major choice of screen manufacturer.  There are a lot of elements to consider when specifying the correct screen for your home application and many options you probably weren’t aware of.  As a result, your choice of screen isn’t as straight forward as one might think at first blush. But exploring the possibilities just a bit, is probably going to open up more options than you had first considered as well. So let's take a quick look.

The fixed screen, mounted on the wall is the most popular option.  One of the most important areas to consider first is the aspect ratio.  Today the most popular aspect ratio is 1.78:1, or more popularly known as 16x9.  That’s the same shape as all of the LCD and plasma sets on the market. While many movies will fit this size perfectly, there is a purist philosophy considering the 2.35:1 Cinescope shape as the theater’s native ratio.  After all, that more letterbox-ish ratio is the ratio the big budget and more “Artsy” movies are usually shot in, and movies are often the primary role of the home theater. The finest screens today start in this wider – widescreen format, and with motorized masking, curved facia for higher gain, and an anamorphic lens assembly mated to the leading edge projector, giving the state of the art in size, shape and resolution. These constant vertical height curved electric screens eliminate horizontal black bars, while the concave shape of the Cinecurve,focuses light coming from the image back toward the seating area, making the image appear even brighter, as well limiting the amount of light reflected to the theater side walls.  When the time comes to watch in other movie formats, it re-masks and loads the proper lens option too.  If you want state of the art, these motorized Cinecurve screens are the only answer.

Rear projection is another approach often overlooked, with several big advantages. If you are building a home theater in the basement, and have an adjacent utility room, you are a potential candidate. If you mount your projector in the utility room and hang your rear projection screen on an aperture wall, the image can be brighter and have less parasitic loss to ambient light than with front projection. Plus with the projector completely out of the theater space, there is absolutely no projection noise, and no loss of head room to a ceiling mounted projector in the space. Even better, no one can stand up in front of the projector when the movie is playing! You need to spend some time planning here, and we can provide as build drawings to scale for any size or configuration.

Power driven drop down screens are another popular choice. Today people don’t want to end up with a black can housing their rolled up screen, like a high school gymnasium. There are options you know! Completely hidden screens that descend from a trap door are one option, and housings stylishly designed and custom colored to the room (or contrasting for that hi tech look) are another choice here.

Yet another area to consider when kicking around what screen is right for you is THX acoustic transparency. This allows you to mount all of your front speakers directly behind the screen. “But a screen in front of my speakers has to change the sound” you say. Well, you would be right. That’s why the good folks at Lucasfilm THX along with Stewart Filmscreen a have developed the THX perforation. Basically teeny tiny holes in the screen, arranged in a way that doesn’t amplify pixel orientation, combined with a specifically designed equalizer you connect to your surround amplifier nets you the same or better performance than available at your favorite theater.

Do you love being outdoors on your spacious patio? Maybe you have an amazing view of the mountains or live right along the shore. Entertain your friends and family outside during Superbowl Sunday or watch a movie while feeling the refreshing ocean breeze in a weather-resistant video theater Oasis. Outdoor theaters create upscale outdoor living spaces. Electronically controlled retractable screens designed specifically for outdoor use and resistant to corrosion and other outdoor elements are just too cool, and you know you will be the only one on the block with one!