Hot wired: Projecting the real thing
If ever there was a week in our national cinematic history when big was truly beautiful, and the grandeur of the cinema experience made imperative sense, then this is it.
There are several aspects of the home entertainment equation where size can be exploited to good advantage. Big amplifiers and matching speakers can make for a big sound, big amounts of digital storage mean a big stay-at-home choice, and a big room and big couches make for big comfort.
But when it comes to home theatre, the real King Kong piece of kit is the big screen.
Although plasma and LCD television manufacturers are constantly expanding their dimensional boundaries, if you want that cinematic experience at home then you need to be talking about projecting your images - projecting them on to a screen just like a movie theatre.
Some will say the off-white lounge wall works just fine as a screen and you hardly notice the light switch.
On the other side of the wallet are those who argue that $5000 for a home projection screen is money well spent.
And if you want the Rolls-Royce self-masking 100-inch motorised Stewart Filmscreen you should have a spare $25,000 or more.
Such extravagances are not for you or me, but you'll get the picture - there is more to projector screen technology than meets the eye.
Professional screens provide much more than a flat surface for your picture. They improve the image to the extent that a mediocre projector can be made to look good with a quality screen. A good screen will enhance picture brightness and contrast and extend the viewing angle width, which means more people get a good look.
If you have a $5000 television budget then get a $3500 projector and spend the rest on the screen. That sounds a lot but it will still be working just as well in 15 years - when you are on to your fifth projector.
The most obvious criticism of the projector-screen TV option is that they need a completely dark room if you do want that true home theatre experience - but with today's screen materials a full blackout is not essential. Some specialist screens have a slightly concave shape that works admirably in fully lit areas.
If the room has some ambient light there are grey-coloured screens that provide a better picture than white ones.
Screens can be permanently fixed to the wall or designed to drop down from the ceiling.
A black border around the screen mops up light spillage and focuses the eye.
Copyright © 2006, APN Holdings NZ Ltd
If ever there was a week in our national cinematic history when big was truly beautiful, and the grandeur of the cinema experience made imperative sense, then this is it.
There are several aspects of the home entertainment equation where size can be exploited to good advantage. Big amplifiers and matching speakers can make for a big sound, big amounts of digital storage mean a big stay-at-home choice, and a big room and big couches make for big comfort.
But when it comes to home theatre, the real King Kong piece of kit is the big screen.
Although plasma and LCD television manufacturers are constantly expanding their dimensional boundaries, if you want that cinematic experience at home then you need to be talking about projecting your images - projecting them on to a screen just like a movie theatre.
Some will say the off-white lounge wall works just fine as a screen and you hardly notice the light switch.
On the other side of the wallet are those who argue that $5000 for a home projection screen is money well spent.
And if you want the Rolls-Royce self-masking 100-inch motorised Stewart Filmscreen you should have a spare $25,000 or more.
Such extravagances are not for you or me, but you'll get the picture - there is more to projector screen technology than meets the eye.
Professional screens provide much more than a flat surface for your picture. They improve the image to the extent that a mediocre projector can be made to look good with a quality screen. A good screen will enhance picture brightness and contrast and extend the viewing angle width, which means more people get a good look.
If you have a $5000 television budget then get a $3500 projector and spend the rest on the screen. That sounds a lot but it will still be working just as well in 15 years - when you are on to your fifth projector.
The most obvious criticism of the projector-screen TV option is that they need a completely dark room if you do want that true home theatre experience - but with today's screen materials a full blackout is not essential. Some specialist screens have a slightly concave shape that works admirably in fully lit areas.
If the room has some ambient light there are grey-coloured screens that provide a better picture than white ones.
Screens can be permanently fixed to the wall or designed to drop down from the ceiling.
A black border around the screen mops up light spillage and focuses the eye.
Copyright © 2006, APN Holdings NZ Ltd
