IN THE “OLD DAYS,” when it came time to put a projection system in a conference room standard practice was to simply install a matt white screen and hope the users would remember to close the window treatments or turn down the lights.

That practice is on the wane now as a variety of projection screen surfaces that reject ambient light are readily available, but it hasn’t gone away completely, as Gary Jefferies discovered when he was called in to revamp the AV in a conference room. What Jefferies, the CEO and Owner of SYNC Technology Integration of Fishers, Indiana, found was a 10-year-old installation featuring a Draper Matt White screen and a Dell DLP projector.

“The clients were mainly concerned about bringing the room more into today’s technology, but were heavily concerned about a brighter image as well as more of a wide screen format,” according to Jefferies. “They did not like the fact that they had to completely turn off all lights and close all shades to even begin to make out an image.”

Jefferies says they also wanted a simple-to-use system where they could easily switch between sources. But his main concern was to improve screen legibility and brightness when lights had to be on in the room. The first part of that equation— the projector—was handled with the 6200 ANSI lumen Barco PGWX-61b Projector. The second half of the equation, however—the screen—was a little trickier. Jefferies knew the choice would come down to room layout and light levels.

“I leaned on the Draper professionals for the majority of this question,” he says. “The AV salespeople led me in the direction of this screen after I told them the layout, lighting situation and content being displayed.”

180 degree viewing cone“This screen” surface recommended by Draper for the room was TecVision XH900X Grey, a great solution for situations of moderate to high ambient light which creates a brighter image with better contrast. Unlike some ambient light rejecting screens, however, everyone in the room can see the image on this screen—XH900X Grey has a 180 degree viewing cone. And that image will be the best quality possible. XH900X Grey—like all TecVision surfaces—is 8K ready so images are sharp and clear, and ISF™ Certified for color accuracy so the colors will be clear and spot on. Despite the promised improved performance of TecVision XH900X Grey, however, Jefferies admits his client was a bit skeptical. They were used to seeing white screens, after all, and the company’s IT director was leery of the TecVision grey tint. But not for long.

“After turning the projector on for the first time, all hesitations went out the window as they were immediately impressed with the brightness of the image even with the blinds open and lights on,” Jefferies is happy to report. “They have had multiple meetings held in the room over the last week and everyone in attendance has been pleased and impressed with the outcome.”