Projectors Tests Reviews
NothingProjector 120-inch ALR / CLR screen: test / review
Published on: 26-07-2024 / Modified: 26-07-2024
I regularly test projectors, trying to apply the same methodology so that I can inform you about the strengths and weaknesses of each product. Testing a screen is a kind of natural extension of what I already do with projectors, as I can do it with the same tools and methods.
I've tested several screens of various types, which allows me to take a step back and better answer the questions I'm asked. In fact, I've started writing a screen comparison where I share the results of my measurements, along with advice on how to choose the right screen for your situation.
Link: Projection screen comparison
Where to buy?
NothingProjector screens are sold exclusively on the NothingProjector website. This screen is part of the BlackSeries range, several sizes are available but the fabric is identical
NothingProjector 120-inch screen on NothingProjector.com
ALR/CLR screen
Let's return to the original subject with a test of the NothingProjector 120-inch projection screen. This is an ALR (or CLR) screen, which eliminates peripheral light rejection and reflects it back to the viewer. This type of screen is specially designed for ultra-short-throw projectors, and is not suitable for other types of projector (it'll work, but it's a waste of money for a less-than-optimal result).
This type of screen is made up of thin horizontal slats set at an angle that allows the luminosity coming from below to be redirected towards the spectators. A normal screen would reflect some of the light onto the ceiling, because as with any reflection, the angle of incidence is always equal to the angle of reflection. For this reason, a front projection screen should not be used, as the light would be reflected elsewhere
This type of screen therefore allows a projector to be used in a well-lit room, provided it is not too bright and the light is not too direct. Daytime use in bright light is not recommended. The image will be visible, but at the cost of a considerable loss of contrast.
Mounting
Mounting a screen doesn't represent a huge intellectual challenge, but you do need to think about a couple of things before you start, to get yourself in the right frame of mind. The screen can be assembled by one person (which is what I did), but it's much slower and less practical, especially for a screen of this size. This isn't the first screen I've assembled, so my assembly time is probably shorter, but it takes between 1 and 2 hours to assemble the whole thing with 2 people.
It may be fairly obvious, but to assemble such a screen you need a lot of room to move around the frame without having to walk along the walls, and then you need to be able to handle it easily to get it to its final destination. My projection room isn't big enough to mount such a screen - it's 3 by 5 meters, and it's not empty. So I decided to move the furniture around in my living room, as it was more practical. The frame of the screen is almost 3 meters wide, so you'll need to allow a meter all around it to move around comfortably.
The box contains the following accessories:
All the mounting hardware is included in the box, as are the wall brackets. If you want to use the wall brackets, you'll need a few extra tools, such as a drill bit and a level. It's advisable to position the base of the fixture 60/80 cm from the floor, but this will depend on the configuration of your room.
The first step is to assemble the aluminum frame
All the frame parts are numbered, and the drawing in the manual clearly shows how to assemble them - this is clearly the easiest part of the assembly
The next step is to fasten the various parts together:
All the assembly hardware is supplied in the box, even the screwdriver - there are even two, in case there are two of you to assemble the screen. There's no problem tightening the fasteners, the frame fits perfectly and I don't notice any gaps at the joints.
To move on to the next step, you have to lift the frame to unroll the screen on the floor and then replace the frame on top of the screen. Here again, no great difficulty, the screen must be placed on the very black surface of the screen. The direction at this stage is not important, as the frame is perfectly symmetrical. You need to place the frame inside the 4 white corners marked on the black surface of the screen.
You now need to slide the chopsticks into the passages provided on the screen. There's one type of rod for the vertical part of the screen, and it's large enough to cover the entire distance. For the horizontal part, you'll need to use two rods and make sure that the place where they meet doesn't correspond to one of the holes for attaching a spring
Once the rods have been installed, you'll need to attach all the springs, but be careful not to do this just any old way, as you need to create tension gradually by alternating the side where you install the springs. The manual indicates the direction: start with one corner and then do the opposite corner, each time proceeding in the same way. It's a fairly long process, and sometimes you have to force the springs a little to get them firmly attached to the frame. This is the essential step for a perfectly stretched canvas, and also the most time-consuming
the next step is to attach the black finishing frame all around the screen. Placing the frame isn't complicated, but inserting the fixing angles really made me lose time because I couldn't get the corners of the frame to meet. I'd had the same problem with my first NothingProjector screen, but I think it's worse with this version because the attachment system is a bit different. So you have to force the frame a little so that it doesn't leave too much space at each joint.
Canvas quality
I took a few photos of the canvas from different angles and distances, and there's really nothing to say. The canvas is really beautiful, there's no glitter effect, you can't see the natural texture of the canvas when it's used. If I position myself to the side to get out of the usual viewing angle, I don't notice any significant difference in brightness. If I get very close, I can't see any traces of the canvas's texture or treatment either
Day/Night
I imagine that some of you might see in this canvas a solution for watching a film in broad daylight as with a TV. At the risk of chilling you, it's not the same thing. A projector, even a bright one, is not designed to be used in daylight. This doesn't mean that the image isn't watchable, but it will be at the expense of contrast, as blacks will no longer be black but completely gray, as in this image. I took this photo with the room's LED light on, everything is still perfectly legible but the black has turned grey.
If you're watching a sporting event like soccer or Formula 1, I think this loss of contrast will be less of a problem, but if you're watching a film with lots of dark scenes, you won't be able to see anything.
I've made a quick video to illustrate what I've just explained. Even if the image is watchable, compare the dark areas between the two and you'll quickly see what I've just explained about contrate
Brightness test
Impact on white
I measured the luminosity returned by this screen with a neutral surface and obtained a 16% decrease on white, which is perfectly normal as the gain of this screen is less than 1.
Impact on black
I also measured the luminosity of black and there I measured a 36% decrease on black. Again, this is normal, and in fact a very good thing, since the results of my measurements show that the overall brightness drops, but it's the black that decreases the most.
This difference in brightness percentage has a direct benefit on contrast, but I'll come back to this point later in the test.
Brightness is an essential criterion when choosing a projector, and advertised brightness is very often lower than advertised. Actual brightness is often between 50 and 70% of what is advertised. From this figure, you'll need to subtract a further 20% to compensate for the loss caused by the screen
Color test
To measure the screen's color impact, I measured the main colors at the projector's output before they could be influenced by any other factor.
Impact on white
White is made up of equal parts of red, blue and green. If I look at how this composition evolves on the screen, I see that the proportion of red decreases by 11%, green increases by 2% and blue increases by 6%. Screens are never neutral, and ALR screens have a greater influence on colors than white screens. These measurements indicate that this NothingProjector screen tends to weaken reds in favor of blues, generating a cooler image overall. I note a 16% variation towards a cooler white
All the ALR screens I've tested so far follow the same direction, losing on reds to gain on blues. You therefore need to set the projector to a warmer white balance
Gray test
To measure the impact on grays, I used the same method as for colors. I measured a 26% deviation from the grays emitted by the projector, which is a lot, but largely correctable with white correction. If the white is correctly calibrated, the difference will rapidly diminish
Contrast test
The purpose of this type of screen is to channel light towards the viewers and increase the depth of the image by reducing brightness. So the projector has to be bright enough to afford to lose a bit of brightness, but the screen treatment also has to be able to promote the loss of brightness on blacks
Some white screens do a good job of doing the opposite by increasing overall brightness and sometimes maintaining contrast, but blacks turn gray and you lose the effect of image depth.
NothingProjector's screen here delivers an excellent performance by darkening blacks much more strongly than whites, so whites don't lose as much of their clarity.
I've compared this screen with others of the same type, and for the moment the NothingProjector comes out on top. This ranking will undoubtedly evolve over time, so you should consult the comparison at the same time as this test to make sure I haven't tested a better alternative.
LAURENT WILLENHead of myself on this blog
I share my passions on my blog in my free time since 2006, I prefer that to watching nonsense on TV or on social networks. I work alone, I am undoubtedly one of the last survivors of the world of blogs and personal sites.
My speciality? Digital in all its forms. I have spent the last 25 years working for multinationals where I managed digital teams and generated revenues of over €500 million per year. I have expertise in telecoms, media, aviation, travel and tourism.
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