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There are many screens to choose from for the projector’s projection. But many newbie home theater enthusiasts are confused as to choose what. The most popular on the internet is the ALR screen. Let’s discuss this in-depth to make it easier for the newbies to decide on getting one or not. So, is an ARL screen worth it?
At A Glance: The ALR screen is worth it if your home theater is having ambient light in it. But if the room is well treated and the light is blocked out then a normal white screen will be good but if your eye is of videophile then you will need ALR in dark rooms too.
Keep reading as we will be discussing this matter in detail. Also, I will compare the ALR with a white screen. I will discuss the pros and cons and related questions to it.
What does the ALR screen do?
The ARL screen is created of nanoparticle material. These particles are manufactured in this way. These particles can reflect all other light in the room in other directions and the projector light at the audience.
By this, the light that comes out of the projector has an image. This light reflects at the audience in its pure form without impurity.
The impurity here will be all other lights in the room.
What does a regular screen do? The regular screen reflects the ambient light of the room and the light coming out of the projector straight to the audience. That’s why you see the reflection of a bulb right in the image of the movie.
This frustrates theater lovers. That’s why this ALR screen was developed so the consumers fall in love with the theater experience again.
The ALR screen transformed the home theater and professional cinema experience. But how good is it from the regular screen? Keep reading to know more about it.
Follow these 13 tips to improve the home theater audio and video experience. I have added the proven ones.
ALR vs Normal Screen: What’s the difference & which is better?
This debate is catching fire online. That’s why I am here to discuss it.
I will compare these two in three categories. Because we tend to buy screens for the first two qualities. But I want to compare them in the convenience category too.
I included the installation hustle point because I feel it should be discussed too. Technology should ease our work rather than make a source of hustle for us. Let’s discuss it.
Picture Quality: (Results obtained from an experiment)
I tested the same video with the normal screen and when the ALR screen was on. The difference is clear. The color of the image projected on a normal screen was so washed out. The vibrancy of colors was lost.
After analyzing the colors of the image on both screens. I played the rush hour movie Eiffel Tower fighting scene. The pixels in that scene change so fast, and in many frames, the background changes a lot. The characters swing from one part of the Eiffel Tower to another.
During their swing from one part to another. I barely noticed the part of Paris behind the Eiffel Tower. I just noticed that they have jumped from one part to another part of the Eiffel Tower and that’s it.
But when I played the same scene on the ALR screen. When they jumped from one part of the Eiffel to another. I clearly noticed that the Eiffel Tower along with the building of Paris in the background changed as well. I have not noticed these building changes in the normal screen projection.
This part is pretty lengthy now, but I wanted to add what I observed. So, you can know what you will miss or get.
Read this review guide about the best short throw projectors. I have reviewed the top 7.
Cost Per Inch Comparison: (Obtained from research)
| Cost | Normal Screen | ALR Screen |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Per Inch | $0.16 – $0.416 | $2.325 – $19.86 |
The normal screens are way cheaper than the ARL screen. The ALR Screen cost per inch is humongous. This price can add up to a very high price overall. When you want to have 100 inches or 120 inches screen.
The 120 inches screen is the normal one in the home theater. You will be probably looking for this size and the ALR screen of good quality and from a good brand will cost you as same as a regular native 1080p projector. This price is huge.
The price can go higher with many more new features in the screen functionality. Such as electric tension or acoustic transparency.
But normal screens are so affordable. Yes, their price of acoustic transparency feature will cost more dollars but still, it will be cheaper than the ALR screen.
So the price difference is clearly shown here.
Know, can the projector screen get wet? You will know about the different materials from which screens are made.
Installation Comparison
Many normal screens are just a piece of cloth that can be installed within a few minutes. While almost every ALR screen has a special frame. The frame itself should be assembled.
If you are the kind of person that takes good care of things and are also a newbie then you will hesitate to assemble them. But if you are intermediate and have done some kind of fitting before then you can assemble it while looking at the user manual. But the hustle is still there.
Final verdict of the comparison
The ALR screen is the winner only in the picture quality category. But at the end of the day, we install a home theater for the sack of the best audio and video quality.
Personally, I have compromised the installation hustle and the cost of ALR for its brilliant picture quality.
I want to have audio and video error-free.
Stay for the pros and cons and the final overall verdict. That verdict is different from this one because this one is for this comparison only.
Know which option is great for a home theater display, TV, or projector? I have compared them in a small table.
ALR screen pros and cons: Can it stand out?
Let’s discuss the pros and cons of this screen. So, you can determine whether it is for you or not.
You probably will know that this screen is better than the normal screen. Let’s see if it is worth it by itself or not.
Pros
- Great picture quality with defined blacks and whites across the screen
- Wider viewing angles. Look good and the same from every angle of the room. You don’t need to sit on the point of sight to enjoy a better quality
- Due to its robust frame. It has no wrinkle issues. Almost every ALR screen has this frame
- It ensures that you recover each penny spent on the projector
Cons
- It is usually very expensive. You can pay a Netflix fee for years or buy a native 1080p projector at the same price
- It comes with the hustle of assembling and installation.
- Psychologically. I won’t be satisfied when using this screen with 1080p. I will have no peace of mind, and my mind will still thrive for the 4K projector to buy.
Read this review guide, on the best ultra-short-throw projectors. I have reviewed the top 7 UST projectors. These projectors can project 100 inches images from a distance of a few inches.
Final Verdict: Is it worth it?
- The ALR screen is worth it if you want it for a room that has ambient light if you can’t control the light in the room for some reason.
- You need it if you are a videophile like me. I need every pixel of the screen to be perfect. I hate when the same image is different at the corners than the center. I won’t step into the theater room if I see this type of image quality. If you are like me, then you need it. If you think you are not like me, that means you are not a videophile. Then you should follow the third step.
- If you are not a videophile, and you have controlled the lightning in the room, then you can ditch it for its high price. But if you don’t care about the budget, then read the 4th point.
- The ALR is absolutely worth it if you want great picture quality and images that have color distribution equally spread all across the screen. By equal distribution, I mean that there is no difference in the colors of all areas of the image.
Did you get something out of the ALR screen size guide? Hold On We Have Something Exciting To Share.
[the_ad id=”4771″]FAQs
Can you use the ALR screen with a regular projector?
You can use it with any type of projector. It is just a myth that ALR screens are for ultra-short throw projectors. The ALR is made for the purpose to refine the picture quality of any type of projector.
Not only that but it is made to eliminate the weird reflection property of projector screens. We usually see the reflection of the projector bulb on the screen. With the ALR screen, you don’t see this weird reflection on the screen. It used to irritate me a lot.
Do you need an ALR screen in a dark room?
You need it if you want perfection in the video, but if you don’t go after perfection in things then a normal screen will work for you.
There is a slight difference between an ALR and a normal screen when comparing it to a dark room. This difference can be irritating for those who are perfectionists. Otherwise, you can go with a normal screen.
Do you need an ALR projector screen?
You need it if you want the picture of the projector to look the same all across the screen and don’t want to see the reflection of all other things in the room on your screen.
The ALR screen filters out all these impurities from the image and gives you a pure form of the image. The image that producers have shot and decoded the movie in.
Helpful Resources For The FAQs To Read More
- This was my opinion, read more about it from this Reddit discussion. (Resource for the second answer)
- This was my opinion, read more about it in this AVsforum discussion. (Resource for the third answer)
