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Screen Innovations Black Diamond Zero Edge Screen look expensive and high-end.

When designing a home theater, the screen is often the last consideration in the plan. After all, it’s much more interesting to research electronics and their associated specs than to look through screen material samples and frame designs. Other than size, few of us think much about our choice of screen. And what about aesthetics? Many theater designs hide the screen behind curtains so it isn’t even seen until movie time. And then there’s the lighting. Not everyone wants to watch movies in total darkness. And if you want to have a few friends over to watch sports, you’ll most likely want the lights on.

Enter Screen Innovations. SI has always been a company that pushes the envelope with projection screen technology. Their Black Diamond material helped put them on the map by making it possible to use a front projector with the lights on. Now with the Zero Edge, they’ve created a screen that actually looks great too. Whether in use or not, the Zero Edge is a guaranteed conversation piece and will make any media room (read more)

CE PRO 6 Best Demos of CES 2012

ADA, RBH, projectiondesign, SI

These companies have exhibited together for a number of years at the EHX custom electronics shows, but it’s a rare site to see an entire group of pure custom electronics companies in the Venetian. The companies showed how consumers can implement a great room/theater and secondary zones of A/V seamlessly. The two biggest takeaways from the joint exhibit: how cool looking SI’s Zero Edge Screen (pictured) was and how powerful ADA’s new flagship Cinema Reference Mach IV pre/pro is with its 16-channel Trinnov EQ system. (more info)

Pro Football Player Specifies his Dream Theater

July 06, 2011 | by Lisa Montgomery

Home theaters can be big, small, modest or elaborate. The owner of this medium-sized media space (a pro football player whose name we can’t mention) wanted his theater to reflect his football career and suit the unique needs of his family. First and foremost, the audio had to come through loud and clear, but not so it would disturb his newborn child or wife. Custom sound baffles were installed to keep the home theater’s audio isolated from the rest of the home, even when the volume is cranked.

The seating had to fit exacting requirements; he’s a defensive player, a.k.a. a big guy- too big for most standard seating. Instead, he wanted seats that could combine as a couch and recline individually.

The Black Diamond screen contributes through a design that’s maximized for high light output from a projector. The materials of the screen absorb the light so well that the projector’s high contrast can be effectively used; the blacks aren’t washed out, and the whites are crisp and clear.

Screen Scene: The Latest Projection Screen Trends and Challenges

Reflecting on what’s hot in the projection screen category for manufacturers is a little like casting their own footprints up on the wall. In opening themselves up like this, the top screen manufacturers have expressed both caution and opportunity for 3D screen technology, confirmation of the rise of multi-purpose media rooms, and a multitude of intriguing predictions for what types of changes this product class may go through.

Trending in Multiple Dimensions
The biggest trend in projection screens is a direct reflection on increase in 3D content and projector technology. Not surprisingly, there are a range of views regarding the viability for 3D screens to dominate the market long term and the views of the different types of challenges that the technology presents. read more

SCREEN INNOVATIONS ANNOUNCES THEIR NEW BLACK DIAMOND ZERO EDGE

Black Diamond Zero Edge available in 2.7, 1.4, and .8 screen gains up to 142-inch diagonal.

Austin, TX – August 18, 2011 – Screen Innovations (SI), the leader in projection screen technology, today announced its new Black Diamond Zero Edge projection screen, the first affordable large flat-panel alternative.

The Zero Edge ultra-thin, rigid panel sets a new aesthetic standard – with a pencil-thin bezel, the projected image appears to float off the wall. Among the multiple mounting options, the Zero Edge includes recessed (unframed), flush-to, projected off the wall, or flying from cables for an incredibly sleek appearance. There’s no assembly required—just unpack and hang.

According to Ryan Gustafson, President of Screen Innovations, “Our dealers have been telling us that they love the Black Diamond Big Screen experience but the problem is their customers don’t want a projection screen in the living room. Now with Zero Edge, you can have the same big screen experience with cutting edge aesthetic appeal. Black Diamond Zero Edge coupled with the new Black Diamond G3 screen materials offers the most stunning screen money can buy.

Standard screen sizes are available in 80 to 142-inch diagonal. Custom screen sizes are available as well. Screen materials include Black Diamond 2.7, Black Diamond 1.4 and Black Diamond 0.8. The Black Diamond Zero Edge will be shipping in October.

For more information about the new Black Diamond Zero Edge, visit http://www.screeninnovations.com/projector-screens/fixed/black-diamond-zero-edg/

Come See Us At CEDIA 2011 Booth #719

Screen Innovations will be demonstrating several new products at CEDIA 2011 Booth #719

Please contact blake@screeninnovations.com to set your appointments.

SIM2 Black Diamond 2.7 Feedback

“The BD 2.7 looked amazing using the new SIM2 LUMIS 3D – best picture at the show, a lot of interest. Also we did further tests today with a passive circular polarization 3D system and the screen performed brilliantly.”

From: Alan Roser
Managing Director of SIM2 UK Ltd

Electronic House Home Of The Year 2011

May 05, 2011 by Steven Castle

You’re treated to an entertaining show the second you enter this theater. About 150 feet of LEDs (light emitting diodes) integrated into the coffered ceiling light up and cycle through several different colors as guests take their seats.

“It’s a neat effect, and it gives it such a Wow! factor,” says Mike Fox of systems installation firm Fox Audio Visual in Springfield, Ill. “I chose five to six colors that can be toggled through. For more advanced colors, you can call them up via the remote.”

A motion sensor at the front of the room detects visitors from the side door and triggers an LED processor that’s connected to a Control4 home control system. The LED processor turns on combinations of the red, green and blue LEDs to achieve different effects. Fox and his company programmed several preset scenes into the Control4 system, so the homeowners can show off their theater and its colorful ceiling at the touch of a button.

The ceiling isn’t the only amazing part of this room. The LED lights ramp down when it’s showtime, and that’s when the audio and video system shines.

Custom on a Budget

This theater provides a warm feeling due to the space, designer fabrics and the quality custom woodwork from builder Leka Construction of Riverton, Ill., and it doesn’t cost as much as some pre-fabricated or modular theaters. “With a little creativity, you can work with a good designer, builder, woodworker and upholsterer, and build a true one-off theater with real hardwoods, custom fabrics and those little details that make it uniquely your own,” says Mike Fox of home theater specialist Fox Audio Visual in Springfield, Ill. Fox also pays special attention to the ceilings in his theaters, as is more than evident in this LED-lit space. “I like to make home theater ceilings interesting, because it’s part of what you first see when you walk in.”

Fox used seven of BG’s Radia “ribbon” speakers to provide the audio thump. The speakers use flat diaphragms instead of traditional cone drivers, and an electromagnetic force on aluminum conductors evenly distributes a signal over the entire surface of the diaphragms. This eliminates vibrations and results in a smooth sound, especially in the upper frequencies.

“I love the sound of the BG speakers; it doesn’t really bounce off the walls,” says Fox. “And they’re great for both home theater and listening to music.” This suits the 70-year-old couple who owns this theater, as they tend to watch older movie classics, rather than today’s bass-heavy blockbusters—although Fox did enhance the low end of the sound (or bass) by adding two 15-inch Velodyne subwoofers. Lastly, Fox applied a variety of acoustical materials to the walls and ceiling to enhance the sound.

The three front Radia CC-LCR speakers are located behind an acoustically perforated video screen. Fox made sure no reflective surface on the hidden speakers would shine through the pinholes of the screen, by removing all of the plastic on the top and bottom of the units and painting their housings black. Four additional full-size Z62 LCRs are hidden behind fabric in the pillars along the side and rear walls, and the Velodyne subs are concealed underneath a cabinet in the front of the room. Together, these pieces provide the full sonic effect of a 7.2-channel surround-sound system, which is driven by a Denon AVR-4310 surround-sound receiver and Velodyne SC1250 amps.

The smooth A/V theme continues with the combination of a JVC DLA-RS25 projector and Screen Innovations 119-inch display. “I love JVC projectors, and for the money they provide a great picture,” says Fox. JVC’s D-ILA (Direct-Drive Image Light Amplification) is a variant of LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) technology, which is considered a cross between DLP (Digital Light Projection) and LCD. Forgive the alphabet soup, but in LCoS technology a light shines on reflective panels of liquid crystals to produce a picture.

System Design & Installation

Fox Audio Visual, Springfield, Ill.
www.foxav.net

Builder/Woodwork

Leka Construction, Riverton, Ill.

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The resulting images tend to be very smooth and film-like, without some of the artifacts that can result with other display technologies. “Other [projection technologies] are brighter and have a little more color, but these are a lot smoother,” says Fox. “The skin tones are more realistic and the colors aren’t overly exaggerated.”

Fox also likes Screen Innovations’ fabric screen because he says the perforation pattern that allows the sound to come through is tighter than others.

The JVC projector is all but invisible, shining from one unobtrusive hole in a soffit at the rear of the theater. The projector was hidden there, and a rear door in the adjacent exercise room allows easy access and ventilation.

A handheld Control4 remote revs up the projector, as well as all of the necessary components. The lights, including the LEDs, are controlled through the remote, too, making this one smooth room to operate. EH

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/smooth_operator

SCREEN INNOVATIONS ANNOUNCES BLACK DIAMOND VENUE PROJECTION SCREEN

Offering limitless options for integrators, the Black Diamond Venue allows unprecedented projection in any environment.

Austin, TX – May 25, 2011 – Screen Innovations (SI), the leader in projection screen technology, announces that their Black Diamond Venue is now shipping. The new Black Diamond Venue micro-seamed rigid panel projection screen changes the commercial landscape by allowing projection to work in any environment, anytime. Projected images can now transform into an infinite sized flat-panel in virtually any application imaginable. The Black Diamond Venue will be on display at InfoComm, Booth 943.

Black Diamond Venue is available in custom sizes, with only a single micro-seam up to 16-foot wide by 9-foot high (220-inch diagonal). It’s also manufactured up to 29-foot wide by 16-foot high (400-inch diagonal) with multiple micro-seams. Black Diamond Venue incorporates a newly engineered adjustable wall bracket system that maintains a perfectly flat surface—even when mounting on uneven walls. Optional suspended brackets are available for flying the screen from the ceiling.

Black Diamond Venue has multiple frame décor options including no frame at all. Due to the “Black” nature of the native Black Diamond material, there is no need to mask screen edges allowing customers to get creative with their screen designs. Custom aspect ratios and even making an entire wall a screen is now possible.

According to Ryan Gustafson, President of Screen Innovations, “Dealers have been constantly telling us that the Black Diamond Screen is a great solution BUT they need larger sizes. Our dealers now have the ability to install plasma-like images in house of worship venues, restaurants, bars, boardrooms, schools, staging/event rooms, trade show/digital signage applications, outdoor locations, etc., giving their customers the ultimate experience projection has to offer. Dealers are now going back to their previous customers with a small sample of Black Diamond Venue to show them why they need to upgrade. The truth is, anyone who purchased a projection system in the last 10 years should hold up a sample of the Black Diamond Venue material in front of the existing screen–it will open your eyes to what’s possible.”

To manufacture true micro-seams, Screen Innovations partnered with Striebig, a Swiss manufacturer who builds the most precise custom cutting machines in the world. After a significant amount of testing, the proper equipment was specified and installed, and is now operational.

Black Diamond Venue is available in all three Black Diamond 3G materials including the new Black Diamond 2.7.

BD 2.7
BD 1.4 Gain
BD .8 Gain

For more information about Screen Innovations, visit…

About http://www.screeninnovations.com/commercial/fixed/black-diamond-venue/
Specs http://www.screeninnovations.com/commercial/fixed/black-diamond-venue/specs/

Casablanca Home Theater

This masterpiece home theater was designed to reflect the high-roller style of Hotel Casablanca where many of the classic movie’s scenes were filmed. Its radical buttresses, sheik leopard carpet and black leather seating demand an audience, while $250,000-plus in technology and one touch of the forefinger bring it to life.

Digital Projection’s dVision 30 HD Projector extends over the room to cast a picture on the 160” fixed SI screen. The audio system, which cost more than $100,000, features a pair of Wilson MAXX III Fronts, four Wilson WATCH Surrounds and a WATCH Center. There also are two Krell Evolution 600 Amplifiers, a Krell multi-channel Theater Amplifier Standard and S1200U Surround Processor.

http://www.cepro.com/slideshow/image/8450/