Austin, TX — November 1, 2017 — Projection screen manufacturer Screen Innovations® (SI®) was founded in 2003 as a manufacturer of high quality, custom projection screens for the home market. SI quickly made its name by pioneering Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) screen technologies like Black Diamond®, as well as unique products like Zero Edge®, Zero-G®, Transformer®, newly introduced Solo®, and indoor and outdoor Shades.
SI’s passion for innovation comes directly from their experience working retail in the audio/video industry. “We used to be dealers, so naturally our dealers are like our family and we feel closely attached to their businesses. We instinctively know what they need to excel and we develop products and solutions, like these new online tools, that will help to grow their businesses,” said Ryan Gustafson, President of Screen Innovations.
With the goal to enhance the dealer and consumer user experience, SI has revamped its website, creating an entirely new online presence with simplified browsing by category, an all-new Dealer Dashboard, and a custom quoting system for consumers utilizing SI’s Online Screen Builder Tool. Once configured, the potential order is sent to the nearest dealer for a quote and direct response to the consumer.
“This represents a huge step forward in the quoting process for all of our dealers,” said Skyler Meek, Director of Marketing at SI. “Instead of sending thousands of customers into a black hole, we are gathering valuable data on what they are looking for, packaging it up, and then presenting that data to the nearest dealer as a pre-configured quote, which then can be submitted as an order in their Dealer Dashboard. What used to be a five-step process is now only two.”
Continuing, Meek said, “Essentially, SI has become a funnel to push leads directly to its dealer base and it couldn’t come at a better time as we are also announcing that the most anticipated screen we’ve ever produced, Solo, is now shipping. Solo, is the world’s first roll-able Zero Edge screen powered by lithium, lasting up to 2 years on a single charge. When recharging does become necessary, it is easily accomplished with a patent-pending magnetic charging cable.”
Solo completely reinvents the portable screen category by offering a completely wireless, rollable, Zero Edge style screen! SI has even engineered a set of mounting accessories such as suction cups, which allow the screen to be mounted to a wide array of different applications for indoor or outdoor enjoyment. Most recently, the company displayed a Solo screen mounted to the windows of a VW Bus at their CEDIA booth in San Diego. For added versatility, SI has developed a “Universal Locking Bracket” that has a 1/4-20 threaded bolt application to make custom mounting to nearly any application a possibility.
Solo is available in two variations, Solo and Solo Pro. The Pro variation is available with a 24-volt hardwired motor option, up to 12 cassette colors to choose from, larger maximum sizes, and all of SI’s most popular material options. “The idea behind Solo and Solo Pro is to give our dealers a feature-rich entry level line of screens that offer customers a wide value proposition, while maintaining the ability to completely customize the screen for the end-user with Solo Pro”. Continued Meek. “By doing this, SI hopes to add an additional revenue source for dealers in a totally unique way”.
The most intriguing aspect of the Solo line of screens, however, is not the screens themselves, but how they are controlled. Maintaining SI’s focus on the wireless aspect of Solo, the company has developed a line of accessories enabling total wireless connectivity to the screen. The Solo Connect accessory accepts IR, 12-volt trigger, and dry contact, converting them into a RF signal to control the screen without a single wire connected to it. SI has also setup an ecosystem that allows seamless connectivity with all of the most popular control systems and Amazon’s Echo.
Both Solo & Solo Pro models are now shipping, and orders can be placed directly in SI’s new Dealer Dashboard for order tracking and status updates.
About Screen Innovations
Founded in Ryan Gustafson’s garage in 2003 in Austin, Texas, Screen Innovations is a leading manufacturer of projection screens and associated technologies for residential and commercial applications. SI’s Black Diamond®, the world’s first and only multidirectional ambient-light-rejecting projection-screen technology, has revolutionized the two-piece projection category.
Follow SI on Facebook @screeninnovations and on Twitter @SIScreens