Being the owner of one of the largest screen manufacturing companies certainly comes with its perks, one of them being that if you need the ultimate screen for your home theater, you know just where to go.
This was the case for Screen Innovations’ owner Ryan Gustafson, who recently upgraded his own home theater in Austin, Texas, by installing a 150-inch Zero Edge Slate .8 screen.
“You would think after being in the screen business for over 15 years that you would get used to seeing big screens,” says Gustafson. “I have been doing this a long time, but I was blown away yet again.”
Screen Innovations says the Slate .8 is the world’s first massive ambient-light rejecting screen that is black in color. Available in Motorized, Zero Edge and Fixed Frame screen formats, Slate is said to reject 65 percent of a room’s ambient light vs. under 10 percent light rejection with a white or grey screen.
Gustafson spoke exclusively to CE Pro sister publication CE Pro Europe about the install at his home. It all started when he recently zoomed his projector out on his previous 110-inch screen, only for his kids to say, “Dad stop! Don’t change it back. We like it like this!”
“I turned around and looked at the movie they were watching over-scanned on their wall and realized I was missing everything. Our new production manager Jason Reis brought the screen to my house and we did the installation together. Jason is our new COO, and has completely transformed SI into an absolute beast when it comes to process, output and quality,” said Gustafson, adding that the install took “45 minutes and six beers.”
Gustafson picked the Zero Edge Slate .8 over Screen Innovation’s other products for various reasons. As he spoke about Screen Innovations' product developments, Gustafson developed a serious case of the winks.
“For now, [wink] Slate is our largest technology at 200-inches 16:9 and 250-inches 2.35,” he said. “I went with .8 because the blacks are the closest to Black Diamond, which is the best. If Black Diamond could be 150-inch [wink] I would use it all day long.”
The Gustafson home theater is also home to Origin Acoustics speakers, a Paradigm subwoofer, an Anthem 11.2-channel AV receiver and a Sony 4K VPL-VW675ES projector.
“When we first used it, the kids went nuts,” said Gustafson. “They asked my why we did not go big in the first place. I agreed and told them that projectors have gotten brighter and higher in resolution. I also explained that we need to adjust our THX and SMPTE spec on our seating distance calculator.
“To say I’m re-watching every favorite movie is an understatement,” he added. “I can’t begin to explain the excitement we had watching movie clip after move clip. It’s like it was all-new. In fact, I’m watching more movies. I’m seriously blown away;. With the lights cranked I’m getting perfect blacks and whites even with the Sony’s output. It’s like being a kid all over again,” Gustafson said. “Best job in the world!
“Sometimes you just forget how amazing the big screen experience can be. I will also say, not one person with a flat panel is getting the big picture. They are literally losing the experience the movie was made for.”
This article was originally published on CE Pro Europe.
