Why get a projection screens for conference rooms when flat panels are getting so much bigger and cheaper? It’s a fair question. Flat panels have drastically improved. But for rooms larger than 15 feet, they just don’t get the job done.
First off, there’s the whole size issue.
As a rule of thumb, you should take the depth of the room and divide by two to find the right diagonal for the image. So if you have a room that’s 20 feet (240 inches) deep, you’ll need at least a 120-inch diagonal image, likely much larger. Either that size doesn’t exist for flat panels, or it’s not viable economically.
Flat Panels vs Projection: The Pixel Problem
Another problem is resolution. As flat panel resolution increases, pixels get smaller. That means the text and font sizes used in spreadsheets and presentations also get smaller and harder to see.
For conference rooms, that’s a big problem. You want people engaged in the meeting, not squinting at the screen trying to keep up or tuning out altogether.
As design aesthetics become even more important in today’s corporate settings, projection screens offer increased flexibility and performance. For starters, electric projection screens can roll up and out of the way once the meeting is over, returning a space to its original form.
Flat Panels vs Projection: Is the Light Right?
Another consideration: ambient light. Today, more work spaces are incorporating natural light as a way to improve productivity, morale and employee health. This creates glare on flat panels, however, and used to present challenges when projecting content, too. But not anymore.
Our Parallax surface features a micro-layered optical lens system that rejects light. Each layer of Parallax plays a role in preserving the image that is reflected back to the viewer in high ambient light environments — something that flat panels just can’t do. [related]
And now our Tensioned Contour and Tensioned Advantage screens are available with the Parallax 0.8 surface, giving you the ability to add an electric screen to even the most brightly-lit environments.
Projection screens are still the way to go in most conference rooms. It can be a challenge, however, to convince your customer of this. They might not completely understand the flat panels vs projection debate, but they sure do understand how it affects their wallets.
To show end users the difference, we’ve created an image sizing book that’s kind of an interactive eye chart. Each page of the book includes a different sized font so you can flip through and quickly zero in on what the specific room needs for screen size.
By the end of the activity, you’ll walk away with the exact measurements you need for the project. Click here to request copies, available at no charge.
Ultimately, flat panels have come a very long way, but there are many reasons why projection screens are still the better option for office space.
