NEWS

ALR vs CLR

May 26, 2023

Patrice Congard

Ambient Light screens, also called “high contrast” are becoming quite popular globally. They belong to two categories:

• The Ambient Light Rejecting screens (ALR) are provided with optical surfaces. These are designed to enhance the contrast when the environment is not sufficiently dark for Home Cinema projection. For instance, they are usable in a room with unshaded windows during the day.
 


• The Ceiling Light Rejecting (CLR) screens are more specific: They reject the light coming from the ceiling, or more generally coming from above. They are not a good enough for outdoors conditions though. However, they are performing better than the ALR screens when the light comes only from the ceiling.
 


Wait a minute…

Isn’t light coming from the ceiling an artificial light? Can’t it be dimmed at will?

Well, some people want to leave the light on when watching a movie, because what they want really is a TV, but bigger.

In this case, they need to shade the windows in daytime, as CLR screens are not really ALR: They only reject light coming from above.

Moreover, some ALR screens can be made Acoustically Transparent, for a proper location of the front speakers, like in cinemas.

So, it is your choice between two experiences: The Cinema and the TV.