Transparent Screen Article
Dear Gary:
Thank you for giving us Tony Grimani’s very in-depth series on acoustically transparent screens. It was interesting to note how his data and conclusions contrasted with that of leading display expert, Alan C. Brawn’s “Defining The Difference In Perforated Screens” white paper, where the perforated screen was preferred over the woven screen, both visually and sonically. We know that Tony has had former financial interest in Screen Research and Alan’s paper seemed to be interested in only comparing the Stewart Microperf with the Screen Research product. Interestingly enough, there was no subjective data offered from either study. As an example, although some projectors and fixed displays can measure better in the lab than others, it is the human eye that determines what is more pleasing. Certainly, one’s choice of loudspeakers falls into this subjective category. In reference to the image that these screens offer, the missing data is, what does it look like? The results from a panel of unbiased viewers would be invaluable but could skew an author's hidden agenda if he had one.
In other words, I would suggest a lab environment with a little less science and a little more real-world subjectivity, where a panel of unbiased viewers were able to AB view, say the Screen Research CP2 versus the Stewart Microperf Studiotek 130 or Microperf SnoMatte, where the identical projector’s lumens were adjusted to compensate for screen gain differences and presented in such a way so that no one knew what screen they were looking at as they made their notes. This will be the WSR article that I’ll be watching out for.
Carl Tatz, Carl Tatz Design, Nashville, Tennessee, www.carltatzdesign.com, carl@carltatzdesign.com
Following is the response by the article’s author, Anthony Grimani, to feedback on the article provided by Carl Tatz through Gary Reber: Carl, thanks for taking the time to read the article on acoustically transparent screens and provide us with feedback.
You are very right that what really matters is the visible results of display systems, and in an ideal world, we would be able to set up all the screens we tested in a large, black, dark room with multiple samples of the same projector calibrated perfectly the same, and perform side-by-side comparisons of each one (like InfoComm used to do in their projector shoot-outs years back). Unfortunately, the logistics of producing that kind of evaluation would probably bankrupt Widescreen Review, my company PMI, and anyone else who tried to give us a hand! For that reason, we (Danny Richelieu, Gary Reber, and me) chose to stick to a more objective regimen of tests that have repeatedly been demonstrated to correlate directly to perceived picture quality. We also felt that limiting the subjective nature of the evaluation would prevent individual bias from affecting the results to any significant degree. This is pretty much standard operating procedure for video engineers conducting laboratory-grade evaluations. As such, the tests consisted of measuring standard test patterns with precision test equipment, as well as observing and photographing these test patterns. We also looked at motion picture material, mostly footage available on standard test discs. We drew our conclusions from the combination of measured tests, “eyeball” tests, and motion picture material. The decision to use test patterns was made because they provide a readily available and repeatable source. What you see on the test patterns can also be seen on the right program material; test patterns simply make the evaluation process easier and more precise.
That being said, I would like to note that the main reason for this article is to recap the fascinating history and features of acoustically transparent screens and stress the important and vital nature of their contribution to home theatre. The evaluation was simply a sidebar to provide readers with some idea how the various technologies employed affect audio/video performance. To be honest, any of the screens we tested are good enough to provide most people with an excellent entertainment experience. We should take every opportunity to let people know how great these acoustically transparent screens are, and how much they increase the enjoyment of movies!
You can E-mail Widescreen Review @ editorgary@widescreenreview.com