What is an Ambient Light Rejecting Screen?

Ambient Light Rejection screens (ALR) reflect light back to viewers in a controlled fashion, unlike regular screens that reflect less light and do so in all directions. Remember, the more light a screen absorbs, the worse the image quality. ALR screens bounce more light back to viewers, resulting in a brighter and bolder image while more effectively redirecting ambient lighting so that it doesn’t interfere as much with image quality. However, positioning of projectors and room lights still matters, and if both face the screen from the same angle, ALR doesn’t work as well.

CLR or Ceiling Light Rejecting® material is a patented technology from Elite Screens that aims to improve on regular ALR. The material used absorbs up to 95% of incoming light from projectors while negating washout from ambient lighting, especially big ceiling lights. Contrast reaches up to a 100 times that of plain non-reflecting white or grey screens. We recommend matching BenQ laser projectors with the Elite Screen Aeon CLR® 3 Series.

Certainly there are many types of screens you can choose from and it can get confusing. That’s why we have an overall guide that introduces the projection screen varieties, and you can learn a lot by taking a look.

However, to provide a quick answer to the question at the top of this paragraph, then yes, in many cases you should invest in an ALR or CLR screen to improve viewing experiences. Traditional or basic screens don’t do a good job of rejecting or bouncing ambient light. And while this is fine in a dark room, if you do have more light coming in then your image will appear washed out and faded on regular screens. If you know you’ll be watching content in a room that may be bright at times, we recommend going for an ALR or CLR screen. But proof is in the actual experience. With regular screens being very affordable, you can give one a try and if it works to your satisfaction, stay with that. You can always get an ALR or CLR screen later to improve viewing if needed.