UST ALR Screen Types: Lenticular, Fresnel, Fixed and Motorized

Wide-view lenticular screens

Lenticular CLR screens are common for living-room UST setups because they can reject overhead light while retaining a wide seating cone. Current examples include VIVIDSTORM PRO, Elite CLR 3 products and multiple fixed-frame screens.

Higher-gain Fresnel screens

Fresnel screens can reject ambient light from more directions and often advertise higher gain, but they typically narrow the viewing cone. Formovie’s 100-inch Fresnel model, for example, is listed at 1.0 peak gain and a 50° viewing angle.

Fixed frame

Choose fixed when the wall is dedicated to theater use and mechanical simplicity matters. Fixed screens avoid motors and rollers and can be easier to keep geometrically consistent, but they permanently occupy the wall.

Motorized drop-down

Choose drop-down when the wall needs to serve another purpose. Expect a more involved mount and power plan, plus moving components. The reward is a large optical screen that can almost vanish when retracted.

Floor-rising

Choose floor-rising when wall drilling is impractical, when the setup may move, or when the ceiling cannot carry a cassette. The tradeoff is a long base and support structure below or behind the screen.