Audio Video News

At last week’s ISE show in Amsterdam, Stewart Filmscreen broke out the hilarious trailer for the upcoming Secret Life of Pets to demonstrate a new acoustically transparent screen material on a 16-foot-wide VistaScope Jumbo setup. Word has it that the highlight was a heart-pounding drum solo by rock legend Ginger Baker that topped 110 dB.

What’s interesting about the new material—dubbed Harmony—is that it’s woven and can be specified for 2.4:1 screens up to 9.5 feet tall and 23 feet wide—25 percent more than the maximum size for its predecessor, Tela 80.

Designed with audiophiles and cinephiles in mind, Harmony’s weave pattern is so fine that the impact to frequencies above 10 kHz is only 1 dB. To help with light management, the white screen comes with a black, acoustically transparent back screen to eliminate interference from reflected light passing through the material, which ups the impact on high-frequency pass-through to 2 dB.

Using a 0.8 gain option as an example, Stewart says there is virtually no minimum throw distance requirement, which means Harmony will work with almost any room configuration.

Harmony is available for specification in Stewart’s classic AT1.5 fixed frame wall screen as well as the VistaScope Jumbo system shown at ISE. Stewart plans release Harmony to its flagship Director’s Choice four-way variable masking system in the Spring.

For more information, visit stewartfilmscreen.com.