Apparent contrast in a projected image (the range of brightness vs darkness) is dependent on the ambient light conditions, luminous power of the projector and the size of the image being projected. A larger screen size means less luminance (luminous power per unit solid angle per unit area) and thus less contrast in the presence of ambient light. Some light will always be created in the room when an image is projected, increasing the ambient light level and thus contributing to the degradation of picture quality. This effect can be lessened by decorating the room with dark colors or by utilizing one of our ALR (Ambient Light Rejecting) screen materials such as Black Diamond or Slate. The real-room situation is different from the contrast ratios advertised by projector manufacturers, who record the light levels with projector on full black and full white, giving as high contrast ratios as possible.
Manufacturers of home theater screens have attempted to resolve the issue of ambient light by introducing screen surfaces that direct more of the light back to the light source. The rationale behind this approach relies on having the image source placed near the audience, so that the audience will actually see the increased reflected light level on the screen.
Highly reflective flat screens tend to suffer from hot spots, when part of the screen seems much more bright than the rest. This is a result of the high directionality (mirror-likeness) of such screens. Screens with high gain also have a narrower usable viewing angle, as the amount of reflected light rapidly decreases as the viewer moves outside of the viewing-cone of such a screen. Because of the said effect, these screens are also less vulnerable to ambient light coming from the sides of the screen, as well.