The Big Short

EPV SCREENS DARKSTAR UST 2 EFINITY PROJECTION SCREEN

- Al Griffin

WITH ULTRA short throw (UST) projectors available from a growing list of companies including Epson, LG, Hisense, Optoma, Vava, and now Samsung, it’s clear that the category has become firmly established. That’s no surprise given the ergonomic and screen real estate per-dollar benefits such models offer, but getting the best picture quality from a UST setup requires a specific screen pairing. We’ve frequently discussed ambient light rejecting (ALR) screens in Sound & Vision and have reviewed a fair number of them. But a UST projector requires a specialized type of ALR screen—one like the DarkStar UST 2 Efinity from EPV Screens.

What makes a UST screen different from a typical ALR model is the structure of the optical coating on the screen’s surface, which is aligned to filter out light emanating from above the screen while reflecting light coming from below where the projector is positioned in a UST setup. Screens such as the DarkStar UST 2 Efinity also feature a black layer that helps to absorb light and increase both contrast and color saturation. The formulation used for UST screens allows for overhead room lights to be left on but doesn’t fully reject light hitting the screen from its left and right sides, so you’ll need to exert some degree of control over ambient room lighting conditions for best performance.