One of the most important things to remember about getting good picture quality when using a front projector is to have the room as dark as you possibly can. And by that I mean that the room should really be pitch black. Because whatever light there is in the room reflects off the screen and becomes the minimum black level you’ll end up seeing.

But Planar wants to go about changing that with a screen that tries to reflect as little ambient light as possible and as much projector light as possible.

The screen does an admirable job of fulfilling up to its promises. But only if you’re sitting in its considerably small sweet spot. But if the ability to watch a movie with ambient on is what you want, that’s the trade-off you’ll have to live with. Oh - and the fact that the 60″ screen weighs 69 pounds (rigid frame) and costs $1,399. (And it only goes up from there.)

Planar Xscreen — Home Theater with the lights on