August 11, 2006 Planar is not a well known name in consumer home theatre, having worked exclusively providing display solutions in medical, industrial and commercial applications for 23 years. The company is now launching into the consumer home theatre market with a significant new product, the Planar Xscreen, which greatly enhances front-projection performance in rooms with windows and light. The Xscreen uses patented Daytime Film Technology to reject ambient light and deliver bright, high-contrast images from front projectors in any room -- regardless of light conditions. The combination of a 4mm layer of hardened glass beneath the screen provides a flat screen surface that creates an image with twice the brightness and twice the contrast of traditional screens. The result is a higher-quality image with beautiful colour, rich contrast and razor-sharp images in nearly any lighting environment. Paired with a front projector, the Xscreen delivers the industry's highest-quality picture in 60-inch, 70-inch, 80-inch and 100-inch diagonal viewing sizes.
"Nearly every study in the past five years indicates that a rapidly growing number of consumers want bigger, impressive video displays in their home, but they either can't afford 60-inch or larger flat-TVs or they are disappointed with the challenges of front projection in highly lit rooms," said Tamaryn Pratt, principal, Quixel Research Home Theater Display Report. "The Planar Xscreen is a unique product that allows front projection to be used in virtually every type of room like other flat-panel TV technology, but in much larger sizes and at a price that is thousands of dollars less than other offerings."
For further ease-of-installation, the Planar Xscreen Plus transforms the screen's role in a home theater solution by making it the hub for connectivity and processing of all video and audio components, which can be controlled by a single, universal remote. The Planar Xscreen Plus reduces clutter because cables from each source no longer have to run to the projector.
"Planar has delivered a solution that makes the screen as important as the projector or sound system in the home theater," said Scott Hix. "Until now, the only option for a dedicated home theater involved passive screens used in dedicated, dark rooms. Planar Xscreen enhances any projector's image, so that users can enjoy the theater experience day and night, in a dedicated room or in the family room."
