Gerriets International Introduces OPTIBLACK Projection Screen

Gerriets International announces the immediate sales and rental availability of its new OPTIBLACK rear projection screen.

The result of an intensive R&D process, the company says Optiblack is a unique projection screen tailor-made to meet a particular set of specialized criteria: it has a nearly black, high-contrast surface that yields flawless projected images and seamless edge-blending in live events and other applications where ambient light levels are a factor. "With Optiblack there's no hot-spotting," says Gerriets general manager Nick Pagliante, "and bounce light is minimal because of the dark matte surface, so the screen practically disappears -- all you see are vivid projected images seeming to float in midair."

That floating-image effect is exactly what Cirque du Soleil came looking for in 2011, and Optiblack made its North American debut this past September in IRIS, Cirque's resident show at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. The show features projections of live-feed video from handheld cameras, thus the performers are accompanied by kaleidoscopic replays of their own movements. "The screen is so dark and the projected images are so clear and bright that they look more holographic than projected," says Pagliante.

The combination of wide viewing angle, excellent picture contrast, and image brightness makes Optiblack perfect for any live entertainment application, the company says. When an Optiblack screen is not in use, the surface is so dark and unobtrusive that it virtually disappears into the background. Optiblack meets NFPA 701 and DIN 4102 B1 flame retardancy standards, as do all other Gerriets projection screens.