Going Wide: HD Widescreen vs. Superwidescreen

When staging a live event, the type of screen you choose is critical:
the wrong one can turn a thrilling presentation into a disaster of epic
proportions. In particular, there’s still a lot of confusion out there
about when to use a high-definition widescreen, which has a 16:9 aspect
ratio (9 feet high by 16 feet wide) and when to use a superwidescreen,
which can have aspect ratios of 3:1, 4:1 or 5:1 and are typically about
40 to 50 feet wide.

There are pros and cons to using both systems, which I’ll detail below.
I’ve found that people continue to shy away from using HD, harboring
some irrational fear of sticker shock, I suppose. But the costs of
using superwidescreens and HD are actually very similar now. The prices
have dropped and leveled off enough to make HD a feasible option in
most cases. And, in some cases, you can even combine HD projection
systems and superwidescreens.

But before you can choose which way to go, you need to first decide
what type of media you’re going to use. Are you doing I-MAG? Will your
show be graphics intensive? Are you just using eye candy? Do you want
your images to fade to black on the screen? Do you want to literally
wrap your audience in media? The answers to these questions will help
you decide which screen is the right one for the job.

Because the screens themselves are so massive, superwidescreens create
a desirable "wrap-around" effect. In most cases, the content displayed
on them is a result of multiple projectors that have been tiled
together. (There is one other way to project onto a superwidescreen,
and I’ll touch on that later.) Though this creates a seamless image,
there are limitations.

For starters, you need to create graphics in the exact aspect ratio of
your screen. That can be difficult if you are using pre-existing
graphics or media, because they may have been developed with a
different aspect ratio. You’re also limited by the input resolution; if
your graphics are too large, they might not appear crisp.

Are you fond of graphics with black backgrounds, or are there a lot of
dimly lit and dark scenes in your videos? Then you should think again
before choosing a superwidescreen as your backdrop. Because tiled
projection is edge-blended, you can’t create graphics with a black
background, or graphics that fade to or from black. If you do, you will
see racing stripes on the tiled area. Though you can electronically and
mechanically blend the picture together, you can’t eliminate the
stripes completely. And when you’re doing edge-blending, be sure to
pick a screen that defuses the image across the whole screen and has a
wide viewing angle so that it appears even. Then, no matter where
people are seated in the house, everyone sees the same image.

Simply put, a superwidescreen gives you more space to work with, but it
can prove too challenging in the pre-production process. It is very
important to adhere to strict guidelines and specifications for media
display when designing all graphics in order to project the best
quality image.

The HD format is a little more forgiving in terms of how you create
your graphics. To fill the screen edge-to-edge, it’s preferable to
produce graphics and video in either native 16:9 aspect ratio or 1080
to gain full capacity of your screen., which you may have 720 equipment
or archived graphics in 720. While this material works fine, material
created in 1080 or 16:9 delivers the best picture.

Keep in mind that you should use a 16:9 aspect ratio screen. And, the
better the screen, the better the image. I recommend Stewart Lumaflex
130, which has a gain of 1.3. The higher the gain number, the more
light it bounces out, making the images more brilliant. The Stewart
screen also has a 160-degree viewing angle and enhances the black
levels in the picture, which gives the image more depth of field.

We haven’t yet hit on standard definition, because of the gap in
quality between it and HD. When you are displaying standard-definition
video, you have about 600,000 pixels; with an HD image, you display
approximately two million pixels using 1080 or 16:9 aspect ratio. More
pixels translate into more information and clearer, crisper images.
Caution: If you are doing I-MAG with your presenters or performers in
HD, you may want to add a makeup artist. Trust me, I-MAG will magnify
all the details.

There is still one more option for projecting images onto a
superwidescreen, which is what I recommend to achieve the best image
quality with the superwide look. It is possible to use a
high-definition system to feed a superwidescreen of up to 15 by 50 ft.
by using a single stack of three or four HD projectors to create one
wide image in the same aspect ratio as the screen.

Due to the extra throw distance needed for the stacked projectors, this
option is best for use in larger venues. And, best of all, you get a
superwide feel but are not limited in the creativity of your production.

If you want the best quality images- with the best I-MAG and no video
limitations- go HD or use a high-definition system to feed a
superwidescreen.

One final note: If you want to document the event for those who didn’t
attend, audience members who want a refresher, or for your archives,
you’ll need to consider a few things before you record what’s being
projected live on screen.

For superwidescreen projections, you have to take the very large 3:1,
4:1 or 5:1 aspect ratio and record it down to a standard television
ratio, or 4:3. In doing so, you’re going to use only about a
third/fourth/fifth of the viewable image. If you recorded it straight,
it would look like a skinny film strip running through the center of a
television or computer screen. You can’t realistically put it on tape
and have someone view it to get a true representation of the show.

HD can record in letterbox format, of course, which will give you a better representation of the show.