Brand-Specific Dealer Resource
Severtson Screen Materials Guide
Use this guide to understand the basic differences between Severtson screen materials and explain why screen surface selection should be based on the projector, room lighting, speaker layout, viewing angle, and customer expectations.
Screen Material Categories
Matte White, Cinema White, Stellar White
White Screen Materials
Best for: Controlled-light rooms, dedicated theaters, high-contrast projectors, and applications where brightness and color neutrality matter.
Dealer note: White materials are usually the starting point when the room is properly controlled and the customer wants a clean, natural image.
Matte Grey, Cinema Grey, High Contrast Grey, Grey Vision
Grey / High Contrast Materials
Best for: Rooms with some ambient light, lower contrast projectors, or applications where perceived black levels need support.
Dealer note: Grey materials can help in rooms that are not perfectly dark, but they should still be matched to the projector and room conditions.
BWAT, SAT-4K, TAT-4K
Acoustically Transparent Materials
Best for: Dedicated theaters where speakers are placed behind the screen for a more cinematic front soundstage.
Dealer note: These are important when the design calls for dialogue and front-channel sound to come from the image area instead of below or beside the screen.
SeVision 3D GX, SeVision 3D GX-WA
Specialty / 3D Materials
Best for: Specialty 3D, cinema, commercial, and high-performance applications where gain, coating, and viewing angle need to be specified carefully.
Dealer note: These materials should be treated as application-specific surfaces, not general-purpose residential screen recommendations.
Quick Dealer Breakdown
White
Use when the room is controlled and the projector has strong image performance.
Be careful with bright rooms, reflective finishes, or uncontrolled light.
Grey / High Contrast
Use when the room has some ambient light or perceived black levels need support.
Be careful with underpowered projectors or customers expecting maximum image brightness.
Acoustically Transparent
Use when speakers need to be located behind the screen.
Be careful when speaker placement, room depth, and screen wall planning were not considered early.
Specialty / 3D
Use when the project has specific 3D, cinema, commercial, or technical performance requirements.
Be careful in general-purpose rooms where a simpler material would be easier to specify.
White vs. Grey Materials
White screen materials are typically the default conversation for controlled rooms where the projector, room finishes, and lighting conditions support a clean image. Grey and high contrast materials become more relevant when the room has some ambient light or when perceived black levels need support.
Avoid explaining this as “white is good, grey is better.” The correct explanation is that each material is designed for a different room condition and performance goal.
When Acoustically Transparent Matters
Acoustically transparent materials are useful when the theater design places speakers behind the screen. This helps align the soundstage with the image and creates a more cinematic experience, especially in dedicated theater rooms.
Discuss this early because it affects screen wall depth, speaker placement, seating distance, projector brightness, and the overall room design.
Questions to Ask First
Common Dealer Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating screen material as an accessory instead of a performance component.
- Choosing a white material for every room without checking ambient light.
- Choosing a grey material without confirming projector brightness and customer expectations.
- Forgetting to ask whether speakers will be behind the screen.
- Ignoring gain, viewing angle, room finishes, and seating layout.
- Waiting until the end of the project to discuss screen surface.
DSG Metro Dealer Takeaway
Severtson screen materials give dealers options for different room conditions and performance goals. The best recommendation depends on the projector, lighting conditions, screen size, viewing angle, speaker layout, and customer expectations.
When these details are qualified early, the screen can be positioned as a core part of the system instead of a last-minute accessory.