High-end projector manufacturer AWOL Vision has announced a larger, 150-inch ambient light rejecting screen that promises to enable much better picture quality for daytime viewing. But be warned that it may set you back even more than you paid for the premium projector required to make the most of it.
The company is well known for its projector screens, offering a 150-inch Lenticular Cinematic ALR screen that’s designed for dimmer environments, and a 120-inch Fresnel Daylight model for rooms affected by ambient light. So it makes sense for the company to try and provide the best of both worlds, with its newest screen offering bigger pictures together with the ability to soak up those irritating rays of sunshine that can impact daytime viewing.
The new product was announced at ISE 2026 in Barcelona. It's called the AWOL Vision Fresnel PET Daylight ALR Screen, and it measures 335 by 190 centimetres. According to the company, it’s “one of the largest ambient-light-rejecting screens” on the market, and it’s designed specifically for ultra-short-throw projectors. Not only does it support larger images, but it also helps in terms of maintaining the brightness, contrast and uniformity of projected images in “real-world lighting conditions.” It’s capable of supporting “true ‘lights on’ large-format viewing,” the company said, without any noticeable impact on brightness or picture quality.
It’s an extremely promising claim, because while there are plenty of UST projectors out there with enough brightness to support daytime viewing, the reality is that the picture quality is always better when the lights are off. More importantly, it’s common knowledge that you’ll get a better image if you reduce the size, but many people are loath to make such a sacrifice.
AWOL Vision said it has solved this problem by upscaling its existing Fresnel technology with the addition of “advanced light-management coatings.” Apparently, it works by targeting light from the projector while "aggressively rejecting” ambient light stemming from overhead or from the sides. The result will be a noticeable improvement in perceived contrast, shadow detail and enhanced midtone clarity, the company assured us, even in “relatively brightly lit rooms”. Of course, the definition of “relatively” is somewhat subjective, but there should certainly be an overall improvement.
AWOL Vision also spoke of an integrated PET substrate that will enhance the “dimensional stability, clarity and durability” of the screen, which is something that could make it useful for professional and commercial use cases.
The last major announcement from AWOL Vision came during CES 2026, when it announced new Aetherion Max and Pro UST projector models, and they both look extremely promising with various enhancements in terms of picture quality. The company said it developed the AWOL Vision Fresnel PET Daylight ALR Screen specifically to work with those models, although it does say it can be used with UST projectors from other brands. Interestingly, the Aetherion Max and Pro UST models both quote 4K images of up to 200-inches, which means there’s a possibility that if the screen sells well enough, it may launch an even bigger one in future.
Just bear in mind that the AWOL Vision Fresnel PET Daylight ALR Screen is not going to be cheap. While the Aetherion Max and Pro models are set to be priced at $4,499 (around £3,285) and $3,499 (£2,550) respectively when they go on sale in the U.S. in April, the screen will cost a staggering €4,999 (£4,300) when it launches in Europe in March. In other words, the screen will make an even bigger dent in your wallet than the projector you pair it with – at least, if you opt for one of AWOL Vision’s models.
Without doubt, the promised unparalleled daytime viewing quality will come at a steep cost, but clearly AWOL Vision thinks there’s going to be enough people willing to pay for it in order to enjoy big-screen pictures without waiting until dusk.
