Q: What is a Hot Spot on a projection screen?

A Hot Spot occurs when a projection screen cannot evenly diffuse a strong light signal creating a noticeably brighter area in the picture. With rear-projection screens, it will appear to viewers as a bright spot marking the location of the projector’s lens behind the screen. This is a common occurrence in rear projection screens; essentially a hot spot is when you can see the projector bulb through the screen’s surface. The following should be considered to reduce the possibility of having a hot spot.

1. Reduce the output power of the projector. Choose a lower lumens (brightness) setting like Cinema for example.
2. Avoid using ultra/short-throw projectors since the bulb will be very close to the material.
3. Move the projector further away from the screen.  This will increase the throw distance of the projector, and will effectively reduce the intensity of the image brightness.
4. Reposition the projector relative to the audience.  Raising the projector’s height or lowering it so it is not projecting directly into the viewer’s line of sight.  Use vertical lens shift to achieve vertical off-axis projection and use the keystone adjuster to restore the image’s rectangular shape.
5. Another idea is to position the projector horizontally off-axis so that the projector’s glare will not be in the viewer’s line of sight.