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Diffusers and Projection Screens

There are many types of projection screens/diffusers that you can use for optical-based multi-touch surfaces. Some are better than others though. The info for this page is a combination of my tests and those done by other NUI forum members (such as Parker's tests seen at this thread).

Best Thin Material

Prolight Film's Dark Gray Film
ICEAV HoloContra

Low End

Polymex 50 Micron Double Matte Drafting Film ($2 USD sq. m)

The cheapest of the diffusers available, low-end tracing paper (sometimes called map paper) can be gotten at your local art supply store. Higher end stuff like the F050DDD tracing paper can be found here. Tracing paper is a type of paper, not a cloth material and does not have an adhesive side. Parker says this about the F050DDD: "Nice and bright but looks washed out and has the lowest contrast ratio. Best price to performance ratio by far."

Below are pictures from Parker's test:

Rosco Grey ($12 USD sq. m)

A big favorite amongst optical MT builders since it usually creates good results for the price. Here is the link for info on the material at Rosco's site. Rosco is cloth-like as you can see in this photo. Parker says this about Rosco Grey: "Kind of the worst of both worlds. It's too thick to have a bright picture, the contrast ratio isn't all that great, and the image tends to look blurry. Inexpensive but my least favorite"

Below are pictures from Parker's test:

High End

NUI Forum member Thesupplier's film

The NUI member Thesupplier provides some nice screen material that you can read about at this thread. Parker has this to say about the material: "Brighter than the Rosco but still doesn't quite get nice pure whites like the more expensive films or the drafting film. This is probably the sweet spot for budget projects that want to keep the costs below a few hundred dollars."

Price: $90 USD sq. m

Below are pictures from Parker's test:

3M Vikuiti

High end paper-stock material that needs to be coupled with a bright projector (higher than 2000 lumens). Very high contrast and good blackness levels. The material though has a very poor viewing angle, which Parker estimates is about 90 degrees from center. This could cause a problem when used on a table. Parker has this to say about the Vikuiti: "Paired with a bright projector, the Vikuiti can match the contrast ratio and color reproduction of an expensive LCD, but with the narrow viewing angle and exorbitant price, I can't really think of a reason to recommend it to anyone."

Price: $566 USD sq. m

Below are pictures from Parker's test:

IFOHA Digiline White

High end adhesive film from Germany. Here is the product on the supplier's webpage. Film needs to be applied to acrylic or glass with water spray bottle method similar to automotive decal applications.

Parker has this to say about the Digiline White version: "Matches the brightness of the drafting film but less washed out and with deeper blacks. This film has a very harsh projector hotspot if you are standing directly in front of it, however."

Below are pictures from Parker's test:

Price: 169 EURO sq. m

Distributor (Where to get it): IFOHA in Deutschland

IFOHA Digiline Contrast

High end adhesive film from Germany. Film needs to be applied to acrylic or glass with water spray bottle method similar to automotive decal applications.

NuiGroup member jachwe had this to say: "The application of the Digiline was really charming. I had the Rosco before and it was nearly impossible to mount it under the glass so that it was straight. Even if you really stretched it, it lost tension after a few hours. The Digiline Contrast is self-adhesive, so you dont have that problem. With some soap and water you can easily bring it to the surface without any bubbles and exactly in the place were you want it. I actually stuck it into an area that I cut out of an "sandblast"-look foil (which looks quite the same, but is much cheaper) that is outside my projection area. You can hardly see the gap between those two because you can easily push around the Digiline as long it is still wet to bring it in the place where you need it. I mounted it on a 80x60cm (32x24inch) glass plate. I also tried it on a small piece of acrylis for couriosity. It worked exactly the same.
I like the fact that it is almost neutral in color other than the really dark rosco screen. With no projection it looks a bit like sandblasted glass. When the projector is on you have a really nice picture. I use a Acer s1200 which got 2500 lumen but run it in "Eco-mode" which is still more than enough. Well, there is a slight hotspot but only if you look directly into the lens. But the picture is clear, got good contrast and looks pretty much the same from any angle."
Here is the product on the supplier's webpage.

Parker has this to say about the Digiline Contrast version: "Great balance between brightness and contrast, and no projector hotspots. This is my favorite of the bunch but a little pricey for hobby tables. $145 for a 45" 16:9 sheet (125 Euros, 114 cm)."

Below are pictures from Parker's test:

Comparison of Digiline Contrast (left) to ICE Dupix (right):

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: Yes/8

Price: 230 EURO sq. m

Distributor (Where to get it): IFOHA in Deutschland

Ridout Plastics See Through Acrylic

Acrylic material with mirror coating on one side. Lets light primarily through one direction. Could not get infrared light to pass through it, though I may need a bigger piece to make more conclusive results.

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: Yes/3

Price:

Distributor (Where to get it): Ridout Plastics in CA, USA

ICE Dupix

High end single-sided adhesive material similar to the Digiline, which needs the water spray bottle to apply it properly. The material produces a very good image, better than the Digiline Contrast in my opinion, though its blacks are greyish The image when projected onto the ICE Dupix can be seen from all angles and on both sides of the material clearly. Here and here are two video showing the material being used. Here is the NUI thread post that ICEAV introduced it to the NUI forum.
ICEAV has this to say about the Dupix: "If it is not important to have a see through ability then Dupix would be suitable. Comparatively, the Dupix screen has a far more even spread of image light and you cannot perceive the projector lamp as on the holo ones, which is more visible. Dupix is perfect for dual sided image setups. It is 5 gain, so typically in a shopping mall you want to use 3500 - 4000 ANSI to get a better impact, as minimum lumens depends to a degree though on where ambient sunlight or a spot light is. Not really suited for very bright environments unless the projector is alot brighter."
View info sheet here

Comparison of ICE Dupix (right) to Digiline Contrast (left):

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: Yes/9

Price: 30m x 1.6m - $12,525 USD, 10m x 1.6m - $5,066 USD, 1m x 1.6m - $726 USD, 800mm x 500mm - $139 USD

Distributor (Where to get it): ICEAV in New Zealand

Prolight Film's Dark Gray Film

The best picture quality and lowest intensity projector hotspot amoung the thin non-acrylic screens. Similar to the acrylic screens, no wash out when ambient light hits it (really nice), keeps its color and contrast. If you cant use or afford an acrylic screen, get this. This is the same material as the ICEAV Holocontra material below.

Video Review of Material on a Rear DI Setup:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: No/6

Prices:
60" x 1' = $85/foot
Quarter Roll (60" x 25') = $1995.00
Full Roll: Call

Distributor (Where to get it): Now Available on the Peau Productions Store

ICE HoloContra

The best picture quality and lowest intensity projector hotspot amoung the thin non-acrylic screens. Similar to the acrylic screens, no wash out when ambient light hits it (really nice), keeps its color and contrast. If you cant use or afford an acrylic screen, get this. View info sheet here.
See video comparison below. See video of varyling ambient light conditions with this material..

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: No/6

Price:

Distributor (Where to get it): ICEAV in New Zealand

ICE Holodual

Bright, bad center projector hotspot. 30% light transmission. View info sheet here

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: Yes/4

Price:

Distributor (Where to get it): ICEAV in New Zealand

ICE Hololite90

Clear material, lets 90% of light through (transparent). Can be used in environments where the background behind the screen is dark, so when images with black backgrounds are projected on the Hololite90, the images appear to float in 3D space.

ICEAV says this about it: "Hololite is rear projection, front viewing only...the most transparent at 90%. If the screen must be as transparent as possible with no projected image then use HoloLite 90. It is transparent to the affect...imagine you have a big breath across the screen and it makes a mist appearance on the surface...HoloLite is something like this. If you press the hololite screen against the picture in a magazine it is essentially like a clear picture but looks like you need to wipe the glass clear (this is the 10% portion of the polymer that retains the image for the viewer from projector). When the image is projected the brain perceives the image more so because it is alot brighter on the screen than the area beyond the screen. If the viewer focuses their attention and views through the screen they can make out the area beyond the screen ...the brain does have trouble processing two channels of info like this so that it can see the screen image clearly and also to concentrate on area behind. So typically the viewer consciously reads the screens but can perceive (rather than process and think about) the area behind and thus accepts it as type of transparent image in daytime. If area in front and rear of screen is dark (night time shop/storefront) and the images that is projected was filmed against black background then it will appear like it is floating in space because there will be no light from projector or ambience that can easily highlight the edges of the screen." View info sheet here

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: Yes/1

Price:

Distributor (Where to get it): Same as the Prolight Film's Holographic Clear available on the Peau Productions Store

ICE Duriroll

Good color, but image is washed out when ambient light hits it. Rated second place in the non-acrylic image quality behind the ICE HoloContra. Good blobs produced.
See video comparison below. See video of varyling ambient light conditions with this material.

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: No/6

Price:

Distributor (Where to get it): ICEAV in New Zealand

ICE DUOPix

Image washes out in ambient light, slight hotspot, greyish tint with a little noticable texture. 10 Gain. ICEAV says: "Compared to the RetroPower, Duopix has a lot wider viewing cone but not as bright straight on. In darkness the viwing angle widens to 180 degrees." View info sheet here

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: Yes/10

Price:

Distributor (Where to get it): ICEAV in New Zealand

ICE RetroTension

Rubbery, slightly stretchy, bumpy material that could be easily molded to fit curved surfaces. Image is fairly good, though the grainy texture is noticable (see pic below). Calibrating for blobs is fairly hard.

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: no/5

Price:

Distributor (Where to get it): ICEAV in New Zealand

ICE RetroPower

Good color, though bad projector hotspot. 20 Gain. ICEAV says: "Retro Power has a far higher daytime ability than all the other rear projection screens, designed more for viewing within a 45 degree cone in bright environments and close to 180 degrees in darkness."

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: Yes/6

Price:

Distributor (Where to get it): ICEAV in New Zealand

ICE Contra (Acrylic)

Slight washed out appearance, lighter, brighter whites, less dark blacks. See video comparison below

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: No/7

Price:

Distributor (Where to get it): ICEAV in New Zealand

ICE Retrolite (Acrylic)

Becomes slightly opaque when viewed at extreme side angles, lights up brightly, washing out some of the color.

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: No/10

Price:

Distributor (Where to get it): ICEAV in New Zealand

ICE BLUE OCEAN Screen

Thick layerd (sandwiched) screen. Two half inch layers of clear acrylic surround a high end projection layer. Need brighter projector than the other materials due to its thickness. ICEAV says: "Blue water is a unique screen which delivers a stunning rear projected image that appears to have the image glow from within the centre of the screen. Rather expensive and can also be manufacturered as a dome."
This material was used in the large MT wall installation at Cityscape 2008 in Dubai.

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:
Unavailable
Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: No/9

Price:

Distributor (Where to get it): ICEAV in New Zealand

Evonik ACRYLITE 7D006 (Microsoft Surface)

This material is high end frosted 5mm plexiglass with a projection layer built in from Evonik Röhm. It is the same projection screen that is being used in the Microsoft Surface tables (pdf by Evonik Röhm about the MS Surface fabrication process). Here is the NUI thread that member Ancalagon started talking about the material and offering to supply people with it. This is the video he made showing the material from the point of view of his camera. It shows how well the 7D006 makes objects become clear when they are placed on its surface, such as fiducials. Here is a website that shows another person testing the Plexiglass 7D006 and some similar products from Evonik Röhm. Here also is the data sheet for the 7D006 material from Evonik Röhm.
See ACRYLITE video comparison below. See video of multiple material comparison below.

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: No/10

Price: About $1000 USD per 220x160cm sheet

Distributor (Where to get it): Ridout Plastics in CA, USA [or] Evonik in Germany

Evonik ACRYLITE 7D513 - Dark Grey

3mm thick acrylic. Darker blacks than the 7D006 and 7D512, but images are slightly darkened. May need a brighter projector to fix that. See ACRYLITE video comparison below. See video of multiple material comparison below.

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Hotspot from Projector? and Intensitity Rating (1 = high/bad, 10 = low/good)?:: No/10

Price: About $1500 USD per 49" x 97" sheet

Distributor (Where to get it): Ridout Plastics in CA, USA [or] Evonik in Germany

Evonik ACRYLITE 7D512 - Light Grey

3mm thick acrylic. Besides the 7D006, this is the best acrylic material. Very similar to the ICE Contra.
See ACRYLITE video comparison below. See video of multiple material comparison below.

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs:

Evonik ACRYLITE 0D002 - Opaque (Colorless)

3mm thick acrylic. Good, but image quality is less rich compared to the other ACRYLITE screens.
See ACRYLITE video comparison below. See video of multiple material comparison below.

Picture of Material:

2500 Lumen Projector, Normal Ambient Light:

Picture on DSI Table of ccv with blobs: