How the Image Moved Beyond the Screen

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The screen at home has constantly evolved, but our need has remained the same: we want not simply to see an image, but to feel as though we are inside the story.

In the 1980s, an ordinary white wall often served as the screen. You had to turn off the lights, load a slide projector and change the images manually. The picture remained static, but its large size and the darkness of the room created a special atmosphere of shared viewing.

In the 1990s, the colour CRT television became the main screen in the home. It brought moving images and sound, but it had a physical limitation: the larger the screen, the heavier and deeper the television set became. As a result, TVs occupied a significant amount of space while the image itself still remained relatively small.

At the turn of the 2000s, plasma and LCD panels appeared. Screens became thinner and could be placed closer to the wall or mounted directly on it. However, the size of the image was still limited by the physical dimensions of the device itself.

At the same time, digital projection was developing. Home projectors had existed before, but by the early 2000s they had become significantly more affordable. The spread of DVD, widescreen formats with proportions similar to a cinema screen, and compact digital projectors made it possible to create a home cinema without a bulky television.

The image returned to the wall — but now it moved, came with multichannel sound and could cover almost the entire available surface.

In the 2010s, projectors became brighter, more compact and easier to set up. Full HD made faces, fine details and text noticeably sharper. A 4K image contains roughly four times as many pixels, allowing it to retain a high level of detail even on a large screen and when viewed from a short distance.

The next major step was the introduction of laser light sources. Compared with traditional lamps, they switch on faster, have a longer operating life and maintain brightness more consistently over time. Ultra-short-throw models can be installed almost directly against a wall while still producing a large image, even in an ordinary living room.

Then the very idea of what a screen could be began to change. In professional applications, an image no longer has to remain within a rectangular frame. It can be projected across multiple walls, floors, stage scenery, museum exhibits and building façades. Multiple projectors can be combined into a single system, with the image adjusted to the shape and position of each surface.

Projection therefore becomes more than a way to show a film or presentation. It becomes a tool for creating complete visual environments for theatres, museums, concerts, exhibitions and multimedia installations.

This transition from a separate screen to an image that surrounds the viewer can be experienced at the Sound Creations Immersive Lab in Tashkent. Eleven professional Barco projectors create a continuous 360-degree projection across the walls of the space. Here, visitors can see how projected images work together with sound and stage lighting, while professionals can test solutions in advance for real-world projects.

Technology has changed. But our desire has remained the same — to experience a story on a scale larger than the screen itself.

The screen has changed.

Our desire to immerse ourselves in a story has not.

Thanks!

How the Image Moved Beyond the Screen