FAQ
A bit of history
A bit of history
A bit of history
Screen Excellence is the result of more than three decades centred on one idea: bringing sound and image back together behind an acoustically transparent projection surface.
Where it all started
The story begins in 1993, when engineer Patrice Congard read a JAES paper on using woven fabric as a projection screen at a time when “AT” meant perforated vinyl with obvious acoustic and visual compromises. The possibility of a woven surface that could carry the image while letting sound pass cleanly through would drive all his later work.
The French Years
In late 1996, Congard founded Avance Technologies in France to turn this concept into products. Avance developed a system with three shallow loudspeakers spanning the full width of the projection area, over which a woven projection fabric was stretched, locking sound and picture together. Some consumers appreciated the innovation, but dealers were cautious about such an integrated screenplusspeaker solution. In 2001, seeking more control and a clearer focus, Congard created Avance Engineering, this time separating loudspeakers from screens and concentrating on the acoustically transparent surface itself.
In 2003, a market downturn put Avance Engineering under financial pressure. Investor Yves Trélohan acquired a majority stake and in 2004 renamed the company Screen Research, which would later become one of Screen Excellence's main competitors. Congard stayed on for about six months as technical director before deciding to pursue his original vision on his own terms, closing the French chapter and preparing a new start in the UK.
A New Start in the UK:
In March 2005, he incorporated U-See Ltd in England. Rather than rushing into manufacturing, he devoted the early years to research and development. Operational work ran through Anagramme Acoustique in France, mixing everyday acoustic consulting with R&D for U-See. This phase allowed him to refine concepts, test woven fabrics, and design future platforms without the pressure of volume production. In February 2008, U-See became Screen Excellence Ltd, marking the transition from development vehicle to dedicated screen manufacturer.
The First Screens
ommercial activity began in 2008 with the Reference screen, a fixed-frame platform for dedicated cinemas and professional rooms. The first fabric, Enlightor 1, was similar in concept to the ClearPix 1 material Congard had previously developed. It soon became clear that a non-exclusive surface would limit both performance and identity, so Screen Excellence created its own weave. In mid-2008, the company launched Enlightor 4K, its proprietary woven surface and the first acoustically transparent projection screen explicitly designed as 4K-compatible, giving full control over both acoustic and optical behaviour.
Expanding the Range
The range quickly broadened to meet custom-cinema needs. In February 2009, Screen Excellence introduced TAM 2L, the first Theatre Aspect Masking model, answering demand for constant-image-height and multi-format setups. Its distinctive feature was an elegant mechanical design that used a profile derived from the Reference frame rather than a bulky masking chassis, keeping the screen visually light while integrating lateral masking. In May 2009 came VistaCurve, a curved fixed-frame screen for the most immersive, high-end rooms. By 2010, TAM TB (top-bottom masking) and the SLIM frame for more space-constrained projects completed a coherent family of woven AT screens.
The early 2010s were a period of consolidation and refinement. The first retractable model, RM, was discontinued in 2011 because it was tied to Enlightor 1, allowing development efforts to focus on platforms built around the latest fabrics. In 2013, Screen Excellence launched Absolute and doubled the surface area of its Rendlesham premises, strengthening production and storage while keeping the team intentionally small. Between roughly 2015 and 2018, two additional employees joined, reinforcing production and support without changing the company's human-scale culture or its focus on mostly made-to-order screens.
Refinement and Unified Vision
Technologically, Screen Excellence moved early on ultra-high-definition. With Enlightor 4K, it anticipated the shift to 4K projection, even though industry attention briefly swung to 3D and slowed adoption. The company continued to refine its materials and, in 2016, introduced Enlightor Neo and Neo W, further improving visual fineness and acoustic transparency for modern projectors. That same year, it launched MediaTime, its first retractable screen designed around Enlightor Neo, bringing woven AT performance to applications where a retractable solution is essential.
In parallel, Screen Excellence created the Audio Excellence line of loudspeakers and electronics, reconnecting with Congard's original ambition to treat sound and image as a unified system. While presented as a distinct range, Audio Excellence shares the screens' priorities: neutrality, dynamic capacity, and precise localisation anchored to the image plane, giving integrators the option of a coherent, cinema-focused system from one engineering-driven company.
Today and Tomorrow
More recently, Screen Excellence has focused on refining its platforms and extending its palette of projection surfaces. Practical improvements have made fabric mounting easier and more secure, reducing installation time while preserving the flatness required for perfect images. On the materials side, the company has introduced specialised surfaces such as the woven Visionaire USTAT and microperforated Visionaire HC, complementing the Enlightor family and covering a wider variety of room acoustics, projector types, and design constraints.
Today, the company's strategy is to complete its range so it can meet virtually all projection-screen needs, from fixed Reference screens to complex masking systems and retractable solutions. A key priority is to consolidate and optimise its global distribution network, ensuring that specialist dealers and integrators can access the full catalogue with strong local support. From the first JAES article in 1993 to its current position as a UK-based manufacturer, Screen Excellence has been guided by a consistent aim: to deliver projection screens that let sound and image work together exactly as intended, without compromise.
Screen Excellence is the result of more than three decades centred on one idea: bringing sound and image back together behind an acoustically transparent projection surface.
Where it all started
The story begins in 1993, when engineer Patrice Congard read a JAES paper on using woven fabric as a projection screen at a time when “AT” meant perforated vinyl with obvious acoustic and visual compromises. The possibility of a woven surface that could carry the image while letting sound pass cleanly through would drive all his later work.
The French Years
In late 1996, Congard founded Avance Technologies in France to turn this concept into products. Avance developed a system with three shallow loudspeakers spanning the full width of the projection area, over which a woven projection fabric was stretched, locking sound and picture together. Some consumers appreciated the innovation, but dealers were cautious about such an integrated screenplusspeaker solution. In 2001, seeking more control and a clearer focus, Congard created Avance Engineering, this time separating loudspeakers from screens and concentrating on the acoustically transparent surface itself.
In 2003, a market downturn put Avance Engineering under financial pressure. Investor Yves Trélohan acquired a majority stake and in 2004 renamed the company Screen Research, which would later become one of Screen Excellence's main competitors. Congard stayed on for about six months as technical director before deciding to pursue his original vision on his own terms, closing the French chapter and preparing a new start in the UK.
A New Start in the UK:
In March 2005, he incorporated U-See Ltd in England. Rather than rushing into manufacturing, he devoted the early years to research and development. Operational work ran through Anagramme Acoustique in France, mixing everyday acoustic consulting with R&D for U-See. This phase allowed him to refine concepts, test woven fabrics, and design future platforms without the pressure of volume production. In February 2008, U-See became Screen Excellence Ltd, marking the transition from development vehicle to dedicated screen manufacturer.
The First Screens
ommercial activity began in 2008 with the Reference screen, a fixed-frame platform for dedicated cinemas and professional rooms. The first fabric, Enlightor 1, was similar in concept to the ClearPix 1 material Congard had previously developed. It soon became clear that a non-exclusive surface would limit both performance and identity, so Screen Excellence created its own weave. In mid-2008, the company launched Enlightor 4K, its proprietary woven surface and the first acoustically transparent projection screen explicitly designed as 4K-compatible, giving full control over both acoustic and optical behaviour.
Expanding the Range
The range quickly broadened to meet custom-cinema needs. In February 2009, Screen Excellence introduced TAM 2L, the first Theatre Aspect Masking model, answering demand for constant-image-height and multi-format setups. Its distinctive feature was an elegant mechanical design that used a profile derived from the Reference frame rather than a bulky masking chassis, keeping the screen visually light while integrating lateral masking. In May 2009 came VistaCurve, a curved fixed-frame screen for the most immersive, high-end rooms. By 2010, TAM TB (top-bottom masking) and the SLIM frame for more space-constrained projects completed a coherent family of woven AT screens.
The early 2010s were a period of consolidation and refinement. The first retractable model, RM, was discontinued in 2011 because it was tied to Enlightor 1, allowing development efforts to focus on platforms built around the latest fabrics. In 2013, Screen Excellence launched Absolute and doubled the surface area of its Rendlesham premises, strengthening production and storage while keeping the team intentionally small. Between roughly 2015 and 2018, two additional employees joined, reinforcing production and support without changing the company's human-scale culture or its focus on mostly made-to-order screens.
Refinement and Unified Vision
Technologically, Screen Excellence moved early on ultra-high-definition. With Enlightor 4K, it anticipated the shift to 4K projection, even though industry attention briefly swung to 3D and slowed adoption. The company continued to refine its materials and, in 2016, introduced Enlightor Neo and Neo W, further improving visual fineness and acoustic transparency for modern projectors. That same year, it launched MediaTime, its first retractable screen designed around Enlightor Neo, bringing woven AT performance to applications where a retractable solution is essential.
In parallel, Screen Excellence created the Audio Excellence line of loudspeakers and electronics, reconnecting with Congard's original ambition to treat sound and image as a unified system. While presented as a distinct range, Audio Excellence shares the screens' priorities: neutrality, dynamic capacity, and precise localisation anchored to the image plane, giving integrators the option of a coherent, cinema-focused system from one engineering-driven company.
Today and Tomorrow
More recently, Screen Excellence has focused on refining its platforms and extending its palette of projection surfaces. Practical improvements have made fabric mounting easier and more secure, reducing installation time while preserving the flatness required for perfect images. On the materials side, the company has introduced specialised surfaces such as the woven Visionaire USTAT and microperforated Visionaire HC, complementing the Enlightor family and covering a wider variety of room acoustics, projector types, and design constraints.
Today, the company's strategy is to complete its range so it can meet virtually all projection-screen needs, from fixed Reference screens to complex masking systems and retractable solutions. A key priority is to consolidate and optimise its global distribution network, ensuring that specialist dealers and integrators can access the full catalogue with strong local support. From the first JAES article in 1993 to its current position as a UK-based manufacturer, Screen Excellence has been guided by a consistent aim: to deliver projection screens that let sound and image work together exactly as intended, without compromise.
Screen Excellence Ltd. (“Screen Excellence”) warrants (this “Limited Warranty”) to the original Buyer (The buyer being the organisation that appears on the invoice) that this product is free from defects in material and workmanship (except as provided below) for sixty-six (66) months from the date of manufacture or five (5) years from the date of purchase, whichever period ends first (the “Warranty Period”).
This Limited Warranty extends only to the Buyer and is not transferable to any other party than the buyer’s client. This Limited Warranty is applicable to products that are repaired or replaced for the balance of the Warranty Period or ninety (90) days from the date the product is repaired or replaced, whichever is longer.
If a product breaches this Limited Warranty, the Buyer may return it to Screen Excellence in accordance with the terms of the Return Policy, below, within a reasonable time after the Buyer discovers the defect. Subject to the conditions and limitations set forth below (the “Excluded Items”), Screen Excellence will, at its discretion, either repair or replace any part of the product that proves defective by reason of improper workmanship or materials.
If the Buyer returns a product to Screen Excellence and Screen Excellence determines that this Limited Warranty does not apply, Screen Excellence will not return the product to the Buyer unless the Buyer requests it to do so and pays all expenses of shipment. If Buyer does not request and pay for Screen Excellence to return the product, it will become Screen Excellence’s property. Any product covered by this Limited Warranty (as determined by Screen Excellence) will, after repair or replacement, be shipped back to the Buyer at Screen Excellence’s expense.
Screen Excellence will not accept any warranty claim from any party other than the buyer.
SCREEN EXCELLENCE’S TOTAL LIABILITY UNDER THIS OR ANY OTHER WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IS LIMITED TO REPAIR, REPLACEMENT OR REFUND.
REPAIR, REPLACEMENT OR REFUND ARE THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY. IN NO EVENT SHALL SCREEN EXCELLENCE BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, WHETHER RESULTING FROM THE PURCHASE, USE, MISUSE, INABILITY TO USE OR INABILITY TO INSTALL THE PRODUCT OR FROM DEFECTS IN THE PRODUCT.
THIS LIMITED WARRANTY IS THE EXCLUSIVE WARRANTY GIVEN BY SCREEN EXCELLENCE FOR THE PRODUCT AND IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES. SCREEN EXCELLENCE DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, ANY WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. THIS WARRANTY SUPERSEDES ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTIES BASED ON ORAL REPRESENTATIONS.
Excluded Items:
THIS LIMITED WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER DEFECTS CAUSED BY negligence; improper maintenance; improper storage; misuse; installation not in accordance with Screen Excellence’s printed installation instructions; abuse; impact or other force, whether prior or subsequent to installation; normal wear and tear; fire, lightning, tornadoes, or other natural events; contact with liquid, water, rain, extreme humidity or heavy perspiration, sand, dirt or the like, extreme heat, or food; excessive electrical supply; abnormal mechanical or environmental conditions; application other than intended use; unauthorized disassembly, repair or modification; service by unauthorized provider; installation of unapproved third party products; Buyer’s or Buyer’s customer’s remorse. This Warranty also does not apply to any product on which the original identification information has been altered, obliterated or removed, or has been sold as second-hand.
Shipments:
Screen Excellence products are sold ex-works. On the Buyer’s demand, Screen Excellence can organise collection and shipment on behalf of the Buyer.
This is only an additional service proposed by Screen Excellence, but it does not incur any responsibility regarding transport: IN ANY CASE, THE BUYER IS FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SHIPMENT AND ANY LOSS, DAMAGE, DELAY OR INCONVENIENCE DUE TO TRANSPORT.
