Screens, Mounts, and Masking Systems Spotted at CEDIA Expo 2026

CEDIA Expo 2026 ran September 1–4 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, and while home theater screens and mounting hardware don’t generate the same headlines as a new laser projector, they’re often what actually determines how good that projector looks in a real room. Here’s a roundup of the screen, masking, and mounting products that had a presence at this year’s show — with an honest note on which are genuinely new and which are established products still being demonstrated.

Stewart Filmscreen Director’s Choice Gen 2 — the newest of the group

Stewart Filmscreen’s Director’s Choice Gen 2 is a large-format masking screen aimed at dedicated home theater installations, with image widths up to 20 feet. It was introduced ahead of CEDIA 2026 and shown on the floor at the show — of everything in this roundup, it’s the closest to a genuinely new product for this CEDIA cycle, though Stewart hasn’t published a full public spec sheet alongside the announcement.

Who it’s for: High-end custom installers and dedicated theater rooms where masking large image widths cleanly matters more than budget.

Severtson Proteus Series — an established masking system, still touring shows

The Proteus Series uses a built-in masking system that lets a screen switch between 16:9 and 2.39:1 aspect ratios at the push of a button, eliminating the gray letterbox or pillarbox bars that show up when content and screen aspect ratios don’t match. Despite appearing on CEDIA 2026 show-floor coverage, Proteus isn’t a new product — Severtson originally launched it back in 2024, and has continued promoting it at InfoComm and CEDIA shows in the years since, including CEDIA 2026. It’s shown here in booth #1225 with a wide range of projection surface options, including Cinema White, Cinema Grey, Stellar White, High Contrast Grey, and Severtson’s SēVision 3D GX coating for passive 3D setups.

Who it’s for: Home theater and permanent installations that regularly switch between widescreen movies and standard broadcast content.

Severtson Cable Drop Series — a familiar name, recently expanded

Severtson’s Cable Drop Series (model CDT) is a motorized screen that drops on a thin steel cable, designed for very high ceilings in performance halls, churches, and large venues without needing a bulky drop area. Like Proteus, this line dates back further than this year’s show — the original Cable Drop Series launched in 2021, with an In-Ceiling variant (SCDT) added in February 2026 for residential and small-venue use. Severtson has also standardized on 6-piece frames across the line to reduce shipping damage.

Who it’s for: Large-venue installers, churches, and performance spaces needing screens that drop from very high ceilings.

EPV Screens DarkStar UST 3 Elevate — floor-rising ALR screen, still marketed as new

EPV’s DarkStar UST 3 Elevate is a free-standing, tab-tensioned, floor-rising electric screen using Ceiling Light Rejecting (CLR) material, built specifically for ultra-short-throw projectors. It absorbs a claimed 85% of overhead ambient light to preserve black levels, and is available in 126″, 138″, 140″, 150″, and 152″ (16:9) sizes. Its non-invasive design means no permanent installation is required — it simply rises and lowers where needed. Worth noting: the product’s own press citations reference CEDIA 2025 Best of Show recognition, and it appears to have debuted around that time rather than being new for 2026 — it’s still being marketed as “New” on EPV’s site, which is worth keeping in mind if you’re comparing release dates.

Who it’s for: UST projector owners who want ALR-level ambient light rejection without a fixed-frame permanent install.

JVC CM-Pro Mount — a genuinely new hardware partnership

JVC’s collaboration with Engage Engineering on the CM-Pro Projector Ceiling Mount is a real, dated announcement: beginning September 1, 2026, JVC’s flagship 8K D-ILA models — the DLA-NZ800, DLA-NZ900, DLA-RS3200, and DLA-RS4200 — now include the CM-Pro mount at no additional charge. It’s engineered exclusively for JVC’s D-ILA lineup (also compatible with earlier RS, NZ, NX, and NP5 series models), unlike universal mounts that often require compromises in fit and weight rating. Engage Engineering, the manufacturer behind it, has a longer track record making mounts for JVC, Sony, and Epson projectors; this is a formalized, JVC-exclusive version of that design. Retail value is listed at $400 when purchased separately.

Who it’s for: Owners or buyers of JVC’s flagship 8K projectors, and anyone who’s struggled to find a mount rated for a heavy D-ILA projector.

Why Accessories Like These Matter More Than They Get Credit For

A bright, accurate projector can still look mediocre on the wrong screen material, and even a well-reviewed projector can become a safety or reliability risk on an undersized or poorly engineered mount. Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) and Ceiling Light Rejecting (CLR) screens exist specifically to combat one of projection’s oldest problems — washed-out images in rooms with any usable light — while masking systems like Proteus solve the purely aesthetic (but genuinely distracting) problem of gray bars around non-native aspect ratio content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Were all of these products new at CEDIA 2026?

No. Only the Stewart Filmscreen Director’s Choice Gen 2 and the JVC CM-Pro Mount partnership are genuinely new for this cycle. Severtson’s Proteus and Cable Drop Series, and EPV’s DarkStar UST 3 Elevate, are established products that were on display at the show rather than newly launched there.

What’s the difference between an ALR screen and a CLR screen?

Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) screens are generally designed to reject light coming from the sides or front of a room. Ceiling Light Rejecting (CLR) screens, like EPV’s DarkStar UST 3, are specifically engineered to reject light from overhead — the more common ambient-light problem in living rooms with ceiling or can lighting, especially when paired with an ultra-short-throw projector.

Does the JVC CM-Pro mount work with other projector brands?

The CM-Pro itself is engineered exclusively for JVC’s D-ILA projector lineup. Engage Engineering, its manufacturer, also separately sells more universal mounts compatible with select Sony and Epson models.

Conclusion

CEDIA 2026’s screen and accessory showcase was less about brand-new launches and more about manufacturers refining and re-promoting proven product lines — with two real exceptions worth tracking: Stewart’s Director’s Choice Gen 2 and JVC’s newly formalized CM-Pro mount partnership. If you’re planning a projector installation, all five of these are worth researching on their own merits, just don’t mistake show-floor presence for a new release date.

Sources: Severtson Screens, TWICE, Sound & Vision, Residential Systems, CEPRO, Techaeris, and EPV Screens official product pages, cross-verified across multiple publication dates (2021–2026).