Tonight CEDIA will present Don Stewart of Stewart Filmscreen with the 2011 CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award.
Don Stewart of Stewart Filmscreen, the recipient of the 2011 CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award.
Stewart has been active in the video and motion picture industries for more than 30 years. He was instrumental in the development of screen materials to support the introduction of CRT projectors to the consumer market. More recently, Stewart led the development of gray screens specifically designed for today’s digital devices, including FireHawk and GrayHawk.
In describing how the gray screen technology came about, Stewart recounts that the advent of high lumen, lamp-powered LCD, DILA, and DLP projectors in the home theater market made projection systems much cheaper and abundant. He was concerned that Stewart Filmscreen’s technological prowess would not be as relevant.
“But with change, there also comes new opportunities,” he said. “Late one night the thought came to me, ‘No matter how bright projectors get, projectors will never project black! The screen itself can be engineered to create its own black level.’ Thus, the gray screen was born.
“For the home theater industry, the gray screen innovation opened the door for the sale for many more projectors, screens, sound systems, control systems, etc. for our dealers and system integrators,” Stewart said of the accomplishment. “The FireHawk screen, including the G1, G2, and G3 models, have received more than 20 domestic and international awards and recognitions to date.
“After being at Stewart Filmscreen for over 30 fantastic years, the development and implementation of gray screen technologies has been the icing on the cake for me,” he said.
Stewart has taught screen technology classes at CEDIA EXPO for 20 consecutive years, including the first CEDIA EXPO at Amelia Island, Florida. He has participated in design and manufacturing for screening rooms for major film studios, flight simulator visual systems for leading aircraft manufacturers, and the massive screen displays for Mission Control at NASA.
“Don Stewart’s industry leadership and his commitment to image fidelity have helped to bring the home entertainment experience to new heights for countless consumers,” said CEDIA CEO Utz Baldwin.
