Hiding the screen when not in use is one of the biggest challenges for home theater installers. You may want a 120-inch screen in your room, but do you want a giant empty white field filling the wall when you’re not watching the new Blu-ray releases of Star Wars? And what if you have children with clumsy and messy fingers?

A retractable screen that rolls up into a ceiling soffit is one solution, but that doesn’t work well for the biggest screens or for newer curved screens.

The best way to make a classy impression while hiding and protecting your valuable screen is with theater curtains. Making those theater curtains motorized is even classier.

At this week’s CEDIA Expo, Draper is showing off its new motorized stage curtain system. The Home Theatre Stage Curtain is a pair of traverse style (they open at the center) curtains mounted on a mechanism that opens and closes them silently at the press of a button on your remote, controller or wall switch. You can program the curtains to open to the length of your screen or to alternate lengths for use as an aspect-ratio masking system.

The curtains themselves are manufactured in flame-retardant cotton velour, in colors to match most home theaters (black, grey, blue, brandy and cherry). The system comes with an IR remote, but RF can also be added as an option.

Grant Clauser - Technology and Web Editor, Electronic House

Grant Clauser has been covering home electronics for more than 10 years with editorial roles in several consumer and trade magazines. He's done ISF-level damage to hundreds of reviewed products and has had audio training from Home Acoustics Alliance and Sencore. He's also the author of the book The Trouble with Rivers. Follow him on Twitter @geclauser.