Having the Projector screen in front or my AC has kept the projector cool, (and the contrast great) but made the room generally hotter.
I have experimented with different ways to direct the air flow with vents, but since the vents are metal and shape the air in one direction they resist changing the direction.
Today I had a new idea. If I increased the height of the projector screen then the air would flow underneath the screen. After all it was barely blocking the airflow.
So I did that. I raised the height of the screen 7 inches. Which is perfectly the size of the height of the room. Which also means that I created no gap between the top of the screen and the projector. This made the room incredibly darker and increased the contrast. Now I am thinking of pushing it against the wall to get another source of light blocked off. I just moved it.
Now this is interesting. With the light now blocked at the top and the left, the only sources of light are the bottom and the right. When I had the blackout curtains in this room with the projector I had the greatest contrast but I moved them to the bedroom to get better darkness. Perhaps I should move the old blue blackout curtains to this room since the new blackout curtains are brown and that would block the light even more.
Although when it was almost pitch black it was hard to see in the kitchen and bathroom. I’m going to see if this trade off will work. It is darker than it was, but not so dark that I can’t see in other rooms. The main goal has been achieved. I can feel the air from the AC unit now and that will make it more pleasant during hot days and warmer in cold ones as well.
If you mess around with something long enough, you will find the perfect balance.