New house = new theater room

[shiner]

The room is 18x24 and will have 3 rows, 12 seats, of stadium style seating.

Any tools/calculators to determine the best screen size for such a setup?

I was originally considering a 1080p projector and a 92" screen but now I'm thinking that screen size may be too large.

???

 

[Eug]

www.projectorcentral.com has calculators for each of the listed projectors.

Use http://myhometheater.homestead...istancecalculator.html for screen size recommendations based on seating distance.

Buy the projector first and then decide on the screen size. That's what I did. In fact, I ended up never buying a screen, and just painting the wall Munsell neutral grey N8.

The reason you should buy the projector first is because it will give you an idea of the possible sizes for the screen you'll need, under the constraints of the projector mounting positions. You'll have to spec out the projector first though based on where you might be able to mount it, because some projectors are inappropriate for some rooms' mounting setups. For example, some projectors don't work well flush mounted to the ceiling, and some projectors can't throw a large screen size if you're too close. Lots of math involved.

Assuming you're going to be orienting the room so that the projector is projected onto the 18' side of the room, then 92" diag may be too SMALL. A 92" screen is probably appropriate for about a 10' seating distance. You might want something more like 120" diag, which is good for about a 13' to 19' seating distance.

 

[shiner]

Thanks for the info and link.

Just FYI the projector will be setup to project on the 24' side of the room.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: shinerburke
Thanks for the info and link.

Just FYI the projector will be setup to project on the 24' side of the room.

acoustically, its better the other way, but you can make it work for this dimension as well. Just trying to think ahead, as you will most likely be getting speakers for the projector as well... As long as siting areas are not in the middle of the room, against the wall, or at 1/4 points of the room, you should be ok.

 

[Mutilator]

I've got a 92" screen paired with a Sanyo PLV-Z5 in a room that is just under 14ft long... so I'm sitting about 11ft away. It's big but I wouldn't say TOO big so it should work fine for you... you may even want to go larger.

But like Eug said, pick a projector that will work with the placement you plan on using and buy it... then decide on screen size from there. I knew mine would work so I actually made a screen ahead of time to exact dimensions and was able to get it to work just fine, but it'd definitely be easier the other way around. I went with the Z5 because I basically wanted it centered on the back wall horizontally and vertically. Most projectors you have to either put closer to the floor, or invert and mount on the ceiling. Not this one.

Oh and these websites will help you out some:
http://www.avsforum.com
http://www.projectorpeople.com
http://www.projectorcentral.com (has a good screen size/throw distance calculator)

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: shinerburke
Just FYI the projector will be setup to project on the 24' side of the room.

OK then, 92" might work. My room is 19' long (and 11' wide), and I have a 90" screen. I only have 2 rows of seats though. A 3rd row would fit, but would be right up against the back wall. My first row is about 9' from the screen.

I have my Panasonic PT-AX200U inverted and mounted on the ceiling about 9' from the wall, but I had to drop the projector down to a little over 6' off the floor, to get the image placed low enough on the wall.

Pix:

Flush mounted on ceiling <-- Image is too high on the wall with this mounting setup, because of the way this projector is designed. Other projectors would project the image lower on the wall, but not this one.

Mounted with extension <-- Now my image height is the where I want it.

BTW, with this projector, the image size (in inches) is approximately equivalent to the mounting distance (in feet) x 10. So, with my mounting distance of 9', my maximum screen size is 90". These numbers would totally change with other projectors though. For example, with one of the Optoma projectors I was looking at, I'd have to mount the projector a couple of feet back to be able to project a 90" screen.

 

[Cardio]

To me 92" is too small. My room is a bit longer but has a 243" screen and I think it is fine. No one has ever mentioned thinking it too large. PQ is certainly important. A large blurry image is awful. But if the quality is there would you choose the size of a window based on the size of the room.

 

[SearchMaster]

243" screen? Whoa.

My room is probably 80% the size of yours, shinerburke, and I have a 100" screen. It seemed HUGE when I was first installing it (only 8' ceilings so it wasn't too far off the floor) but in reality it's perfect for my room. So you'd probably be perfectly happy with a 92", but probably just as happy or happier with a 120".

I'm not sure I could see much of the picture on a 243" screen to be honest, unless I sat pretty far away. I think I would naturally just have to focus on the center and would probably miss everything on the edges.

 

[shiner]

Originally posted by: SearchMaster
243" screen? Whoa.

My room is probably 80% the size of yours, shinerburke, and I have a 100" screen. It seemed HUGE when I was first installing it (only 8' ceilings so it wasn't too far off the floor) but in reality it's perfect for my room. So you'd probably be perfectly happy with a 92", but probably just as happy or happier with a 120".

I'm not sure I could see much of the picture on a 243" screen to be honest, unless I sat pretty far away. I think I would naturally just have to focus on the center and would probably miss everything on the edges.

That is my concern exactly. I don't want the screen so large that you end up focusing on only a part of it and missing the things going on in the periphery.

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: SearchMaster
243" screen? Whoa.

My room is probably 80% the size of yours, shinerburke, and I have a 100" screen. It seemed HUGE when I was first installing it (only 8' ceilings so it wasn't too far off the floor) but in reality it's perfect for my room. So you'd probably be perfectly happy with a 92", but probably just as happy or happier with a 120".

I'm not sure I could see much of the picture on a 243" screen to be honest, unless I sat pretty far away. I think I would naturally just have to focus on the center and would probably miss everything on the edges.

What projector do you have?

 

[SpeedEng66]

my room is 9 w x 14 L

my first screen was a 80'' elite screen and that was tiny in a tiny room

then I picked up a grey wolf 2 92'' and this was great for 9 feet wide sitting 10-12 feet back

you might wanna go up a size (105'' maybe?) because 92 will be tiny in your large room

 

[SearchMaster]

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: SearchMaster
243" screen? Whoa.

My room is probably 80% the size of yours, shinerburke, and I have a 100" screen. It seemed HUGE when I was first installing it (only 8' ceilings so it wasn't too far off the floor) but in reality it's perfect for my room. So you'd probably be perfectly happy with a 92", but probably just as happy or happier with a 120".

I'm not sure I could see much of the picture on a 243" screen to be honest, unless I sat pretty far away. I think I would naturally just have to focus on the center and would probably miss everything on the edges.

What projector do you have?

Mine is an Infocus 4805. Even though it's only 480p, the SDE on the 100" screen isn't that bad.

 

[Eug]

Re: SDE.

The SDE and pixelation of a 480p projector on a 100" screen from relatively close as you seem to be describing would drive me totally nuts. The reviews suggest that because of it, they recommend you sit 2.0X screen width away. For a 100" screen, the screen width is 87.2", or 7.3'. 2X screen width is about 15 feet. Too far, at least for the first row.

I like a seating distance of about 1.4X screen width for the first row. For my 90" screen (78.4" wide), that's about 9 feet.

P.S. I call shens on the 243". If we assume for the moment that he's actually is using a screen that big, then either the projector costs 5-digit $, or else his image quality is poor. Furthermore, the screen would be far too big, unless he's sitting quite far away. At a seating distance of say 12', with a screen width of 17.6', that means a seating distance of 0.68. That's like sitting 2 feet away from a 42" TV. A 1.4X screen width calculation would put it at more like 25 feet seating distance for a 243" screen, which is like sitting 4-5 feet away from a 42" screen.

However, a 143" screen would make sense. Not only would an affordable projector work with it, it would only need about a 14' seating distance or so.

 

[Cardio]

Originally posted by: Eug
Re: SDE.

The SDE and pixelation of a 480p projector on a 100" screen from relatively close as you seem to be describing would drive me totally nuts. The reviews suggest that because of it, they recommend you sit 2.0X screen width away. For a 100" screen, the screen width is 87.2", or 7.3'. 2X screen width is about 15 feet. Too far, at least for the first row.

I like a seating distance of about 1.4X screen width for the first row. For my 90" screen (78.4" wide), that's about 9 feet.

P.S. I call shens on the 243". If we assume for the moment that he's actually is using a screen that big, then either the projector costs 5-digit $, or else his image quality is poor. Furthermore, the screen would be far too big, unless he's sitting quite far away. At a seating distance of say 12', with a screen width of 17.6', that means a seating distance of 0.68. That's like sitting 2 feet away from a 42" TV. A 1.4X screen width calculation would put it at more like 25 feet seating distance for a 243" screen, which is like sitting 4-5 feet away from a 42" screen.

However, a 143" screen would make sense. Not only would an affordable projector work with it, it would only need about a 14' seating distance or so.

No, the projector is not "affordable" and the PQ is excellent. The room is 30" long and 243" is not too big. A 243" screen is not really affordable either. Just talking about size. Watching a screen that is large enough that you do not see anything else in your peripheral vision adds an experience that you may need to see and feel to understand. The distance you need away from something is largely determined by the image quality. Do you find it necessary to back away when looking out a large window vs a smaller one. Ever been to an EMAX theater, not IMAX, EMAX. Ever seen the original Cinerama theatre that used a curved screen and 3 projectors. I don't think they used your chart for those, though. Charts are nice, they limit the requirement for understanding.

 

[Rio Rebel]

My theater room is about 22' long, and 13' wide. My front seats are about 12'-13' from the screen. I have a 100" screen, and it doesn't seem to small to me at all. I'm considering going a little bigger.

Here is a shot of the screen in my room:

Theater Room

 

[Cardio]

Rebel, It will not seem small, until you get a larger one! That's the way it is with everything. I think it is called the "boat syndrome". I have a friend who has a 103" Panasonic plasma which I thought was huge and really nice, was at CES a couple of weeks ago and saw the 150" and now his looks like a portable TV. I like your room. It looks really nice. I like the color alot.

I have a custom 145" electric screen if you ever need one but I am in Houston and it is pretty much unshipable. It came in a wooden box that was made for it and I didn't keep, naturally.

 

[montypythizzle]

I would like pics and/or information on the projector. Hell a G90, which is THE king of FPROJ is only 1300 Lumens. I call shens.

 

[Cardio]

You may call what ever you like. You obviously have little product knowledge. The top project available is a Runco SC-1. It has from 8,000 to over 25,000 lumens depending on the lamp used.


Light Output: CSMS** Specifications: Home Theater Calibration: 6887 ANSI Lumens (w/2k Lamp);
331 Foot-Lamberts (fL) (w/2k Lamp);

9000 ANSI Lumens* min. (w/2k Lamp);

8000 ? 25,000 ANSI Lumens (variable depending on lamp used)

Contrast Ratio: CSMS** Contrast Ratio: 243:1 ? 485:1 (w/2k Lamp);
1500 ? 2800:1 (variable depending on lamp used)

Lamp: 1.6kW, 2kW, 3kW or 7kW Xenon Short Arc lamp
Lamp Life: 1000 hours.
Inputs: Proprietary Digital Interface
Control Options: IR, RS-232, RS-422
Power Requirements: 220-240V AC, 50/60Hz, 30 Amps, External Cooling Requirement: 600 CFM (cubic feet per minute)
Operating Environments: 40 to 95ºF (5 to 35ºC); 20-80% humidity (non-condensing)
Dimensions
(w/o feet): Width: 25 3/4 in. (654 mm)
Depth: 57 1/4 in. (1454 mm)
Height: 17 1/16 in. (433 mm)
Regulatory Approvals: Complies with FCC Class A, CE, C-Tick
Limited Warranty: Projector: (2) Two years parts and labor from the date of delivery to the end user.
Lamp Warranty: 1000 hours or (6) Six months, which ever comes first.

 

[montypythizzle]

Originally posted by: Cardio
You may call what ever you like. You obviously have little product knowledge. The top project available is a Runco SC-1. It has from 8,000 to over 25,000 lumens depending on the lamp used.


Light Output: CSMS** Specifications: Home Theater Calibration: 6887 ANSI Lumens (w/2k Lamp);
331 Foot-Lamberts (fL) (w/2k Lamp);

9000 ANSI Lumens* min. (w/2k Lamp);

8000 ? 25,000 ANSI Lumens (variable depending on lamp used)

Contrast Ratio: CSMS** Contrast Ratio: 243:1 ? 485:1 (w/2k Lamp);
1500 ? 2800:1 (variable depending on lamp used)

Lamp: 1.6kW, 2kW, 3kW or 7kW Xenon Short Arc lamp
Lamp Life: 1000 hours.
Inputs: Proprietary Digital Interface
Control Options: IR, RS-232, RS-422
Power Requirements: 220-240V AC, 50/60Hz, 30 Amps, External Cooling Requirement: 600 CFM (cubic feet per minute)
Operating Environments: 40 to 95ºF (5 to 35ºC); 20-80% humidity (non-condensing)
Dimensions
(w/o feet): Width: 25 3/4 in. (654 mm)
Depth: 57 1/4 in. (1454 mm)
Height: 17 1/16 in. (433 mm)
Regulatory Approvals: Complies with FCC Class A, CE, C-Tick
Limited Warranty: Projector: (2) Two years parts and labor from the date of delivery to the end user.
Lamp Warranty: 1000 hours or (6) Six months, which ever comes first.

OMG U TOTLLY PWNED ME!111131

Except I asked for pictures.

 

[Wuzup101]

Really it depends on how far your seating is from the screan, not how big the room physically is (other than the room limiting screen size). If you are going to do 3 rows, you are going to have a limited "optimal" position that you have to place somewhere (generally between the first and second row would be a good choice IMHO). However 3 rows is going to 5-7' difference in viewing distance... so it's not going to be perfect everywhere. With bigger screens you also have to consider vertical placement. Obviously, you don't want your screen to be too low or too high either (stadium seating will help).

If you go with a 92" screen on a 1080p projector, you could probably go with the front seats at 9.2' viewing distance (1.2x Screen Size). However, if you figure about 6' between your first row and last row, that puts the back people at 15.2' which is 1.98x screen size. These seats would generally be a bit farther than recommended for a full 1080p picture. As you increase screen size, you get a bigger sweat spot. 92" really isn't all that big... if you can afford to go a bit larger I personally would.

What I would truly recommend you do is get some blue tape and actually frame out (or just do corners) specific screen sizes. Make a few different "boxes" on your wall and see what works for you. You can measure out where you are standing on the floor and move around. it will give you a good idea of how big the screen is going to look in your room.

 

[Quasmo]

I'm currently at 1080P and project at 120 inches looks beautiful. I think it is right in the sweet spot from 13 feet away.

 

[Rio Rebel]

My point was that 92" is not too big for that room.

As to 243", I'm glad you enjoy it. You're not compensating for anything, are you?