What Projector Screen Sizes Do I require? Know everything

There are times when people make the error of selecting the largest projector screen size available to maximize their experience of watching. However, this is challenging for many reasons.

In the process of installing and evaluation of your projection device, you’re likely thinking about the ideal screen and the best size of projector screen to meet your particular requirements.

It’s crucial to determine what size your screen has to be, as there isn’t a any one standard size of projector screen.

Once you’ve got the basic details of your event established, the calculation of the size of your screen comes down to a couple of basic variables.

How do you decide the right size screen

The market now offers full of screens available from Da-Lite, Draper, Elite Screens, Alletec Screen and many more. Every screen is available in a range of sizes. These can be broken down into formats like HDTV (16:9), NTSC or Video (4:3), Widescreen PC (16:10), Square (1:1), CinemaScope (2.35:1) and a variety of other formats for AV.

The chart of screen sizes for projectors below will help you determine the format and size that will best suit your specific needs or circumstance.

How do you determine the size of a screen for a projector?

As you will see, there are many factors to consider which means you’ll require some math to figure out the answer. There are three math equations you’ll have to understand:

1. The ratio of throw is expressed by T=W/D. The throwing ratio (T) corresponds to length (W) and divided by the distance (D).
2. The aspect ratio is: For HD content it is 16:9. on cinema screen, this ratio is 2.35:1.
3. The Pythagorean Theorem: Typically written as A2+B2=C2, it might be more helpful to think of it as W2+H2=S2, or width2+height2=screen size2.

If you are aware of where you’ll put your projector, take note of what distance is between it and your wall, and then multiply that distance with the ratio of throw. This will give you how wide projection. Utilize the aspect ratio of your screen to determine the height, and then apply to solve the Pythagorean Theorem to calculate the size of the screen.

You could also go in the opposite direction. If you have a spot on the wall you’re thinking of take a measurement of the space and determine the size you’d like your picture to be. Painter’s tape is a good option to draw out the location you imagine your picture (using an aspect ratio in order to determine measurements).

Find the size of the screen through an equation called the Pythagorean Theorem. You could multiply the size by throw to determine how far from the projector should be.

It may seem difficult initially however, in the real world it’s fairly easy to determine the screen size of your projector. It’s worth taking the time to do the calculations to determine the size of your room prior to purchasing and installing your equipment will help you avoid frustration and confusion over the long term.

I hope that the information provided in this article will be helpful when you’re planning for your own home cinema!

How big are those gigantic 90, 100, 110, 120, 150-inch (and other) projector screens?

Below we have put together to give you the proportion of height and width by the most popular formats and top producers of projector screens, 8k projector screens.

It’s not a secret that projector screens can grow to be larger than even the newest and most advanced flat-screen TVs.

Most likely, televisions aren’t going to be to the size of projector screens. If they do eventually catch up, they’ll take a significant cost, ranging from an arm to leg and the screen for the projector could have been even bigger while keeping its lead.

In the end, creating an even bigger screen for a projector is much easier and less expensive than making a television that has a large screen.

However, what size are those enormous projector screens?

Consider switching to a projector from a TV or getting one to use as a backup video entertainment system. In that case, you might be interested in learning how those enormous dimensions actually translate in actuality.

Summary table

Diagonal	Width	Height
90 inches	78 inches	44 inches
100 inches	87 inches	49 inches
110 inches	96 inches	54 inches
120 inches	105 inches	59 inches
150 inches	131 inches	74 inches

The Best Seat-to-Screen Distance for Different Projector Screen Sizes

The exact “best” distance that exists between the screen of the projector and seating in the room is difficult to determine.

The general rule of thumb is that seats must be placed at in a space that is not less than twice the dimensions of the projected image and not over five times the size of the picture (the closest seat to an image.)

The width of the Projector Screen X 2 = the distance at which you can comfortably stand

The width of the screen on the projector 5 = the maximum distance

Remember, nobody wants to be in the front row of the movie. The above calculation might seem rather generous for an average distance however sitting just 2m behind the screen that is 2 meters wide, it does not “feel” at ease and often you don’t get the whole image.

In many cases, it’s painful to be stuck in the middle of a cinema! Therefore, you should try to give everyone in your meeting space or event space a good perspective of the projector screen.

You can also use the table

Screen Sizes (Measured Diagonally)	Seat-to-Screen Distance
80 inch	8,9 ft (273 cm)
90 inch	10,1 ft (307 cm)
100 inch	11,2 ft (341 cm)
120 inch	13,4 ft (409 cm)
140 inch	15,6 ft (477 cm)
160 inch	17,9 ft (545 cm)
180 inch	20,1 ft (613cm)
200 inch	22,3 ft (681 cm)

The rule 4/6/8

Another helpful rule to apply when calculating the most effective distance to an LCD screen would be the rule of 4/6/8.

This has much more dependent on the information being discussed and the kinds of meetings that you’re hosting.

While this is merely a rough outline but here are the essential guidelines you can use:

• Images that are detailed and crisp and analytic work

The projection screen’s height Screen X4 = the maximum distance from the screen

• Images with text that is large

The height of the projector Screen X6 = the maximum distance from the screen

• Images are designed to be passively viewed (imagery/films)

The height of the projector Screen X8 = the maximum distance from the screen

Question

What format do I need for my projector screen?

When you are deciding on the ideal resolution for your screen, we suggest going using a screen with exactly the same format and resolution of your projector. There are several aspects ratios common to all screens that you must know about:

• 4:3: This classic version, often referred to as 1:33:1, was created more than hundred years ago. For many years it was the primary format used by all US films and broadcast television and also computer display. In the 1990s, computers were using resolutions such as XGA (1024×768) as well as SVGA (800×600) that had an aspect ratio of 4:3 at the time that the industry began to shift towards a larger aspect ratios.

In 2005, the more expansive 16:10 ratio had taken over 4:3 as the most popular aspect ratio on LCD displays. These days, it is mostly used for churches, educational or office projectors, when projected using a laptop or PC.

The height of the screen here will depend on the purpose behind the display. If you’re using it for general purposes, such as watching a film or TV show, you’ll require an optimum screen height of at least one-half as high as the distance between an actual screen and the furthest seat you’ll ever use. This is the ideal solution for big venues.

4:3 video in The Boardroom or Classroom in these types of situations frequently require smaller charts or images You’ll need to follow similar formulas, only increasing the screen’s height by 1/4 the distance from the closest chair.

• 16:10 It is typically used in schools and businesses. Many monitors and notebooks, as well as projects that are focused on education and business use the aspect ratio. In comparison to the older aspect ratio of 4:3, wider 16:10 screens are thought to be more suitable to be used for high-quality tasks like computer-aided design and word processing.

Although 16:10 is still an aspect ratio that is popular for laptop displays and the monitors, 16-by-9 has taken over as the most popular aspect ratio for education and business applications, too. Today, only 20 percent or less of the latest laptops and monitors use 16:10.

This is due to the fact that display makers typically procure their displays from similar suppliers. Because 16:9 displays are used extensively for home entertainment displays because of economics of scale they are less cost.

While 16:9 displays are popular and less expensive they are considered less suitable for productivity-oriented tasks, such as editing documents or spreadsheets and using design or engineering applications.

Numerous laptop makers like Apple along with Dell continue to offer laptops that have 16:10 display. Commonly used resolutions that feature an aspect ratio of 16:10 include WXGA (1280×800) or WXUGA (1920×1200).

• 16:9 It is the standard aspect ratio that HDTV content and screens use. They have an 1.78:1 wide to high ratio (usually called 16:9). The majority of flat panel TVs, monitors for computers and projectors now use this aspect ratio when displaying content with resolutions like UHD (3840 2160 pixels) or HD (1920 1080 x 1080 or 1280×720).

The height of the screen should be equal to approximately one-third of the distance between the screen and the ideal seat in the room -depending on your preferences for viewing.

• Cinema video (2.35:1) Although it has the aspect ratio of 2.35:1 that appears like it’s similar to traditional video, it can be used with the one-third measure here too. However, it’s important to remember that cinema viewing has many more things dependent on individual preference which is why you might consider the 1/4 distance to be more visually appealing.

What size screen do you require? (And What You Shouldn’t) For Large Venues

Don’t overdo it to the point to push it. Screens that are smaller focus the light of your projector more (though it’s not evident unless you compare 100 300”) and if your screen is large enough for everyone to see the entire detail mentioned above, then you shouldn’t be able to overwhelm by having a screen larger than what you need it to be.

How to Set The Projector Up To Show Widescreen Content

Although many films are made using broadscreen (2.35:1 which is 2.4:1) however, the majority of projectors’ have native aspect ratios that are smaller (1.78:1 or 1.9:1) Two methods to show widescreen videos on a widescreen display in a cinema professional and at home . Both of these methods avoid boxing lettering.

Zoom Method: most basic and cheapest method of CIH is known as the “zoom method”. The camera’s lens zoom is configured to show an image which is the entire widescreen when a movie is projected in the wide-scope format (there are a variety of movies available in Blu-ray Discs that are in the format).

In this instance the black bars on the Blu-ray recording appear between the visible portion of the screen. The widescreen images in the film will only cover the screen’s height and wide.

If you project a film that has a normal HD aspect ratio of 1.78:1 the projector’s zoom will be adjusted to decrease the size of the image to match the vertical dimension of the display.

This can result in unoccupied space on the left and right sides of the screen, with the image appearing as what’s called”a “pillar box” with black vertical bars that are on both the right as well as the left side of the the visible areas.

In order to utilize the zoom technique for CIH this zoom feature, the focal point, and (in most instances) lens shift have to be adjusted in order to properly size and focus the image. This is not a practical method to use CIH for projectors that have just manual adjustment.

Anamorphic Lens Method Anamorphic Lens Method: A second option for those who own a home theater looking for the same method that is used for commercial theaters. Three key elements are required to implement this method.

The projector first needs to be capable of being able to both mechanically and optically allow an external anamorphic lens to be located in to the left on the front of the camera.

Second, video processing needs to be available to vertically stretch the image (either integrated in the projector or supplied by the help of an external processor for video).

Third, an compatible external anamorphic accessory is required to be mounted in the front of the projection device. These lenses are most effective when the lens of the projector has a large throw distance (i.e. it has a smaller magnification).

This is why you’ll typically have to set the lens of the projector towards the minimum zoom, and then mount the projector to the highest allowed distance between the projector and the screen.

The benefit of this method is that you are able to use all of the pixels in the projector’s display panels , rather than just three-fourths of them (for an average 1.78 aspect ratio HD projector).

This is accomplished by electronically stretched the image to 33% and then optically (with the addition of an anamorphic lens) by stretching horizontally to an equally 33 percent. This method using high-quality anamorphic lenses can result in an image with a slight increase in brightness approximately 5 to 8 percent, but it is also capable of introducing distortions as a result of the additional optics that are involved.

What you need to remember is that combining an appropriate projector screen could enhance the look of your photo but choosing the wrong screen may cause the image to look worse.

Instead of looking at these two essential elements in isolation, it is important to think of both as elements of the identical projection system. While there’s plenty to keep in mind when selecting the right screen for an apron, the reward is many decades of enjoyment and use.