sorry to start a new thread but just wanted to re-check on screen size versus viewing distance. I was originally thinking of 92" (diagonal 16:9 aspect) but would like to know if my viewing distance is about 10-11 ft, would 100" be too much, ie. would the screen be too big and will I be fatigue from watching the 100" screen? Obviously i'd like to go as large as I can but not quite sure as this will be my first projector.
I'll be using the RS10/HD350 which will be arriving in about a week but I need to pre-order a custom screen (grey, 1.8 gain) which will take a month.
thanks for any advice!

Well, I watch a 106" wide 1.78:1 screen and a 118" wide 2.35:1 screen from 12' and we think it's about perfect with a 1080p projector.

When someone is new to front projection they often are shocked at the size of the image that can be thrown. Since a small screen would dwarf a 60" display, in my experience, people tend to think smaller than would be optimal.

Over time, or once they've seen some well set up outfits, the maxim "bigger is better," seems to hold particularly since there is no drop off in picture quality, rather an all the more immersive experience. Barring any special circumstances, i.e. a limiting throw or a notable lack of light control where the image will wash out, a larger image than one would initially think is often ideal.

I'm at 12' from a 100" 16:9 screen and could do 110" if my wall was big enough. At 10'6" (midpoint of your mentioned 10-11') from a 100" diagonal 16:9 screen, you're at a viewing distance of 1.45 screen widths- 126"/87" which is very comfortable.

As Craig mentioned above, he is at 1.36 screen widths and considers it ideal- there are others that are around 1.2 and swear by it so a 100" is by no means "stretching it," or asking for eye fatigue.

With an RS-10 en route, I think you'll be happier if you went to 100" for sure and it would notable- about 18% more screen area.

Cheers,

Dino

Sycorp, I'm in the same boat as you - wondering what screen size to go with. In my case, viewers will be around 12' from the screen. I've decided to postpone the screen purchase and just project against the white wall where the screen ultimately will be installed. I'm going to screen movies for two weeks to get a feel for what's right for my room.

I think Dino is right - my DLP RPTV was huge at first at 50". Now I definitely feel I could have gone with a much larger set. I had initially settled on a 92" screen for my just ordered RS10, but I may wind up going as large as 110".

- Kam

I think you'd be OK at 10-11' for your screen size and projector. Some SD material - especially non-digital TV / Cable will look pretty ugly, and even with DVDs, you will see more artifacts that you might expect on many average looking discs. HDTV and Blu-Ray will look perfect.

Thanks for all your comments, really appreciate it! I always thought "bigger is better" as well.
so I think I'll clear up some more space and order the 100" screen!

If you can spend some time in front of a similar set up, do. Much depends on your individual visual acuity and image quality priorities. All the foundational human factors research done in the development of HDTV resulted in a recommended viewing angle of 30 degrees before pixel definition could be detected on a 1920 x 1080 display (roughly 3 x screen height for 16x9, or 2 x screen width). Any closer and viewers with average eye sight could start to detect pixel structure in the image. Repeated references to a 30 degree viewing angle have appeared in subsequent SMPTE publications.

Most viewing angle/seating distance recommendations that get tossed around in home theater forums are from film industry recommended practice. Film is not digital video. Film has no pixel structure, but is amorphous with random grain. Film grain has been compared to 4K digital. Such an image can be viewed more closely without calling attention to the composite structure of the image.

Some digital image technologies have less "screen door" matrix between the actual pixels, as with LCoS-type chips. Others simply don't have as sharp an image due to poor quality optics, purposely defocusing the image, purposely overlapping the chip alignment (3 chip LCD and LCoS), and other techniques or defects that result in a slightly blurred image on the screen.

Individual viewing preferences can vary. Some viewers aren't bothered by textured clouds and other brighter portions of an image, due to pixel structure. Certain viewers value image width over picture detail. Personally, I have a more difficult time being immersed in an image if unnatural texture is visible in the picture, regardless of size. Even a sparkly screen surface can be distracting for some people. Many viewers can watch a wider image due to less acute visual focus.

I have found that many viewers may not notice image composition so much at first. It may require a longer period of familiarization with an image before defects start to become apparent. If you can find a demonstration somewhere of the type of projector and screen you're considering, give yourself some time with it. Give your vision at least 30 minutes to adapt. Once you can determine for sure what seating distance works for you, using that screen and projector technology, measure the screen width vs. distance and you'll have your individual formula to calculate the ratio for your individual system.

The most important thing to remember is- just because you will be watching movies doesn't mean you can totally equate film viewing theory and practice with digital video viewing recommendations. You've probably heard of "the willing suspension of disbelief," which is the goal of a well crafted motion picture presentation. Audiences are most impressed with a movie that succeeds at convincing them that they are part of the story being told. A movie theater should be designed to present, support and communicate the art, not call attention to itself. Anything that serves to distract the viewer's immersion in the story being told should be avoided in a system design. If your enjoyment of the whole picture becomes distracted by detection of the physical composition of the image on the screen, the suspension of disbelief can be interrupted, and your immersion in the story can be compromised.

You have to determine what works best for you. The place to start is motion imaging industry proven recommended practice, founded upon decades of human factors research, not popular fads, preconceived opinion, or others' preferences. Working outward from that basis is the most wise approach for any individual viewer or system designer. Any room can accommodate sitting closer to the screen, if you miscalculate screen width. Sitting farther from too large of a screen may not be possible if you start out sitting too close to the back wall.

Best regards and beautiful pictures,
G. Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
A Lion AV Consultants Affiliate

"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"

If you can spend some time in front of a similar set up, do. Much depends on your individual visual acuity and image quality priorities. All the foundational human factors research done in the development of HDTV resulted in a recommended viewing angle of 30 degrees before pixel definition could be detected on a 1920 x 1080 display (roughly 3 x screen height for 16x9, or 2 x screen width). Any closer and viewers with average eye sight could start to detect pixel structure in the image. Repeated references to a 30 degree viewing angle have appeared in subsequent SMPTE publications.

Most viewing angle/seating distance recommendations that get tossed around in home theater forums are from film industry recommended practice. Film is not digital video. Film has no pixel structure, but is amorphous with random grain. Film grain has been compared to 4K digital. Such an image can be viewed more closely without calling attention to the composite structure of the image.

Some digital image technologies have less "screen door" matrix between the actual pixels, as with LCoS-type chips. Others simply don't have as sharp an image due to poor quality optics, purposely defocusing the image, purposely overlapping the chip alignment (3 chip LCD and LCoS), and other techniques or defects that result in a slightly blurred image on the screen.

Individual viewing preferences can vary. Some viewers aren't bothered by textured clouds and other brighter portions of an image, due to pixel structure. Certain viewers value image width over picture detail. Personally, I have a more difficult time being immersed in an image if unnatural texture is visible in the picture, regardless of size. Even a sparkly screen surface can be distracting for some people. Many viewers can watch a wider image due to less acute visual focus.

I have found that many viewers may not notice image composition so much at first. It may require a longer period of familiarization with an image before defects start to become apparent. If you can find a demonstration somewhere of the type of projector and screen you're considering, give yourself some time with it. Give your vision at least 30 minutes to adapt. Once you can determine for sure what seating distance works for you, using that screen and projector technology, measure the screen width vs. distance and you'll have your individual formula to calculate the ratio for your individual system.

The most important thing to remember is- just because you will be watching movies doesn't mean you can totally equate film viewing theory and practice with digital video viewing recommendations. You've probably heard of "the willing suspension of disbelief," which is the goal of a well crafted motion picture presentation. Audiences are most impressed with a movie that succeeds at convincing them that they are part of the story being told. A movie theater should be designed to present, support and communicate the art, not call attention to itself. Anything that serves to distract the viewer's immersion in the story being told should be avoided in a system design. If your enjoyment of the whole picture becomes distracted by detection of the physical composition of the image on the screen, the suspension of disbelief can be interrupted, and your immersion in the story can be compromised.

You have to determine what works best for you. The place to start is motion imaging industry proven recommended practice, founded upon decades of human factors research, not popular fads, preconceived opinion, or others' preferences. Working outward from that basis is the most wise approach for any individual viewer or system designer. Any room can accommodate sitting closer to the screen, if you miscalculate screen width. Sitting farther from too large of a screen may not be possible if you start out sitting too close to the back wall.

Best regards and beautiful pictures,
G. Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
A Lion AV Consultants Affiliate

"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"

thanks so much for your comprehensive comments. I guess I'll take a good look again before I order that screen. Buying this projector is not that easy, not like picking up that flat screen LCD/Plasma.
now I'm thinking whether projecting onto a 1.8 gain gray screen will be too dark or maybe I should go with a white screen? unfortunately there are no RS10/HD350 in my area where I can demo.