My room will be 16' x 20' x9' (except under the trey ceiling). I'll have an 8' rear platform, but i want to make sure the rear seats are high enough to see over the front seats. I've heard that an 8" high platform is standard, but I have no idea if that's true. I've also seen several home theaters with a short first step and a second step, making the platform look more like 12" high

What would you do - or what have you done and are you happy with it??

I'm thinking of going 12" with a second step.

Twelve inches is a comomnly quoted standard but sight lines will also depend on screen height also, obviously.

Mine are 10" but this was dictated by the amount my stairs could be raised at the entrance (20" was realistically the limit).

I have been relatively happy but sight lines would be more consistant had my risers beem 12' to 14".

I have a way to fudge which I intend too implement soon. That is to raise the seats themselves about three inches . This improves sight lines without rebuilding the riser and still feels ergonomically fine in the seats.

Art

12" sounds high. Might cut in on headroom under the tray ceiling. If you know the height from the floor of the bottom of the screen and the two seating distances, you can use some trig to calculate the minimum rise required. I think mine is 10" and the step is 8"

tip: the less legroom between the two rows, the less rise you need.

[QUOTE]That is to raise the seats themselves about three inches[QUOTE].

just be careful to not raise too much so that an average adult's legs hang in the air. It's fatiguing on the thighs. I have this problem in my second row and I'm 5'11".

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=505237

tyr this calculator and then put in a step half of the height if neccessary.

Scott

My room will be 16' x 20' x9' (except under the trey ceiling). I'll have an 8' rear platform, but i want to make sure the rear seats are high enough to see over the front seats. I've heard that an 8" high platform is standard, but I have no idea if that's true. I've also seen several home theaters with a short first step and a second step, making the platform look more like 12" high

What would you do - or what have you done and are you happy with it??

I'm thinking of going 12" with a second step.

There is not such thing as a standard height for a riser it is based on the measurements, use the calculator but also do a mock up.
My theater is 17' from the screen surface to the rear wall. I have two rows of seats the first on a 1.5" board and the second on a 15" riser, that was what I needed with real theater seats not recliners which would have needed more. and there is a step at 7.5" to the riser on each side.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb101/Arwenmark/Picturesapril07037.jpg

12" sounds high. Might cut in on headroom under the tray ceiling. If you know the height from the floor of the bottom of the screen and the two seating distances, you can use some trig to calculate the minimum rise required. I think mine is 10" and the step is 8"

tip: the less legroom between the two rows, the less rise you need.

That's what I'm worried about. If the rear trey is 12" down, the ceiling would be 8' instead of 9'. With a 12" riser, it'll be down to 7'. I think 7' will be fine (I'm 6'1"), but if the trey is any more than 12" down, it'll be cutting it closely. I'll have a look at that calcultor.