Because of the size of my basement, I can at best do a 9' viewing distance from the screen. From the calculators, this means 60-80" screen. Is it really worth the trouble of a projector or should I capitulate and just get a big LCD TV?
Thanks in advance. And I am jealous of those of you with huge screens!
I am running a 140 inch screen at 9 foot seating distance.....seems just fine to me and all who have watched.
It is slightly brighter and sharper at 100 inches.....just slightly, but that is without changing any settings.
I have almost 1500 hours watching and feel no need to make it smaller.
I am using carls pro grey screen.......
It is actually 108 smallest size to 140 largest size...........I mostly run 140, unless it is some old DVD that looks really bad, then I shrink it down.
Carls pro grey tacks right to the wall no frame........so I can shoot any size from 108 to 140
It depends on the screen and the individual. I have a Seymour AV Centerstage XD 105" 16:9 AT screen cut at 15 degrees. Home built by me, and at 11' I can see the pattern with my 5030UB(It's very faint, and only on bright scenes). If I move my couch back to 14', it's not noticeable. If you are only looking for 60-70" I would go with an LCD. No bulb to change, or screen to build. And you can have 4k for a lot less.
I had a 65" DLP rear projection. I watched movies and kept moving my couch closer until it was too close. For me, 6' was enough. So I went with 105" at 11'. Try that with what you have to decide how big you want to go. Then decide if you want 1080P or 4k. Then price out your options.
With an AT screen, you also have the issue of moire to deal with and sitting close to the Center Stage material is a problem for many people. There are also distinct differences between DLP, LCD, and LCoS, technologies when it comes to 'screen door effect' and misconvergence of internal panels. I find DLP to be the best combination of minimal SDE and maximum sharpness. I have had several JVC LCoS projectors, and they were not as sharp as the DLP, even though they had slightly less SDE -- convergence of three panels was not perfect across the entire screen with the JVCs, while single-panel DLP has no convergence issues to worry about.
So, yes, the quality of the screen surface and the projector technology as well as personal sensitivity to moire, SDE, and panel alignment can all affect comfortable viewing distance in a home environment compared to a commercial cinema.
@archbid, which calculators? Either they are bad calculators or you are reading them wrong. Many on this forum view 100"+ diagonal screens from 9'. That's the point of front projection -- to have a more cinematic, big-screen experience than from a TV.
As @dreamer points out a bigger issue is picking the right projector that can throw a big enough image from your limited throw distance, which is the distance between the front of a projector's lens and the surface of the screen. Many projectors need a minimum 10' throw to produce a 100" image, A few can do it in as little as 8' 6". If you can't mount the projector with the lens that close to the screen then you need a short throw model. While there aren't as many short throw models to choose from there are at least a couple of good options.
What's your total budget for the projector, screen and also a sound system if you don't already have one? Projectors have small internal speakers but they are no better than TV speakers and don't produce a full cinematic experience. For the screen a fixed screen is better than a pulldown screen as pulldown screens develop waves and fixed screens stay flat. Some even paint their own screens.
Well - at 9 feet, you have a lot of options. I have a dual setup - 65" Samsung LCD/LED mounted to the wall and a 100" screen with the short throw BenQ W1080ST. This is a DLP projector and I use it in conjunction with a Darbee Darblet - - which is like putting on glasses for your projector. Nice sharp images and great colors. Some people see "Rainbows" with a DLP picture but luckily, I'm not one of them.
Large TV's - 75" and up are coming down in price. At 9 feet viewing distance - - they would look great, IMHO. The LeEco uMAX 85" is around $5K. It's from China, however, and there could be support issues. A separate thread is on the AVS Forum for this set. With out a doubt - - if you go 75" or greater, make sure to get a set with HDR. I wasn't convinced until I picked up a Sony XBR49X900E for our bedroom. The colors are spectacular - - especially with Amazon Prime streaming. I used to be a Samsung guy - - but Sony is my choice right now. OLED is nice but too pricey. It's all personal preference but I like the new Sony's colors versus OLED - - which, to me, looks like a black tint to everything. Potential motion issues with OLED's (and with other large TV's, as well) so if sports is your game - - keep that in mind.
Back to a "Projector" - most of the time when you are watching a projector - - you need a totally darkened room. Or at least as dark as you can get it. When I watch CNN or football/sports, I don't like to be in a darkened room all the time. Hence my dual setup.
Also - if you go the projector route, invest in a good screen. That's the one thing I should have done right off the bat. I didn't know the picture would be so great! Installation wise - - install your projector first, shine on your wall and then put up your screen. You can mark the corners from you picture and that will help you decide where your screen goes.
Sorry If I ramble, just trying in to convey what I like and don't like about my small room as it comes to me.Roughly 106 1/2" wide 11' deep, projector with a gap from wall for wires sticks out 2' leaving me a 9' throw.
It all comes down to money. I have an epson 5030ub, with a 9' throw, I can fill my 92" screen. But if I had the money I would rather a giant TV. Don't get me wrong I love my projector. But in such a small room, it creates heat issues, with the projector and A/V equipment running. As this is a bedroom converted to a movie room, my speakers are behind the screen in the closet and in the alcove next to the closet sits my A/V equip. I have an audio weave screen so sound can travel threw.With a 58" tv tucked as close as possible to closet sticks out 3" , screen comes down in front of that.Would not have that problem with a 75-85" tv. Center speaker is hung above screen, pointed down . One nice thing though I can take it outside in the summer for outdoor movies. Thats all I have to say for now. Just trying to get you to consider some of the things that go into having a projector in a small room. Will post a few other things as they come to me . Hope this helps, in your decision making process.
9' viewing or 9' throw? Those are two completely different questions. I view a 9' wide screen from 9'-6", but if you only have 9' of throw, then your options become very limited or the cost goes up substantially, to get a large image.
Because of the size of my basement, I can at best do a 9' viewing distance from the screen. From the calculators, this means 60-80" screen. Is it really worth the trouble of a projector or should I capitulate and just get a big LCD TV?
Yes. It's worth the trouble. Unless you have a lot of light coming into the room, difficult to darken over day and you watch a lot during day light hours, then stick with a TV.
Worth it? Definitely! Suspect most people here will agree. I have the above mentioned 1080st with a ~9' throw I have a 150". I sit about ~11' from it. So I'm less then a screen width away. And you need a little light control at least. And don't expect miracles. I don't have any problems with it. Nobody who's watched has said anything but WOW. Pics are night/dark, lights and side windows open, cartoons and daytime with lights off and blinds closed.
Seating distance is really subjective and you need to experience it to seee where you prefer.
Because scope and flat should be shown at the same height (CIH) I like to relate seating distance to the height of both images. And my viewing distance for comfortable immersion is 2 times the screen height.
So when I watch scope movies we are pretty close in how immersive we watch, but one screen width for flat would be too close for me unless the movie was shot for Imax.
I sit 9.5 ft from my 96" screen (16:9 aspect ratio). It's the perfect size for 16:9 content, although I wish it was a little bigger for 2.35 content. You definitely won't want to buy a TV that big!
A 96” screen is 47”x84” and your seating distance is 114”. So if we take 114/47=2.4X screen heights.
Most people like a 2X to 3X screen height seating distance so you are right in the center of what we normally see.
Now your scope image is still 84” wide and it is 35”x84” or a 91” screen size. 114/35=3.3X screen height, and you wish it was bigger as you are viewing a little less immersive than you would like. I agree.
The really bad part is the movies shot in scope AR 2.35:1 are all the blockbusters and the type of movie that looks best with a good level of immersion and the stuff we watch like TV shouldn’t be more immersive than that. If in the future you were to go with a CIH setup your screen would be 47” high for both ARs so it would be 47”x112” or 122” scope screen. That would put you back to your 2.4X screen height for both screens and I think you would find watching scope a real immersive treat.
Some people don’t have a wide enough room or a projector that easily adjust zoom or has enough zoom to do this. There are work arounds some of us use. Steve will sometimes move his seating to get a more immersive experience and I have my projector on a slide so I can increase the height for scope movies.
I dont know what all that sutff was about 60-80 inch or even 100 inch screen... an optoma gt1070x for example can give you a 650cm screen (250 inch) from 9ft
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