[larrimore]

I have had a media room in my basement for years and really liked the ability to multipurpose the space with a big sectional and a couple of recliners. I just bought a new house with a dedicated theater room in it (attic, no windows, etc.) which was apparently meant to be a small two-row theater space (14X17). The previous owner never set it up, so there is no riser but there are sconces, wire for equipment and other things I can make do with.

However, I am thinking of duplicating my media room from the old house and turning the view 90 degrees from how it was set up. Placing the furniture, the whole family likes the idea better than the "traditional" theater setup. However, it does bring up some challenges that I need to deal with. The furniture would be about 10.5-11 feet from the viewing wall and I am trying to determine a screen size that's good but not overwhelming. I would be dealing with placing the screen in a section that is 108 wide between columns and is 82" tall. The wall height is misleading as this is really a room with 9 foot ceilings, but the screen wall is against an outer wall and even though I am limited to 82 for the top of the screen, the ceiling slopes up and away from the screen at about a 45 degree angle to its 108" height. So, I am also dealing with the height of the top of the screen basically being 80 from the floor plus 2" for the screen border. I basically want the biggest, most immersive experience without causing problems.

I have studied the THX, SMPTE and other recommendations for screen size and height and that is anything but cut and dried. I would welcome any input as to what to do.

 

[domz777]

**long version**
I've learned the hard way, that it's far better, whenever possible, to use simple, practical, experience to help me make my decisions.

Your situation was almost exactly identical to mine, in regards of how to determine screen size, where to place the couch, and all the other fiddly bits associated with that endeavor. I took all kinds of measurements, and did all the calculations. I looked at graphs, and charts and layouts, I questioned EVERYBODY, and at the end of about 2 weeks of scientifically, mathematically, and methodically, trying to arrive at the perfect screen size, NOT ONLY, did I not have the perfect screen dimensions yet, but now I was even more messed up confused about the whole thing than I was before I even started!

So, in exasperation, I resorted to my old standby rule of thumb. 'When in doubt - cave man it!' That simple rule have saved me TONS of grief, trouble and money over the years, and so much so, as a matter of fact, that I now trust it more than anything else I know. It's that effective.

ANYWAY....

HERE'S what I finally wound up actually doing, and it answered my question and put the issue to bed lightning fast.


**short version**
I got a long extension cord. I plugged in my projector and held it over my head. Then I simply walked back and forth in front of my screen wall until the white area being projected on the wall was a size that made me happy, then mounted the pj on the ceiling in that spot. WA LA PROBLEM SOLVED! Total time for the entire operation - ABOUT 2 MINUTES!

You just can't beat cave manning it!