Quote:
Originally Posted by CHUCKCHILLOUT  /t/1476040/how-to-mount-a-screen-and-projector-perfectly-level-and-straight#post_23396810


Hello,


Last year I picked up my first projector and screen; I decided to hire an individual to mount the screen and pj. I live in an apartment and I think the dimensions vary just a bit, so the south part of the room might be slightly shorter than the north side, noticing and never getting things perfectly lined up, I measured the screen is one inch closer on the right(farther away from wall). The thought of removing the screen and redrilling is an rough thought since I'm not exactly handy, and tried initially and failed miserably and decided to quit making a mess and called a pro. When the lights are off, it still looks awesome, but my OCD side wants it perfectly lined up with no keystone. Any pointers?

1. What projector is it?

2. What is the screen size?

3. What is the distance from projector to screen?

4. What are the room dimensions?

5. What is the ceiling height?


You left too many important measurements out of your post for anyone to be able to help you. An installer that used projector keystone to place the picture on your screen is not a good one IMO. Perhaps it's not just the 1" distance difference that's the problem but the actual installation.

 

For most of us, the important thing is to have the projector mounted square to the screen. It doesn't matter too much to most of us if the screen in an inch to one side or the other.


My recommendation is to mount the screen where you want it, and have the top edge of the screen case parallel to your ceiling - by measuring. Then use a projector mount that allows a little bit of adjustment, so after it is mounted to the ceiling, you can still shift the projector some left or right. When mounting the projector, measure so the lens is centered to the screen - sometimes the lens is not at the center of the projector.


I have held my projector in my hands turned on and I found the right place to mount it to the ceiling by looking at the projected image on the screen. I moved the projector right and left until the rectangle projected had parallel edges - was actually a rectangle.


Another method is to cut two pieces of string to equal lengths, and attach one end of each to the outside edge of your screen case. Hold the other ends of both strings and pull them tight at the ceiling. That is one point at the center of your screen, so mark your ceiling there with a pencil. Shorten the strings by a fixed amount, say, three feet, and pull them tight at the ceiling again and mark that point with a pencil. Those two points make a line at the center of your screen. Your projector lens should be mounted somewhere along that line.


Hope this helps some.

 

Since my projector can only be mounted laterally every 16" (16" on center joists), I chose the joist I wanted to use, mounted the projector, then placed the screen afterward. As mentioned above, make sure the height of your projected image is exactly the same on both sides. Being off by 1/8" is not ok. Once that's done, mark the wall and put your screen up. I have cleats on the wall for that which are adjustable up and down, and they hold the screen frame in a slot I put on the back which allows movement side to side. There's only a couple inches of movement, but you shouldn't need much. TrickMcKaha's string idea is a great one for finding where a lens should go when you mount the screen first.


I also made my pj mount with the ability to adjust in 3 axes. It does not however allow a shift movement from side to side or front to back. I've seen mounts guys on the forum here have which are on tracks and allow that movement too. For my application that wasn't necessary, but it would be nice for centering the PJ in the room.