Thinking about getting a projection - Questions?

Prophet · 4 Mar 2011 at 12:01

My viewing distance is 10' from TV to eyeballs.

I'm thinking of getting a projector where the distance will be around the same give or take 6"

What kind of size picture could I gernally expect?

Reason for asking is that a projector and screen is going to cost around £2k ish but for that I can get a fairly decent 60" plasma.

Any ideas?

branddaly · 4 Mar 2011 at 12:25

You'll need a short throw projector. The Benq MP522ST could do around 90" at 6'. Unfortunately I'm not up to date on projectors, but if you find a short throw one you are interested in, then 'projector central' website has a throw calculator which will give you an idea on possible screen sizes.

Warbie · 4 Mar 2011 at 12:28

At 10ft i'd go for between 92" and 100", maybe a little more. Get the projector before choosing a screen and project onto the wall (preferably onto white paint) - gives a good idea of what size you're comfortable with.

RimBlock · 4 Mar 2011 at 16:28

I have a 100" screen and sit around 18ft away from it. It really is great and came in around 2k (Epson 3500 plus pull down screen plus HDMI cable etc)

Rule of thumb is usually to sit twice the diaginal distance away so a 100" (or 8ft 3") screen would be best viewed from around 16ft 6".

Some people like sitting closer so they can see nothing but the screen but I would not personally feel comfortable sitting 10ft from a 100" screen. Some people find it a bit too much and you need to make sure you can mount the projector so it can throw over your head in such a short distance unless you have it in front of you which means even less throw distance.

Using the basic rule above, that would give you a 60" screen and to be honest, if you can get a 60" plasma for the same price then I would personally go down that route. I love my projector but unless you have great light control and are willing to sit in a dark room all the time you want to watch TV then the plasma has more advantages over the projector for the same screen size.

Take a look at the projector calculator over at projector central to give an idea.

RB

moody · 4 Mar 2011 at 17:10

This will give you your answer. At 10 feet you're looking at a screen size of approx 80" for Full HD material

http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html

Chris1712 · 4 Mar 2011 at 17:12

Personally, If your viewing distance is 10ft, I'd be aiming for at least a 106" 16:9 screen. The whole point of projection is immersion in the content, and you only get that by blacking out the room and having a good size screen.
THX recommend screen size/0.84 so thats almost bang on. Although I'd say even better would be a wider 2.35:1 screen.

Is your THROW distance the same? Because I don't think many projectors will manage a 106" beam from 10' throw.

Somnambulist · 4 Mar 2011 at 17:39

http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html

Should use this to help you calculate screen size/viewing distance. If you're a 'front row' kind of person, bigger can be better, but if you prefer sitting in the middle of back of cinemas where you can take in the whole picture then you might want a size that means you don't feel like you need to look left/right to see everything.

Also you'll be able to invest in a better quality projector if you make your own screen. It's pretty easy to do, very cheap as well. If you don't have a very blacked out dedicated cinema room, you should look at AVForums Black Widows paint thread. It's DIY and for the money competes with expensive fixed screens, especially as it's designed to work in less than ideal conditions (white walls/ceilings etc).

sicknote · 4 Mar 2011 at 19:41

Bought an Epson TW3200 a few weeks ago and still can't believe the quality. Without doubt the best grand i have spent.

I sit 9ft away from an 8ft wide image....not diagonal. The projector itself is about 11ft away.

Warbie · 4 Mar 2011 at 19:47

It really is tricky deciding on a size before you get the projector. I used various calculators when choosing my first screen and ended up with a 92". I then tried a bunch of other screens (we're now onto the 5th or 6th screen and 3rd projector) before settling on 120" at 13'. Everyone has a different preference when it comes to screen size/screen ratio, and different projectors allow for different sizes at a given throw distance. If I had to do it again i'd paint the screen wall white, play around with different sizes for a few months, and settle on what works best for you and your setup.