Determining the Best Screen Size for a Home Theater Projector

Don’t get stressed in determining the best screen size for a home theater projector. By following some simple rules, you can easily turn the headache into an accomplishment. The result of having the perfect projector screen size will be a reward all its own. Follow the steps suggested and you will be enjoying your new screen in no time.

Step 1: Familiarize Yourself with the Native Resolution

The native resolution, otherwise known as the aspect ratio, will play an important part to determining the correct size of projector screen you will need. The aspect ratio is nothing other than the height divided by the width. This will ultimately assist you in having a higher quality picture.  The most commonly used aspect ratios of the current projectors available are 4.3 and 16.9.

Step 2: Measure the Height of Your Ceiling

The height of your ceiling is one of the most important aspects of choosing the correct size of a home theater projector screen. Do not choose a projector screen that will be closer than 1 foot to the ceiling and 3 feet to the floor. Placing the screen too low to the floor will result in hard-to-see angles as well as potential obstacles getting in the line of view. Sticking to this rule will provide you with an overall better room to projector screen proportion. In the case of using a projector screen in an office, boardroom, classroom or other learning environment where people will be seated in front of one another, it is imperative not to oversize the screen where it is placed too low to the floor. However, in the case of home theater projectors, the screen issue can be less strict. Just bear in mind that the overall proportion of the screen in the room, not being too high or too low, will allow for greater viewing comfort.

Step 3: Space Between Seated Audience and Projector

If your home theater includes multiple rows of seating, it is important that the screen be large enough to be seen from the back row. If you have a sectional and a couple of loungers, it is okay to go a little smaller in the projector screen size. However, if this is not the case, larger is better. People will always focus their gaze on the center of the screen and not on the entire viewing area. Seat yourself in the furthest away seat and focus on the part of the wall where the center of the screen would be located. This will help you a great deal in determining the correct size for the room. Remembering a simple rule will help you out: If it is a big room, choose a big screen keeping in mind ceiling height. If the room is small and the audience is seated 4 feet from the projector screen, you will not want the screen to be so big that it forces  viewers to constantly be straining their necks by looking upwards. If the screen is 10 feet or more away with multiple seating rows, opt for the larger projector screen size.