Why not have a cinema projector screen in your household? Imagine yourself watching the finals of your favourite sport, or the season finale on a projector screen. You do not need to imagine, if you can have one in your living room. A projector and its screen used to be very expensive items, but now they are very much accessible.  

Having a TV room equipped with a home theater, reclinable comfortable chairs and a surround sound system is becoming common nowadays. Obviously you need an adequate projector screen to suit your room, projector and expectations. 

Although it is not difficult to get the correct gear you need for a decent home theater setup, there are things you need to keep in mind when planning your TV room, such as the size of the room, projector, and the distance where the projector and screen will be from each other.  

Projection Screen Size

There are many different projector screen sizes in the market. You should not choose the size of your screen based on the space you have available for it. The ideal projector screen will depend upon the projector you intend to use. It will have a specific ratio and it should be the starting point for choosing the screen size. Each size is optimized for a particular usage. A screen used in the office for business presentations will be different from a screen installed at home with the intention to show movies. We are going to break down the most common projector screen sizes and what they are best for.

Find below a quick estimation on how you should select the best projector screen to suit your needs and the ideal screen height by ratio

• 4:3 Video: This ratio is used for general purposes videos, like everyday TV shows. Ideally you want the screen to be placed ⅙ as far as the height between the screen and the furthest chair. This is particularly a good choice for large rooms. 

• 4:3 Presentations: This is more used in corporate environments. Often small and low definition images and charts will be displayed. The formula you should use for this screen is ¼ the distance to the furthest chair in the room.   

• Cinema Video (2.35:1): This ratio is best suited to display movies. The suggested height is ⅓ from the screen to the furthest seat in the room. This can also be applied to HDTV (16:9) and Widescreen (16:10).

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 As for the length, when trying to choose the screen size, it is normally set by the screen height, so you do not get to choose anyway. Just select the screen height based on your needs and you will avoid the hassle of choosing the length, it will most likely be correct regardless. .

Projector Throw Distance

After finding the right size of your projector screen, you also need to carefully select the distance the screen should be placed from the projector itself. Unfortunately, the formula to get the distance right takes into consideration one very important variable: the brand and model of the project you are using. As each model will have different settings.

The throw ratio, or distance over the length, is given by dividing the distance between the screen and the projector (D) by the length of the image (W). For instance, a common projector throw ratio is 2.0. So, for each foot of image length, the projector needs to be 2 feet away, or D/W = 2/1 = 2.0. According to this example, if you are using a projector with a throw ratio of 2.0, and having an image length of 5 feet, the throw distance is 10 feet. 

That being said, you do not need to worry about manually calculating the project throw distance. We have found a cool tool that does it for you. Click here, to have a look and see how easy it is.

Conclusion

Now that you can find out what projector screen size is the best one for your needs, you need to look into different options like, manual or motorized operated screens. Are you going to install the screen on the wall, or need a tripod? Regardless of what you need, if you are looking for a projector screen in Australia, TecnoTools has a comprehensive range of projector screens for you to choose from. We offer 12-month warranty and fast shipping Australia wide. If you are in doubt, do not hesitate to contact us by phone or email. We are here to help.