How high should i install my projector screen?

Question

I just bought a 92" 16:9 (80" x 45" viewable) projector screen for my apartment to go with my new HD projector. The height to my ceiling is slightly over 8 1/2 feet.

My screen has a ceiling and wall mount; I'm planning to wall-mount my screen. How high should I mount my screen on the wall?

Answer 1

Best thing to do is sit in the seat you will most likely use.  From there look diretly at the center of the screen.  You eyes will want to be lined up dead center.  Of course you can adjust this if you have a couple rows of seating.  Go to http://www.projectorpeople.com on there they have a walk through of the proper way to hang a screen.  Good luck

Answer 2

Just a suggestion, but I would ceiling mount my screen if I were you.  It's much easier to make it portable that way and you may want to take it outside for a "backyard theater" movie night as it warms up.

just a thought,

weeder

Answer 3

While he isn't wrong the guideline isn't quite as restrictive as the first responder says. The height of your eyes should be 1/3 to 1/2 of the way up the screen when seated in your normal viewing location.

The idea is that you should not have to look up at too great an angle to see the top of the screen (or your neck will get sore), nor look down at too great an angle to see the bottom.

Your screen isn't that big, so you will have little difficulty.

Personally, I find watching from theatre seating I'm semi-lying down, so the higher location (eyes 1/3 up the screen) works better for me. You may want to consider this when mounting your screen. The other advantage is this gives more room to put the centre speaker below the screen but well off the floor.

See the link for a viewing distance calculator that will help you decide on the best distance to the screen. You basically want a viewing angle -- angle from the viewing location between the left and right edges of the screen (See diagram at the link) -- of between 30 and 40 degrees (THX revised their recommendation from 36 to 40 degrees). It's a personal choice but I find closer to 40 degrees gives a nice immersive experience (the whole point of a home theatre in my opinion). For your screen about 10 ft is a good choice.

I hope this helps ... and happy viewing.