Looking at layouts and was wondering on dimensions. I'm was thinking 100 plus inch screen with 6 chairs. Chairs would be 3 wide and two rows. 12x14 seems a little close but may work. Bigger?
Dedicated projector room size?
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I have 119" screen, my room is just over of 11' wide, 24' long. Seating as you described with the second row on a 12" riser. If one sits in the 1st row they are 12' from the screen without reclining, I have a few friends that can't sit in this row. 
Make sure you decide on your projector then you can calculate distance and screen size before starting. For my 119" screen my Mit's projector is around 13' from the screen.
Make sure you decide on your projector then you can calculate distance and screen size before starting. For my 119" screen my Mit's projector is around 13' from the screen.
Running a Mit's in the Bedroom with 110" screen at about 15' 6" away average viewing distance for me is about 14' or so, just right for distance... in my little HT room I'm about 8' from 73" screen, I need to make a dedicated big room.
My theater is 12' wide by 20' long. I currently run a row of 4 seats 11' from a 120" screen. The eventual plan is to add a bar behind the seats with additional seating.
The seat riser calculators usually say to allow around 7' per row for recliners. The seats I have are 68.5" deep fully reclined (5' 8.5"). The 7' recommendation is to allow some room to get in and out while the seats are reclined. I would say that 20' is about the minimum depth for 2 rows and 14' is definitely too short.
Here is a datasheet on my seats from the guy I got them from. "SPECIALS on Berkline Home Theater Seating, Audio and Video: Ultimate Home Entertainment" Roman is knowledgable and recommended.
There is another alternative for second row that requires less depth. That is to go with actual theater seats that can be put in on a 5' deep riser. You can also get more seats in to the row. At least 4 and possibly 5. The theory is that these are overflow seats and don't need to be as plush. I personally prefer the bar idea though.
I would also say to definitely go at least 10" and 120" if you can manage. You want to get the movie theater feel, and a smaller screen feels more like a big TV.
The seat riser calculators usually say to allow around 7' per row for recliners. The seats I have are 68.5" deep fully reclined (5' 8.5"). The 7' recommendation is to allow some room to get in and out while the seats are reclined. I would say that 20' is about the minimum depth for 2 rows and 14' is definitely too short.
Here is a datasheet on my seats from the guy I got them from. "SPECIALS on Berkline Home Theater Seating, Audio and Video: Ultimate Home Entertainment" Roman is knowledgable and recommended.
There is another alternative for second row that requires less depth. That is to go with actual theater seats that can be put in on a 5' deep riser. You can also get more seats in to the row. At least 4 and possibly 5. The theory is that these are overflow seats and don't need to be as plush. I personally prefer the bar idea though.
I would also say to definitely go at least 10" and 120" if you can manage. You want to get the movie theater feel, and a smaller screen feels more like a big TV.
If you can chose the dimensions, start with eliminating standing waves.
Harmonic Formation
Perfecting video depends very little on room dimensions, audio depends a lot...
Diogen.
Harmonic Formation
Perfecting video depends very little on room dimensions, audio depends a lot...
Diogen.
My theater room is ~ 28.5 x 15.5 in usable dimensions. The raw space before the room was built out was ~29' x 16'. The screen is a 2.35:1 10' / 120" wide screen. There are several things to look for here. Remember that most chairs recline forward from the seated position.
With respect to the audio side, the dimensions are only a small part of the solution. The other part is the internal acoustics. Remember the action / sci-fi movies can get quite loud and if you have others living with you some attention to the soundproofing will be appreciated. Heck, even some dialog driven films (like The Social Network)has the dance club scene where the volume jumps dramatically above the dialogue level for a significant length of time. So watch out
Oh, and of course once you get all this up and running be prepared to see everything including how crappy over compression looks when you put it up on a bigger screen
Cheers,
- If you want to resolve 1080p at the seats you have to make sure that the viewers are close enough to the screen to actually resolve 1080p with 20/20 vision. This link shows the seating distances to fully resolve the various resolutions you'll run across. Note that the distances listed are diagonal inches. FP screens are usually sold vertically. Remember the pythagorean theorem is your friend. My screen is 104" diagonal for 16:9 viewing... My front row is at 10' and my back row is at 14'. My front row can resolve 1080p, my back row benefits from 1080p.
- Watch your screen width. While bigger has some advantages, you don't want it to exceed the field of view, i.e. you don't want to have to move your eyes to take in the whole screen.
- If you are placing speakers behind the screen, and I highly recommend doing this, you need to leave adequate room behind the screen for speakers and proper wall spacing. To do this, you need an acoustically transparent screen material. This can be done without breaking the bank -- check here for DIY options on acoustically transparent fabrics.
With respect to the audio side, the dimensions are only a small part of the solution. The other part is the internal acoustics. Remember the action / sci-fi movies can get quite loud and if you have others living with you some attention to the soundproofing will be appreciated. Heck, even some dialog driven films (like The Social Network)has the dance club scene where the volume jumps dramatically above the dialogue level for a significant length of time. So watch out
Oh, and of course once you get all this up and running be prepared to see everything including how crappy over compression looks when you put it up on a bigger screen
Cheers,
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You can't eliminate standing waves, every room has them. What you are talking about is selecting dimensions so that the standing waves don't align on HWD. Stay away from multiples in any room dimension (HWD) is a good starting point. Mine comes out to 8.5 x 15.5 x 29.5 (give or take) in finished dimensions.
All great stuff. Ive just been generically saying 100", but looking at what I may be using (20ft room), 80" range may be better. Using a chart, an 80" requires you at about 10 ft for the first row, as maximum benefit for 1080p. That puts the 2nd row at 17ft if I allow 7 feet for each row.
John, your number 1 seems like what I was thinking, but at 104" and 10ft, arent you too close for 1080p (in 2160 range)?
John, your number 1 seems like what I was thinking, but at 104" and 10ft, arent you too close for 1080p (in 2160 range)?
Looking here:
Home Theater Mart | 16x9 Screen Size Calc
and here
Home Theater Mart | Seating Distance Calculator
100" screen, 87" wide x 49" tall (16x9), puts chairs at 11'2" and 15'2" using 48" spacing. Pretty neat help there.
Home Theater Mart | 16x9 Screen Size Calc
and here
Home Theater Mart | Seating Distance Calculator
100" screen, 87" wide x 49" tall (16x9), puts chairs at 11'2" and 15'2" using 48" spacing. Pretty neat help there.
I'm going to fall back to my standard response here, Jason.
Buy the projector first. Set up comfortable, but temporary seating. Mount the projector on a high stand (I used an old highboy dresser), but don't commit to a mount quite yet. Project against the white wall and get in at least 10 movies or so. Play with seating distances and different screen sizes. Only when you are happy with a setup should you go and commit to permanent components and configurations.
I predict the following, based on my experiences.
1. 84" will seem big at first from 10' and will quickly get smaller and smaller. You will keep adjusting the zoom up until you find the best size for you. I found 120" and 11' to be right for me, but expreiences vary. The one thing I hear over and over is people saying they wish they had gone a bit larger. Almost never hear folks saying they wish they had gone smaller. You will be surprised at how good the image looks on a blank wall, and surprised again when the screen arrives at how much better it looks.
2. Plan ahead for aspect ratio. Think about what you are watching. If the mix includes a lot of sports and broadcast/cable fare, strongly consider a 16:9 screen. If it is mostly action movies, consider a 2.35:1. You also need to consider whether your room is height or width limited. My room was width limited at 12' wide, so a 16:9 screen made sense as I got a bigger 16:9 image at no compromise to the 2.35 movie size. In a wide room, the opposite it true.
3. Consider aspect ratio in projector selection. Some projectors have modes that allow you to switch between anamorphic and standard mode. You will need this if you choose the wider screen. Look for either power zoom/lens shift, or the anamorphic shift mode in the Mitsu 4000 or Epson 8700. Do not purchase the entry level projectors with a 2.35:1 screen as manual zoom and lens offset adjustments will get old very quickly. Among other things the projector blanking is not very good and you will notice the light overspray on widescreen movies.
4. Plan ahead for AT screens. Project against the wall, but allow 2' of additional depth for a false wall if you go AT. Also be aware that the mylar AT screens with the microholes require longer viewing distance as the holes are noticable at 10 ft. The woven ones perform better. Get screen samples and test drive them before committing. Spend some $$ for the bigger samples as the free 6" squares won't tell you much.
5. Try placing a recliner 4' away from a wall and then recline it. I don't think you will be happy with the result.
Anyway, feel free to ignore any or all of this, and best of luck on your search. I do honestly believe that this is an area where specs can betray you and where you need to experiment.
Buy the projector first. Set up comfortable, but temporary seating. Mount the projector on a high stand (I used an old highboy dresser), but don't commit to a mount quite yet. Project against the white wall and get in at least 10 movies or so. Play with seating distances and different screen sizes. Only when you are happy with a setup should you go and commit to permanent components and configurations.
I predict the following, based on my experiences.
1. 84" will seem big at first from 10' and will quickly get smaller and smaller. You will keep adjusting the zoom up until you find the best size for you. I found 120" and 11' to be right for me, but expreiences vary. The one thing I hear over and over is people saying they wish they had gone a bit larger. Almost never hear folks saying they wish they had gone smaller. You will be surprised at how good the image looks on a blank wall, and surprised again when the screen arrives at how much better it looks.
2. Plan ahead for aspect ratio. Think about what you are watching. If the mix includes a lot of sports and broadcast/cable fare, strongly consider a 16:9 screen. If it is mostly action movies, consider a 2.35:1. You also need to consider whether your room is height or width limited. My room was width limited at 12' wide, so a 16:9 screen made sense as I got a bigger 16:9 image at no compromise to the 2.35 movie size. In a wide room, the opposite it true.
3. Consider aspect ratio in projector selection. Some projectors have modes that allow you to switch between anamorphic and standard mode. You will need this if you choose the wider screen. Look for either power zoom/lens shift, or the anamorphic shift mode in the Mitsu 4000 or Epson 8700. Do not purchase the entry level projectors with a 2.35:1 screen as manual zoom and lens offset adjustments will get old very quickly. Among other things the projector blanking is not very good and you will notice the light overspray on widescreen movies.
4. Plan ahead for AT screens. Project against the wall, but allow 2' of additional depth for a false wall if you go AT. Also be aware that the mylar AT screens with the microholes require longer viewing distance as the holes are noticable at 10 ft. The woven ones perform better. Get screen samples and test drive them before committing. Spend some $$ for the bigger samples as the free 6" squares won't tell you much.
5. Try placing a recliner 4' away from a wall and then recline it. I don't think you will be happy with the result.
Anyway, feel free to ignore any or all of this, and best of luck on your search. I do honestly believe that this is an area where specs can betray you and where you need to experiment.
I think you're missing the point of the distance calculator. You need to sit where you can fully resolve your target resolution.
I can benefit from 4K but can't fully resolve it.
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All good stuff. Im just throwing numbers around now, no decisions made. I also think 4ft for row spacing is not enough.
If I were to buy now, itd be something like RS40 or HW30ES, Im thinking $3-5k for the PJ alone. Basically, I wanna do it once and do it right.
The use of the room would basically be UFC, College Football and Blu-ray. I actually had a 73" tv at 9ft, and loved it, so I think 10-12ft at 100" or whatever it ends up being will be fine with me. My goal is to shoot for a room of at least 12'x20', or bigger if I can. This project is a ways away, Ive just never studied up on PJ's and setups, so now is the time.
If I were to buy now, itd be something like RS40 or HW30ES, Im thinking $3-5k for the PJ alone. Basically, I wanna do it once and do it right.
The use of the room would basically be UFC, College Football and Blu-ray. I actually had a 73" tv at 9ft, and loved it, so I think 10-12ft at 100" or whatever it ends up being will be fine with me. My goal is to shoot for a room of at least 12'x20', or bigger if I can. This project is a ways away, Ive just never studied up on PJ's and setups, so now is the time.
Jayn_j:
With respect to screen aspect ratios as HD and widescreen TVs have become the norm there has been a gradual shift towards more 2.35" presentations regardless of genre. This happened previously in the 40s and 50s as TVs took hold in homes and cinemas migrated from 4:3 to academy flat (1.85:1) for most films. It's done to differentiate between cinemas and home viewing.
If you look at aspect ratios over the past 10 years you'll see a steady climb in the number of 2.35:1 ar films.
Cheers,
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With respect to screen aspect ratios as HD and widescreen TVs have become the norm there has been a gradual shift towards more 2.35" presentations regardless of genre. This happened previously in the 40s and 50s as TVs took hold in homes and cinemas migrated from 4:3 to academy flat (1.85:1) for most films. It's done to differentiate between cinemas and home viewing.
If you look at aspect ratios over the past 10 years you'll see a steady climb in the number of 2.35:1 ar films.
Cheers,
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So do you go 2:35 or 16x9 screen if you have mixed content? Id assume I'd go the biggest 16x9 thats appropriate for the area (just like buying you standard big screen tv).
I went constant image height with an anamorphic lens, so 2.35:1. If you aren't going CIH then yes, maximize 16:9 height.
I don't think there's an if in there, you're going to have mixed content.
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One thing to note , unless you go with a very expensive masking system you will have unlit portions of the screen from time to time.
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You can tune it out mentally, I'm just speaking to the reality that there will be some unlit portion of the screen on some of the content. What and how much depends on what you watch.
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I wouldn't go JVC 40. I'd wait to see how the 45 pans out. Sony or Mits/Optoma DLP's are also good choices.
S~
