Comments on: Home Theater Calculator: Viewing Distance, Screen Size

By: Roberto

Roberto — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:34:25 +0000

Thanks for sharing, I appreciate your prompt responses. Thanks

By: Ronaldo

Ronaldo — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:37:05 +0000

well its always better to buy an expensive screen with proper borders. However i found a cheap one on the net just to try it out. I bought a $400 – 108" 16:9 eletric screen matte white and it works perfectly fine for me. i absolutely love this projector ay.

By: Roberto

Roberto — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:20:27 +0000

Thanks a lot Carlton & Ronaldo, in fact yes, it's the same projector. I'll stick to 100" or 103" depending on the brand. I'm looking at Vutec, Draper & Da-Lite, any comments on these?

By: Ronaldo

Ronaldo — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:33:44 +0000

Roberto, is this the Panny PT-AE4000U? i have the same projector and my first row is at 10ft and i have a 108" widescreen, i dont think you should have any problems with a 100" or even 110".

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:03:39 +0000

Roberto: No, don't go smaller with the screen! You probably will not be able to detect any hint of resolution deficiencies. The experience you get from having a wide field-of-view is, by far, the most important aspect of the home theater experience. Project dimness is the only reason to go with a smaller screen.

By: Roberto

Roberto — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:58:52 +0000

Hi Carlton, I'm learning about your tool, it looks great !!! Just want to double check if I'm reading the numbers correctly. I have a dedicated HT room 16'(d) x 12'(w) where first row is at 9' and second row is at 11'. I have a Panny 4000 with 1600 ansi lumens and I'm considering a 1.1 gain screen. Your tool tells me that \Ideal\ viewing distance should be 13.4 feet with a 103\ diagonal screen, should I go smaller 100\ or 92\? What do you recomend me?

By: Rico B

Rico B — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:23:57 +0000

Thanks for finding this. I coulnd't find it on line, only some general specs from the site. This definitely helps. Now i'm going to have to go back and brush up on my geometry. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to push me in the right direction. Hopefully this unit will be able to work in the space i have.
thanks again,

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:11:38 +0000

Rico B: You should check-out the projector user's manual for details: http://www.mitsubishi-presentations.com/files/mitsubishi_manual_HC3800.pdf

The answer to your question is on page EN10.

By: Rico B

Rico B — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:09:27 +0000

HI,
wondering if you could help, or let me know where to seek help on calculating at what height i need to put a projector, Mits HC3800, in order to have the bottom of the screen start off 4 ft above ground level. I was going to shelf mount, but think since there is a vertical offset (30 degrees??) that is locked, i won't be able to do that.
Essentially, wondering if there is some tool to tell me this: at 14 feet away from screen, what height will have to mount my projector to make it produce the bottom of the projected picture at approx 4 ft, as there is no lens shift possible with this projector.
Hope that makes sense, any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

By: What Size HDTV is Right For My Room? | Design Inside

What Size HDTV is Right For My Room? | Design Inside — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:55:41 +0000

[...] to determine the appropriate size, viewing angle, etc. there is an excellent resource over here at this website where Carlton Bale (a Finance guru with a passion for tech) has come up with an excellent [...]

By: Byron

Byron — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:07:31 +0000

Awesome tool, thank you so much! I do wish the Distance res chart and field-of-view seating chart were by default capable of showing up to 300" diagonal screens, though. I know most folks aren't concerned about this for home theatre, but your tool(s) are useful for schools and larger venues also.

By: schalliol

schalliol — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:49:28 +0000

I can't help with your calculations, but you have to beware of heat above the fireplace. 35" base doesn't seem horrifically high off-hand, but it doesn't seem like it would be optimal.

By: Televisori: come scegliere la dimensione dello schermo | Gorilla Digitale

Televisori: come scegliere la dimensione dello schermo | Gorilla Digitale — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:14:26 +0000

[...] di tutto una risorsa consigliata: Carltonbale.com, con il suo "home theatre calculator", è alla base della maggior parte delle [...]

By: Rakhi

Rakhi — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:10:04 +0000

Hi, Please help!!!!I would like to hang a LCD above my fireplace. The viewing distance is 10 ft and the height of the fireplace is 35 inches. Will this work? What is the maximum TV size I can use? Thank you so much. I have been thinking about this so much – my head hurts!!!!

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:41:56 +0000

The manufacturers specs are the best place to start. But as you probably know, the ANSI brightness spec highly inflated for most manufacturers (with the exception of JVC.) To figure out calibrated brightness, your best bet is to find a magazine/blog review or a forum thread and start reading. Real-world tests are the best source of data.

By: Raymond Gathright

Raymond Gathright — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:41:41 +0000

How do I figure up the lumens for a particular projector? Is it the listed number on the particular projector shown in their specs. If so how would I figure the lumens if the lamp is turned to a lower mode? I currently have a Mits HC6000 projector.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:34:12 +0000

How about adding an optimal TV/Screen height calculator using the eye height and distance from TV and suggested angle (10-20 deg) as parameters.

By: anjali

anjali — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:51:30 +0000

Thank you for that spreadsheet!

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:59:17 +0000

Yes, projector zoom ratio does affect projector light output (as well as contrast ratio.) This variable is projector-dependent and cannot be calculated using a generic formula. Read reviews for your projector of interest, determine the brightness at a specific distance, and enter that brightness into the input field of the spreadsheet.

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:41:23 +0000

I don't see a variable for projector distance form screen. Wouldn't this distance affect the ft-luimen?