How to Select a Screen: What is the right screen size for me?

One of the biggest questions we get is “What size of projector screen should I get?” It’s important to have the “wow”-factor of a big screen but it is also important to avoid getting a projection screen that is too big for your room. Think why the first two rows of a movie theater are unpopular. Our team realizes this and does not want you to make that mistake in your personal projection design. There are industry standards to help you and Elite’s staff is here to point you in the right direction.

*The discussion below is based on actual chat transcripts with the omission of any personal/confidential material to protect the customer’s privacy. An example in this case is to change the contact’s identification name/number to “Customer” or a generic name.

Transcripts:

2:41:22 PM Customer – Hi
4:00:00 PM Rick – Thank you for contacting Elite Screens Sales department. This is Rick, how may I help you?
2:41:42 PM Customer – Hi Rick, I’m having trouble picking a screen, I’m thinking of going with a projector for my home theater. I want something nice but I’m trying to save money.
2:41:58 PM Customer – I’m overwhelmed with all the specs.
2:42:34 PM Rick – Sure I’d be happy to help. There’s a lot to know, but it’s fun to learn.
2:42:52 PM Customer – Thanks
2:43:12 PM Customer – Is the smallest screen for home theater 92″?
2:44:37 PM Rick – It’s one of our smaller sizes. Are you looking into a motorized, manual pull down or a fixed frame.
2:44:44 PM Customer – Fixed frame
2:46:22 PM Rick – Okay, our Sable frame screens are 92” and it will be a nice fit for you. Do you have limited space?
2:46:34 PM Customer – I have about 80″ of space in a straight line between front left and front right
2:46:57 PM Customer – what’s the width of the screen non-diagonal, just a regular measurement of width and height?
2:47:03 PM Customer – for 92″?
2:48:13 PM Rick – from side to side from the frame itself is 85″ wide
2:48:27 PM Customer – okay let me go measure something real quick, do you mind holding 2 mins?
2:48:42 PM Rick – Certainly
2:53:53 PM Customer – back
2:53:53 PM Customer – sorry
2:53:54 PM Customer – so I have 92″
2:54:01 PM Customer – precisely between left and right speaker
2:54:08 PM Customer – so the screen can fit fine
2:54:52 PM Rick – yes, also the total height is 50″
2:55:25 PM Customer – okay let me go measure
2:55:30 PM Rick – the viewing portion of the screen is 45.1 x 80.
2:55:48 PM Rick – the frame adds 5 inches. If you’d like to see what the width/height of each screen size is, the dimensions are listed here: http://elitescreens.com/front/front/productdetail/product/48
3:00:05 PM Customer – yeah, gotcha
3:00:09 PM Customer – yup we can fit that one in here
3:00:16 PM Customer – 85″ wide… 50″ high…
3:00:33 PM Customer – one of the viewing distances is 6″ would that be too much?
3:00:34 PM Customer – too close?
3:01:29 PM Rick – the viewing distance can be from 7 to 12 ft however you feel comfortable.
3:02:16 PM Customer – okay great… so now we have that covered… the room is very white
3:02:34 PM Customer – wooden floor, but all walls are white including ceiling
3:02:37 PM Customer – I can make the room pitch black
3:03:17 PM Rick – if you can have the room without ambient light that will really help. I still recommend painting the walls a darker shade if you really want the visual appeal and screen performance to really pop.
3:03:39 PM Customer – what screen material should I get?
3:04:22 PM Rick – You can get the standard white if you have full control of your lighting
3:08:11 PM Rick – if you plan to use it with some light in the room we have what is called an “ambient light rejecting” ALR material. It filters out the washout effect of ambient light while boosting your projector performance. The down side is that they are a little more in cost and the smallest size is 100”. If you want the less-expensive route, stick with the matte white material, especially since you can control the light in your room.
3:48:11 PM Customer – I already have my heart set on the matte white. The size is right, the style is right, and the price is right. Thanks for the help.
3:48:59 PM Rick – I’m glad to help. We’re here if you need us further. In the meantime, thank you for choosing Elite Screens.