What size screen should I use in my home theatre?

Home Theatre Knowledge Base Article

1st April 2011 Home Theatre   

What size screen should I use in my home theatre? 

There are many rules out there specifying how big a screen should be from seating distance. However allot of this has changed over the past few years with the introduction to higher resolution projectors. Prior to this it was advisable to sit a minimum distance away from the screen in order to not see any artifacts, pixels and screen door effects (SDE). 

Remember...what appears to be originally large soon becomes normal. Go as large as is reasonably possible.

A person may have a 3 metre wide room and with a solid screen would have to compromise screen size and do a 2.2 metre wide solid screen in the room in order to allow sufficient space to place the speakers at the sides of the screen. With an audio transparent screen you could go as wide as the room permits and place all 3 speakers behind the screen. Using an audio transparent screen allows people with narrow rooms to place all three front speakers behind the screen.

Your projector might also have limitation...so be sure to check the manufacturers specification. 

If you do not have any width limitations in your theater size, you can really go as wide as you want. After all, its all about the big screen and amazing sound. 

However if you are a person that likes to follow the rules, here is a calculator to help you decide what screen size and viewing distance SMPTE recommends for your room. 

Viewing Distance Calculator