Does screen size matter?

[scw]

I’m currently trying to decide on the best screen size to go with my HD65. I will be projecting onto a white painted wall (or MDF) with black felt flagging to create the sides and have tried various distances to give an image size along the top edge of around 84, 96 or 108 inches wide. They all seem ok although I’m wondering whether you can go too big.

What’s the optimum width screen size to get the best image from this PJ?

[david@royjowett]

Hi there, to an extent it depends on the ambient light in the room (that and personal preference i.e. image priorities). if you project a larger image the brightness of the image drops plus any ambient light in the room may be an issue-more ambient light and a drop in brightness may result in the cons outweightin the pros i.e. the WOW factor of a large screen but again, it's personal preference. the good news is the HD65 is quite bright in comparison to most pj's in this price bracket although we usually wouldn't recommend over around a 106" diagonal image (around 92" wide) as it may start to look a little 'washed out'. projecting onto a wall won't do too much help, it simply doesn't have the reflective properties of a screen. ideally, for a 108" wide image, you would be looking at using much brighter pj's. hope this helps

[nwgarratt]

It also depends on how far away you sit from the screen. I sit 9 feet away and get a very nice 80". I can't go any more bigger due to filling up my screen but I could go bigger on a wall. I don't want to becuase then I would be moving my head about to take in the whole image. Apart from neck strain that can also cause the rainbow effect.

I would just have big enough so that you would feel comfortable watching it without moving your head and have it the right height so you don't look up too much.

[mikim]

Another important factor that is probably not so relevant in your setup is positioning of the PJ. Most people are limited to distance/screen size ratios. As you have tried the distances already, then I guess you have the freedom to mount the unit wherever you wish.
For the time and hassle and the results you will achieve I'd really recommend a fixed screen. There are many available, and often seen for cracking prices on the classifieds here on AVF.

There are a few questions to ask yourself, (some mentioned by David):
How far are you going to be sitting from the screen? (if it's close, then the pixels on a 720p PJ will start to become visible to the eye, plus there are certain recommended screen widths to viewing distances).
How much ambient light will there be (if any)?
What colour will the walls be? (Reflective light washing out the blacks in picture)
Where do you want the PJ mounted?

I'd recommend 92" (diag) sat 4-5m from screen.

[kbfern]

I have an 88" wide screen (fixed on the wall) and sit around 10ft from the screen.Watching 720p material it is superb, absolutley no pixels visible(unless you get 2ft from the screen).Even sd dvd material is Ok from this distance,not so sharp as hddvd/bluray but still very acceptable.

During daylight hours I need the curtains and blinds drawn and then get a pretty good contrast ratio even though my room has light walls & ceiling and there is still a little light entering the room .

At night when there is no external light penetrating the room cr is even better,and this is with the lamp on my pj set in eco mode.

Projector is a Planar PD7010 DLP 720p model.

[scw]

Thanks for the replies. I will be sitting 4-5 metres from the screen

I will plan for a screen 92-96 inches wide and will look into getting a screen.

Currently the room is all white, although I may change this, with blackout blinds on the windows.