Epson TW7100 + 92" Screen - Headaches - THX Standard Seating Distance

xonize

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Hi all,

I've recently purchased a projector set up for my lounge ( details below ):

  • Epson TW7100
  • 92" Manual Pull up Sapphire screen
  • Unicol Telescopic Stand / Shelf
  • Projector lens to screen distance: 3.5m
  • Seating position ( sofa ) to screen: 3m
  • Used in Natural / Cinema picture mode
  • Used in evenings only when dark + curtains drawn, projector is positioned on stand / shelf behind sofa

I have had the above setup for a few weeks now and I'm starting to get quite bad headaches after an hour of viewing, I usually watch live football a couple times in the week and one film on Saturday + Sunday evening.

Netflix / Prime during the week are watched on 50" LCD

It's becoming quite annoying now.

Before the above purchases I originally checked the optimal viewing distance recommended by THX from seating to screen:

Audio/visual company THX offers an excellent guideline for seat-to-screen viewing distances. To find your optimum distance, measure the size of your screen diagonally and divide that size by .84. Using that calculation, a 100-inch projector screen requires an optimal viewing distance of 119 inches or 3m from the screen. This formula is the generally accepted guideline for judging the optimum distance between the screen and your seating area.​
  • 100-inch Projector Screens have an optimal viewing distance of 3m
  • 110-inch Projector Screens have an optimal viewing distance of 3.3m
  • 120-inch Projector Screens have an optimal viewing distance of 3.6m
  • 130-inch Projector Screens have an optimal viewing distance of 3.9m
  • 150-inch Projector Screens have an optimal viewing distance of 4.5m


So the headaches shouldn't be caused by me being too close to the screen, i don't suffer any eye strain / watering / blurry vision.

I am an office work and have been working on computer monitors for the last 20 odd years, don't wear glasses and have never had any issued with CRT or my current Phillips 50" LCD.

I've tried turning decreasing the projected image size down to 70" , lowered the brightness, allowed some ambient light into the room in the evenings but am still struggling with the headaches.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks
 
If it was a DLP I could understand possible headaches due to rainbow effect but not with LCD projectors normally.
 
Can you measure the brightness on screen when showing 100% white?

As that is spec-ed as a pretty bright projector (with claims of 3000lm and suitable for up to 500" screens) for use on a relatively small 92" screen.
Just wondering if it may simply be too bright for use in a dark environment.
 
Hi Paul,

I have no gizmo to measure the brightness of the screen. But even with lowering the brightness level down to 20 out of 100 ( 50 is default setting on cinema preset ) which is watchable, headaches are still occurring.

Secondly whilst watching the football this evening I now have a prominent blotchy texture / pattern across the whole of my projected image from corner to corner.

This same pattern / texture is present if I'm projecting onto my white screen or onto the grey wall behind, it is very prominent on the green pitch ( see image of green advert boarding which best shows up on my Pixel camera ). This blotchy pattern has only just occurred after a few weeks use since bought the projector. Surely the lense can't be dirty / dusty and causing this ?

I always use the dust cap when not in use and shouldn't have to clean the lens after 3 weeks from purchased new.

Not sure if I've got something wrong with my setup or possibly the actual projector is faulty ?

Any suggestions again much appreciated.
 

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I take the above back - the blotchy pattern was isolated to the Now TV / Sky Sports Stream via Chromecast 4k stick - restarted the stick and blotchy pattern has disappeared.

For some reason it wasn't rendering the image properly.

Headache still occurring though
 
I'm surprised. I've never gotten headaches from projectors but I have from TVs.

If its not suiting you, sell up and move back to TV. No one wants to deal with discomfort.
 
The brightness menu adjustment on the projector adjusts the brightness of the black level (not the peak brightness) so is usually best left around the mid point, I.e. around 50 or so.

If it were me I would try and measure what brightness you are getting on screen somehow, as I still think that could be the cause and would at least be a good place to start.

However I see you say you have tried viewing with ambient light with no change then perhaps it’s not that.
Was that viewing with all the lights on? Or just a token light or two?
 
The brightness menu adjustment on the projector adjusts the brightness of the black level (not the peak brightness) so is usually best left around the mid point, I.e. around 50 or so.

If it were me I would try and measure what brightness you are getting on screen somehow, as I still think that could be the cause and would at least be a good place to start.

However I see you say you have tried viewing with ambient light with no change then perhaps it’s not that.
Was that viewing with all the lights on? Or just a token light or two?
side lamp directed away from the screen
 
I'm surprised. I've never gotten headaches from projectors but I have from TVs.

If its not suiting you, sell up and move back to TV. No one wants to deal with discomfort.
indeed, I fear the projector journey may be coming to a sorry end
 
Would possibly selling up and switching to a laser machine like the Optoma CinemaX P2 be worth a try ?

Albeit using a DLP chip ?
 
indeed, I fear the projector journey may be coming to a sorry end

Different tech suits all of us differently. Wouldn't sweat it. At least you hadn't invested super huge ammounts into it before realising. It is quite rare though, normally its TVs which cause the headaches and PJs don't as they use far less light.
 
a few years back, but I don't have any problems with my vision / headaches outside of using the projector

In that case I would say it is highly recommended then to have one to rule out any specific issues with the projector. As you say you don’t appear to have any problems but watching a projector with a wider field of view is different than watching a TV. If you eyes are doing more work than normal or compensating it might cause headaches.

For the sake of £35 you can a full test from somewhere like spec savers with oct to check the health of the eye. We are at that “age” where it is worth a check (even though you have no other symptoms) and explicitly mention to the optician what issue your are having. In the grand scheme of costs it might save you some money
 
In that case I would say it is highly recommended then to have one to rule out any specific issues with the projector. As you say you don’t appear to have any problems but watching a projector with a wider field of view is different than watching a TV. If you eyes are doing more work than normal or compensating it might cause headaches.

For the sake of £35 you can a full test from somewhere like spec savers with oct to check the health of the eye. We are at that “age” where it is worth a check (even though you have no other symptoms) and explicitly mention to the optician what issue your are having. In the grand scheme of costs it might save you some money
May well be worth a try, I get free eye tests through my office so may book one.

40 and rocking it this year haha

I haven't been to cinema since before pandemic but never used to get headaches when sitting in preferred middle / centre row
 
Different tech suits all of us differently. Wouldn't sweat it. At least you hadn't invested super huge ammounts into it before realising. It is quite rare though, normally its TVs which cause the headaches and PJs don't as they use far less light

Would be a shame to lose the 92" experience, love it for watching films / football compared to to my 50" LCD TV

The setup was just over £2k so not mass amounts invested but still irritating the same
 
May well be worth a try, I get free eye tests through my office so may book one.

40 and rocking it this year haha

I haven't been to cinema since before pandemic but never used to get headaches when sitting in preferred middle / centre row

Yep so even better if it is free at least you can rule it out before you go through the hassle of swapping equipment. Things do change over time, especially over 2 year, I am just at the point now where I am like sure that small text is getting smaller ... :(
 

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