Home Theater Plasma / LCD / Projector-&-Screen Room Design Calculator

copyright 2000-2008 Carlton Bale

developed by Carlton Bale http://www.carltonbale.com/home-theater/home-theater-calculator/ Note: The blue boxes are for user inputs; all other cell values are automatically calculated.
Input Screen Aspect Ratio Screen Size Screen Gain (projectors only) Projector Brightness (projectors only) Horizontal Resolution Vertical Resolution Actual Seating Distance (first row) Actual Seating Distance (back row) Anamorphic (horizontal expansion) front projector lens? Screen Dimensions Screen Diagonal Screen Width Screen Height Pixel Width on screen (dot pitch) Pixel Height on screen (dot pitch) Pixel density Horizontal (important for PC monitors) Pixel density Vertical (important for PC monitors) Total Number of Pixels Viewing Distances and Brightness THX Longest Allowable viewing distance2 SMPTE Longest Recommended viewing distance3 THX Longest Recommended viewing distance2 Shortest recommended viewing distance5 Visual Acuity "ideal" viewing distance4 Visual Acuity Eyesight Compensation (Eyesight of viewer)6 Field of View Width (first row center) Field of View Width back row center) Screen Brightness1 (projectors only) Reverse Screen Brightness to Projector Lumen Calculator (projectors only) Desired Screen Brightness1 Required Projector Brightness 72.8 foot-Lamberts 1600 lumens 100.0 inches 87.2 inches 49.0 inches 0.045 inches 0.045 inches 22.0 pixel/inch 22.0 pixel/inch 2,073,600 pixels 8.3 feet 7.3 feet 4.1 feet 254.0 centimeters 221.4 centimeters 124.5 centimeters 0.12 centimeters 0.12 centimeters 8.7 pixel/cm 8.7 pixel/cm 2.07 million pixels Notes about First Row Seating Distances based on the parameter entered. 188.8 162.6 134.1 62.2 inches inches inches inches 15.7 13.6 11.2 5.2 feet feet feet feet 479.5 413.1 340.7 158.1 centimeters centimeters centimeters centimeters 4.79 4.13 3.41 1.58 meters meters meters meters First row is close enough to the screen to meet this specification. First row is close enough to the screen to meet this specification. First row is close enough to the screen to meet this specification. First row is far enough away from the screen to meet this specification. First row is close enough to the screen that the benefits of a higher resolution display might be noticable. 2.54 meters 2.21 meters 1.25 meters 1.153 millimeters 1.153 millimeters 1.78 100 1.35 1600 1920 1080 3.0 4.0 No Units :1 inches diagonal gain ANSI lumens pixels pixels meters meters

156.1 inches 20 / 20 40.5 degrees 30.9 degrees 72.8 foot-Lamberts

13.0 feet 1.0

396.4 centimeters

3.96 meters

Note: sitting closer to the screen gives a wider field of view. 249.4 cd/m2 Screen brightness (more than 70 foot-Lamberts) is acceptable for most ambient light levels (except for perhaps direct sunlight on the screen.

Universal projector throw distance calculator: enter any single screen size and the min/max throw distance published by the manufacturer For a the min throw distance is and the max throw distance is Projector Locations (projectors only) Minimum screen width throw ratio Maximum screen width throw ratio Min throw distance (for screen size entered in cell C8) Max throw distance (for screen size entered in cell C8) Max height ratio above screen Max distance above screen (for screen size entered in cell C8) 110 inch wide screen (not necessarily the size screen you will be using) 14.3 feet 19.5 feet 1.56 2.13 136.0 185.4 0.50 times screen width times screen width inches 11.3 feet inches 15.5 feet times screen height 2.0 feet

345.4 centimeters 470.9 centimeters

3.45 meters 4.71 meters

24.5 inches

62.3 centimeters

0.62 meters

1. Screen Brightness: 12 foot-Lamberts is considered the minimum screen brightness in a completely light-controlled room. The SMPTE and THX standard is 16 footLamberts. For reference, cinemas usually produce between 12 and 22 foot-Lamberts and a direct view TV produces 35 foot-Lamberts or more. 2. THX Longest Recommended and Longest Allowable viewing distances: THX publishes standards to which movie theaters must adhere to receive THX certification. THX recommends that the back row of seats in a theater have a 36 degree or greater viewing angle and requires a minimum of a 26 degree or greater viewing angle to receive certification. (Note: sitting closer to the screen results in a wider field-of-view.) 3. SMPTE Longest Recommended viewing distance: SMPTE standard EG-18-1994 recommends a minimum viewing angle of 30 degrees for movie theaters. This seems to be becoming a de facto standard for front projection home theaters also. Viewing from this distance or closer will result in a more immersive experience, and also lessen eye strain caused by watching a smaller image in a dark room. 4. Viewing Distances based on Visual Acuity: This distance is calculated based on the resolving power of the human eye (reference), or visual acuity. The human eye with 20/20 vision can detect or resolve details as small as 1/60th of a degree of arc. This distance represents the point beyond which some of the detail in the picture is no longer able to be resolved so pixels begin to blend together. 5. Shortest Recommended Viewing Distance based on Field-of-View being too wide: This distance is based on the peripheral vision field-of-view of the human eye. The average field-of-view width for the human eye is 140 degrees. The rule is that if the viewer sits any closer than this distance to the screen and looks at one side of the screen, they will not be able to see the other side of the screen with their peripheral vision. This equates to a 70-degree field-of-view when the person is looking at the center of the screen. 6. Vision is measured using the Snellen chart. From a standardized distance of twenty feet (six meters in countries that use the metric system), a person with normal (20/20) vision can read the standard row of "letters" on the chart. The result is expressed in a quasi-fractional manner. 20/20 means that a subject can read the line that defines average vision from the prescribed twenty feet distance. 20/10 means that a subject can read, from a distance of twenty feet, the line that a subject with "normal" 20/20 vision could only read from ten feet. 20/10 vision is therefore twice as perceptive to detail as 20/20. Similarly, 20/40 is half as perceptive, with the subject being able to read at twenty feet what someone with normal vision could read at forty. http://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/1080p-and-the-acuity-of-human-vision http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html http://www.cinemaequipmentsales.com/athx2.html http://www.abledata.com/abledata_docs/Peripheral_Vision.htm Room Size and Seating Locations Room width Room depth Width of Screen Boarder Min projector distance from back wall Max projector distance from back wall Space beside screen (each side) Theater Seating Locations Number of Seating Rows Chair Width Reclined Chair Length Max First Row Distance from Screen (based on fit) max # of chairs/row (based on fit) 1 29 65 208.00 5 rows inches inches inches 2.4 feet 5.4 feet 17.3 feet 73.7 centimeters 165.1 centimeters 528.3 centimeters 0.74 meters 1.65 meters 5.28 meters 153.00 208.00 1.75 22.6 72.0 31.2 inches inches inches inches inches inches 12.8 17.3 0.15 1.9 6.0 2.6 feet feet feet feet feet feet 388.6 528.3 4.45 57.4 183.0 79.2 centimeters centimeters centimeters centimeters centimeters centimeters 3.89 5.28 0.04 0.57 1.83 0.79 meters meters meters meters meters meters

Back Row Not Blocked by Front Row: Platform Height / Screen Height from Floor Calculation Distance: Floor to Bottom of Screen Front Row Seated Top-of-Head Height Front Row Distance from Screen Back Row Seated Eye Height (top of platform to eye) Back Row Distance from Screen Back Row Platform Minimum Height SMPTE Max Height: Floor to Top of Screen5 16 46 118 46 157 10.0 124.7 inches inches inches inches inches inches inches 1.3 3.8 9.8 3.8 13.1 0.8 10.4 feet feet feet feet feet feet feet 40.6 116.8 300.0 116.8 400.0 25.4 316.7 centimeters centimeters centimeters centimeters centimeters centimeters centimeters 0.41 1.17 3.00 1.17 4.00 0.25 3.17 meters meters meters meters meters meters meters

5. SMPTE Max Screen Height: The vertical viewing angle is measured at seated eye height from the front row center seat to the top of the tallest projected image. SMPTE notes that for most viewers physical discomfort begins when this angle exceeds 35 degrees. This is not typically a problem for home theater applications.

Max Viewing Distance where viewer gets full benefit of the Screen Resolution

40

35

30
480p

Viewing Distance (feet)

25

720p 1080p 2160p

20

15

10

0 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 Screen Size - Diagonal (inches)

Recommended Maximum Viewing/Seating Distances based on various Standards

20

18

15

Viewing Distance (feet)

13 THX Max Allowed (26 degree arc) 10 SMPTE Max (30 degree arc) 8 THX Max Recommended (36 degree arc) 5

0 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 Screen Size - Diagonal (inches)

Viewing Distance at which Benefits of Higher Resolutions become Noticeable

Distance at which all resolutions look the same 720p benefits fully noticeable 1080p benefits fully noticeable
1080p <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> 3.0 3.5 4.2 4.8 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.8 12.5 14.3 16.0

Screen Diagonal Inches 23" 27" 32" 37" 42" 46" 50" 60" 96" 110" 123"

480p 6.7 7.9 9.4 10.8 12.3 13.5 14.6 17.6 28.1 32.2 36.0 <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between-> <-distances between->

720p 4.5 5.3 6.2 7.2 8.2 9.0 9.8 11.7 18.7 21.5 24.0

Viewing Distances based on Visual Acuity: This distance is calculated based on the resolving power of the human eye (reference), or visual acuity. The human eye with 20/20 vision can detect or resolve details as small as 1/60th of a degree of arc. This distance represents the point beyond which some of the detail in the picture is no longer able to be resolved so pixels begin to blend together.

1080p benefits start to be noticeable

720P benefits start to be noticeable

ecome Noticeable
Resolution greater than 1080p would be noticeable
<-Screen Resolution <-distances closer than <-distances closer than <-distances closer than <-distances closer than <-distances closer than <-distances closer than <-distances closer than <-distances closer than <-distances closer than <-distances closer than <-distances closer than

of the human eye (reference), or egree of arc. This distance represents gin to blend together.