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

copyright 2000-2016 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 Units
Screen Aspect Ratio 1.78 :1
Screen Size 120 inches diagonal
Screen Gain (projectors only) 1.1 gain
Projector Brightness (projectors only) 2500 ANSI lumens
Horizontal Resolution 1920 pixels
Vertical Resolution 1080 pixels
Actual Seating Distance (first row) 12.0 feet
Actual Seating Distance (back row) 17.0 feet
Anamorphic (horizontal expansion) front projector lens? No

Screen Dimensions
Screen Diagonal 120.0 inches 10.0 feet 304.8 centimeters 3.05 meters
Screen Width 104.6 inches 8.7 feet 265.7 centimeters 2.66 meters
Screen Height 58.8 inches 4.9 feet 149.4 centimeters 1.49 meters
Pixel Width on screen (dot pitch) 0.054 inches 0.14 centimeters 1.384 millimeters
Pixel Height on screen (dot pitch) 0.054 inches 0.14 centimeters 1.384 millimeters
Pixel density Horizontal (important for PC monitors) 18.4 pixel/inch 7.2 pixel/cm
Pixel density Vertical (important for PC monitors) 18.4 pixel/inch 7.2 pixel/cm
Total Number of Pixels 2,073,600 pixels 2.07 million pixels

Viewing Distances and Brightness Notes about First Row Seating Distances based on the parameter entered.
THX Longest Allowable viewing distance2 226.5 inches 18.9 feet 575.3 centimeters 5.75 meters First row is close enough to the screen to meet this specification.
SMPTE Longest Recommended viewing distance3 195.2 inches 16.3 feet 495.7 centimeters 4.96 meters First row is close enough to the screen to meet this specification.
THX Longest Recommended viewing distance2 160.9 inches 13.4 feet 408.8 centimeters 4.09 meters First row is close enough to the screen to meet this specification.
Shortest recommended viewing distance5 74.7 inches 6.2 feet 189.7 centimeters 1.90 meters First row is far enough away from the screen to meet this specification.
Visual Acuity "ideal" viewing distance4 187.3 inches 15.6 feet 475.7 centimeters 4.76 meters First row is close enough to the screen that the benefits of a higher resolution display might be noticable.
Visual Acuity Eyesight Compensation (Eyesight of viewer) 6 20 / 20 1.0
Field of View Width (first row center) 39.9 degrees Note: sitting closer to the screen gives a wider field of
Field of View Width back row center) 28.8 degrees view.

Screen Brightness1 (projectors only) 64.4 foot-Lamberts 220.5 cd/m2 Screen brightness (30-70 foot-Lamberts) is acceptable for rooms with some ambient light.

Reverse Screen Brightness to Projector Lumen Calculator (projectors only)

Desired Screen Brightness1 64.4 foot-Lamberts
Required Projector Brightness 2500 lumens

Universal projector throw distance calculator: enter any single screen size and the min/max throw distance published by the manufacturer
For a 110 inch wide screen (not necessarily the size screen you will be using)
the min throw distance is 14.3 feet
and the max throw distance is 19.5 feet
Projector Locations (projectors only)
Minimum screen width throw ratio 1.56 times screen width
Maximum screen width throw ratio 2.13 times screen width
Min throw distance (for screen size entered in cell C8) 163.2 inches 13.6 feet 414.4 centimeters 4.14 meters
Max throw distance (for screen size entered in cell C8) 222.5 inches 18.5 feet 565.1 centimeters 5.65 meters
Max height ratio above screen 0.50 times screen height
Max distance above screen (for screen size entered in cell
29.4 inches 2.5 feet 74.7 centimeters 0.75 meters
C8)

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 foot-
Lamberts. 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 138.00 inches 11.5 feet 350.5 centimeters 3.51 meters
Room depth 276.00 inches 23.0 feet 701.0 centimeters 7.01 meters
Width of Screen Boarder 1.75 inches 0.15 feet 4.45 centimeters 0.04 meters
Min projector distance from back wall 53.5 inches 4.5 feet 135.9 centimeters 1.36 meters
Max projector distance from back wall 112.8 inches 9.4 feet 286.6 centimeters 2.87 meters
Space beside screen (each side) 15.0 inches 1.2 feet 38.0 centimeters 0.38 meters

Theater Seating Locations

Number of Seating Rows 2 rows
Chair Width 29 inches 2.4 feet 73.7 centimeters 0.74 meters
Reclined Chair Length 65 inches 5.4 feet 165.1 centimeters 1.65 meters
Max First Row Distance from Screen (based on fit) 211.00 inches 17.6 feet 535.9 centimeters 5.36 meters
max # of chairs/row (based on fit) 4

Back Row Not Blocked by Front Row: Platform Height / Screen Height from Floor Calculation
Distance: Floor to Bottom of Screen 24 inches 2.0 feet 61.0 centimeters 0.61 meters
Front Row Seated Top-of-Head Height 46 inches 3.8 feet 116.8 centimeters 1.17 meters
Front Row Distance from Screen 144 inches 12.0 feet 365.8 centimeters 3.66 meters
Back Row Seated Eye Height (top of platform to eye) 46 inches 3.8 feet 116.8 centimeters 1.17 meters
Back Row Distance from Screen 204 inches 17.0 feet 518.2 centimeters 5.18 meters
Back Row Platform Minimum Height 9.2 inches 0.8 feet 23.3 centimeters 0.23 meters
SMPTE Max Height: Floor to Top of Screen5 142.8 inches 11.9 feet 362.8 centimeters 3.63 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
Viewing Distance (feet)

30

480p
720p
25 1080
p
2160
p

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
Viewing Distance (feet)

16

14

12
THX Max
Allowed (26
degree arc)
10

SMPTE Max (30

degree arc)
8
THX Max
Recommended
6 (36 degree arc)

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

all resolutions look

720p benefits fully

Distance at which

fully noticeable
1080p benefits

1080p benefits
720P benefits

noticeable

noticeable

noticeable
start to be

start to be
the same
Screen Diagonal Inches 480p 720p 1080p
23" 6.7 <-distances between-> 4.5 <-distances between-> 3.0
27" 7.9 <-distances between-> 5.3 <-distances between-> 3.5
32" 9.4 <-distances between-> 6.2 <-distances between-> 4.2
37" 10.8 <-distances between-> 7.2 <-distances between-> 4.8
42" 12.3 <-distances between-> 8.2 <-distances between-> 5.5
46" 13.5 <-distances between-> 9.0 <-distances between-> 6.0
50" 14.6 <-distances between-> 9.8 <-distances between-> 6.5
60" 17.6 <-distances between-> 11.7 <-distances between-> 7.8
96" 28.1 <-distances between-> 18.7 <-distances between-> 12.5
110" 32.2 <-distances between-> 21.5 <-distances between-> 14.3
123" 36.0 <-distances between-> 24.0 <-distances between-> 16.0

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.
ecome Noticeable

Resolution greater
than 1080p would
be noticeable

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of the human eye (reference), or visual

arc. This distance represents the
blend together.