Home Theater Forum and Systems banner

Screen colour and size, sanity check

2K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  fredk 
#1 ·
Having done considerable reading on screen size, colour, material... I think I've finally figured things out. I thought I would post here as a sanity check.

Background:

The projector will be a BenQ W1070. The room is multi purpose with off white walls. There is a window and balcony door along one side wall that will have blackout curtains for light control. Projector lens to wall distance will be 10'.

Most use will be at night, but there will be some ambient light viewing.

This is my first projector, so for flexibility, I've decided to paint the screen directly on the wall. THX suggests a screen size around 100", but I have the flexibility to go up to 120".

Question 1. If I watch a few movies on the unprepped wall at different sizes, will it be immediately obvious if/when the screen gets too big, or will it take a while to figure out the optimum size?

Question 2. With such a bright projector and at this distance should I just start off with an N8 neutral grey? I figured I would just roll on paint, and when I figured out the right shade, I could sand and spray a final coat

Question 3. Sherwin Williams is the easiest paint for me to source. Do they have an off the shelf N7 grey that has been tested here?

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Question 1. If I watch a few movies on the unprepped wall at different sizes, will it be immediately obvious if/when the screen gets too big, or will it take a while to figure out the optimum size?
I would think so. Try it out and let us know.

Question 2. With such a bright projector and at this distance should I just start off with an N8 neutral grey? I figured I would just roll on paint, and when I figured out the right shade, I could sand and spray a final coat
Yep, start out with a N8.

Question 3. Sherwin Williams is the easiest paint for me to source. Do they have an off the shelf N7 grey that has been tested here?
If you wanted a N7, you would just have Sherwin Williams mix up a color match of Glidden Dover Grey. I'm certain someone has used it by now but I cannot recall off the top of my head. :scratch:
 
#5 ·
I'll start with out of the box, or a simple calibration using a disk.

My understanding it that I will have to calibrate specifically for a grey screen to get the colours etc. right. I don't know if this is something I can do with a modest equipment purchase, or whether I need to get an ISF calibration dude in to do it for me.
 
#7 ·
Well...let's do some math..

N7 means ~0.5 gain.

100'' means 2,76 sq. meters.

So, if you hit your screen with, let's say 800 lumens, we have: 800: 2,76 = 289,8 lux, 289,8 :2 = 144,9 lux which is 13,46 FL. Perfect!!

But, if were me, i would consider one or two things more before going on a N7.

Firstly, when watching 3D you 'll have less than 10FL of light (i estimate 7 FL).

Secondly as the bulb ages, it will lose power and you end up with 10 FL in no time.

So, in my opinion, it would be wiser to go with a N7.5 or N8 to be in the safe side.
 
#6 ·
Mech will correct me but I would think that painting you grey rectangle on the wall surrounded by white will wash out the edges of the picture. It the reason screens have the black border. You can figure out how big a screen you like by finding your favorite spot in a commercial movie theater and a little math

http://www.projectorcentral.com/build_home_theater_screen_size_2.htm
 
#8 ·
Yiannis. Thanks for doing those numbers for me. I have not yet figured out what the lumins measurements for a projector really mean or how to translate that to fl on screen.

3D is more of a bonus feature than a must have for me.

Andre. I step into a theater maybe once a year. I plan to have this all set up before my next visit. :)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top