Projector Calculator (2024)

Use our projector calculator to calculate the suggested viewing distance, screen size, aspect ratio, screen brightness, and throw distance.

Select what you want to calculate:

Calculate Viewing Distance

Calculate Screen Size

Calculate Aspect Ratio

Calculate Screen Brightness

Calculate Projector Throw Distance

Have a Question or Feedback?

Recommended Viewing Distance:

Recommended Viewing Distance:

THX ideal recommended distance (40° viewing angle)
THX max recommended distance (36° viewing angle)
THX max acceptable distance (26° viewing angle)
SMPTE max recommended distance (30° viewing angle)

Screen Size:

Diagonal:
Width:
Height:

Aspect Ratio:

Screen Brightness:

Foot Lamberts:

ft-L

Suggested Projector Brightness

Fully Dark Room:

lumens

Dimly Lit Room:

lumens

Moderately Light Room:

lumens

Very Bright Room:

lumens

Projector Throw Distance:

Learn how we calculated this below

Chevron Down Icon scroll down

Add this calculator to your site

On this page:

  • Calculator
  • How to Calculate Screen Viewing Distance
  • How to Calculate Screen Size
  • How to Calculate Aspect Ratio
  • How to Calculate Screen Brightness
  • How to Calculate Projector Throw Distance

By

Projector Calculator (1)

Joe is the creator of Inch Calculator and has over 20 years of experience in engineering and construction. He holds several degrees and certifications.

Full bioChevron Right Icon

Reviewed by

Projector Calculator (2)

Pateakia has worked in education for 15 years and has three degrees, including a PhD, Master's degree, and Bachelor's degree. She specializes in mathematics.

Full bioChevron Right Icon

Cite As:

Sexton, J. (n.d.). Projector Calculator. Inch Calculator. Retrieved August 13, 2024, from https://www.inchcalculator.com/projector-calculator/

How to Calculate Screen Viewing Distance

The optimal viewing distance from a screen depends on the screen’s width. Various standards define the proper viewing angle for viewing content on a projection screen.

THX recommends a viewing angle of 26° to 40°, with a preferred angle of 36° to 40° if possible. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommends a viewing angle of 30°. We have found that 38° to 40° results in the most immersive experience.

Viewing Distance Formula:

The formula that works best for us to calculate the viewing distance for a given viewing angle is:

d = w / 2 × tan(180 – θ / 2)

The viewing distance d is equal to the screen width w divided by 2, times the tangent of 180 minus the viewing angle θ divided by 2.

Try our TV size and distance calculator to calculate the optimal viewing distance for a television.

How to Calculate Screen Size

You can calculate the size of a projector screen given the diagonal measurement using the aspect ratio and the Pythagorean theorem. Use the formulas below to calculate a screen’s width and height.

Screen Width Formula:

screen width = ARw × diagonal / √(ARw2 + ARh2)

The screen width is equal to the aspect ratio width ARw times the screen diagonal divided by the square root of the aspect ratio width ARw squared plus the aspect ratio height ARh squared.

Screen Height Formula:

screen height = ARh × diagonal / √(ARw2 + ARh2)

We go into much more detail about calculating screen size on our screen size calculator. Don’t forget to account for the ideal screen height for the optimal viewing experience.

How to Calculate Aspect Ratio

It’s possible to calculate a screen’s aspect ratio given either the image’s resolution or the width and height. First, find the greatest common factor between the screen’s width in pixels or inches and the height in pixels or inches.

Then, divide each dimension by the greatest common factor to get each part of the aspect ratio. You can also use an aspect ratio calculator to solve the ratio.

How to Calculate Screen Brightness

A projector screen’s brightness is one of the most important factors in a good cinematic experience. The screen’s brightness is typically measured in foot-lamberts or candela per square meter.

The projector’s luminosity and the size of the screen both contribute to the overall brightness. Some screens also incorporate gain to increase the amount of light reflected to the viewers, increasing the brightness.

Screen Brightness Formula:

You can use the following formula to calculate the brightness of your screen:

ft-L = lumens × gain / screen square feet

The brightness in foot-lamberts is equal to the projector lumens times the screen gain, divided by the area of the screen in square feet.

How Much Brightness Do You Need?

You might be wondering how many foot-lamberts you need for a good experience. SMPTE recommends at least 16 foot-lamberts for a dark cinema.

Use the following chart as a guide for choosing the right screen brightness for your room.

chart showing the optimal screen brightness for various types of rooms
0-15 ft-LVery low brightness
16-26 ft-LOK for rooms with no ambient light
27-39 ft-LOK for rooms with some ambient light
40-59 ft-LOK for rooms with moderate ambient light
60+ ft-LOK for rooms with a lot of ambient light

How to Calculate Projector Throw Distance

A projector needs to be installed at a specified distance from the screen to allow the image to fill the screen correctly. The distance varies by the lens used in the projector and the screen’s size.

The minimum and maximum throw ratio should be documented for every projector and is needed to calculate the throw distance.

Throw Distance Formula:

Given the projector throw ratio and the screen’s width, the following formula will calculate the throw distance.

td = tr × w

The throw distance td is equal to the throw ratio tr times the screen width w.

Projector Calculator (2024)

FAQs

What is the formula for projector? ›

For any given projector, the width of the image (W) relative to the throw distance (D) is know as the throw ratio D/W or distance over width. So for example, the most common projector throw ratio is 2.0. This means that for each foot of image width, the projector needs to be 2 feet away or D/W = 2/1 = 2.0.

How to calculate projector distance? ›

The relationship between projection distance and screen size is defined as Throw Ratio = Throw Distance / Image Width, which can calculate a distance 8.2ft from the wall for projection of a 100-inch image with a 16:9 aspect ratio (image width is approximately 7.2ft).

How far should a projector be from a 120 inch screen? ›

Projection Distance
Screen or image size (1)Projection distance (2) Wide to Tele
80 inches (203.2 cm)93 to 150 inches (235 to 382 cm)
100 inches (254 cm)116 to 188 inches (295 to 478 cm)
120 inches (304.8 cm)139 to 226 inches (354 to 575 cm)
150 inches (381 cm)174 to 283 inches (443 to 719 cm)
3 more rows

How far away does a projector need to be for a 60 inch screen? ›

Projection Distance
4:3 Aspect Ratio Image or Screen
Screen or image sizeProjection distance (1) Wide to Tele
60 inches64 to 88 inches (164 to 222 cm)
70 inches75 to 102 inches (192 to 260 cm)
80 inches86 to 117 inches (220 to 298 cm)
6 more rows

How to do a projection calculation? ›

The projection vector formula is Projection of Vector →a on Vector →b=→a. →b|→b| Projection of Vector a → on Vector b → = a → . b → | b → | . The projection vector formula representing the projection of vector a on vector b is equal to the dot product of the two vectors, divided by the magnitude of the vector b.

What is the formula for a projection? ›

The formula for a vector projection of w onto v is given by p r o j v w = v ⋅ w | v | × v | v | , where the first fraction is the scalar projection (the magnitude of the component of a vector in a certain direction) of w onto v, and the second fraction is the unit vector of v (i.e., a vector of length 1 in the ...

How far to sit from a 100 inch screen? ›

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.

How do you calculate projector offset? ›

The image offset is presented as a percentage. The percentage is directly related to the image height. If you want to calculate the image offset, you would multiple the percentage by the projected image height.

Is it better to have a projector closer or further away? ›

If the projector is too close, you may experience hotspotting, where the center of the screen appears significantly brighter than the edges. Conversely, if it's too far, you may encounter brightness inconsistencies.

How far should a projector be from a 70 inch screen? ›

Projection Distance
16:9 Aspect Ratio
Screen or image sizeProjection distance (1) Wide to TeleOffset from lens center (2)
70 inches29 to 40 inches (74 to 101 cm)6.4 inches (16 cm)
80 inches34 to 46 inches (85 to 116 cm)7.3 inches (19 cm)
90 inches38 inches (97 cm)*8.2 inches (21 cm)
3 more rows

How far should a projector screen be off the ground? ›

Make sure your head is comfortably level. You do this by knowing what your eye level is. The average person's eyes are between 42-50 inches from the floor when seated. A safe “sweet spot” to work with is to assume about a 48” average for everyone.

How to calculate foot lamberts? ›

Calculating foot lamberts is relatively simple. Take the brightness of your projector, divide it by the area of your screen in square feet then multiply by the gain of the screen.

What is the best viewing angle for a projector? ›

The audio/visual company THX recommends the ideal viewing angle of 36 degrees to avoid this discomfort, and as a result, with a fixed viewing angle, the bigger the screen size, the farther you should be seated.

What is the formula for the angle of projection? ›

The angle of projection of projectile which is projected with certain velocity from ground is π÷8 with horizontal and it's horizontal range is R. The angle with the horizontal for another projectile having same range R and speed is. Q.

What is the formula for the projection of a particle? ›

The total flight time 𝑡  of a projectile is given by 𝑡 = 2 𝑈 ( 𝜃 ) 𝑔 ,  s i n where 𝑈 is its initial velocity, 𝜃 is its angle of projection, and 𝑔 is the acceleration due to gravity. We can use projectile motion formulae to answer questions about the trajectories of projectiles.

What is the formula for surface projection? ›

For a triangular surface, it is expressed in mathematical terms as A2=A12+A22+A32, where the term A is the area of surface and the terms A1, A2 and A3 are the areas of the projection of the plane surface on 3 coordinate planes.

What is the equation for the projection theorem? ›

If ℓ is a nonzero bounded linear functional on a Hilbert space H, then N(ℓ) = R(ℓ*) is one-dimensional and H = N(ℓ) ⊕ N(ℓ). Let y ∈ N(ℓ) be a unit vector. Then x = Px + 〈 x,y〉 y, where P is the projection operator of H onto N(ℓ).

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Greg Kuvalis

Last Updated:

Views: 5549

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Greg Kuvalis

Birthday: 1996-12-20

Address: 53157 Trantow Inlet, Townemouth, FL 92564-0267

Phone: +68218650356656

Job: IT Representative

Hobby: Knitting, Amateur radio, Skiing, Running, Mountain biking, Slacklining, Electronics

Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.