Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Screen size -- how big is too big ?

You know, nobody has ever said it to ME.

Hi Gang,

I had the pleasure of seeing the Runco Cinewide in action at my local HIFI store. Let me tell you, it was freakin' awesome! The lens moves while the projector stretches the image. It looks like you are in the movie.....best rig I have ever seen. The entire 2:35 image is displayed without looking distorted at all. Simply amazing....

Of course all this grandure comes with a hefty price. The projector was $38K and the lens was $10K. If you go with Runco you are getting the best there is....so skip the new house or car if you want these bad boys. If I had the money to afford it I would do it in a heart beat.

One word of caution....if you do venture out to see this technology, you will be forever scarred knowing whatever you buy will not look nearly as good...

Huh. I totally read that as Runco Cowhide.

>>You lost me but I am late to the game anyway. Unless you are running CH on your formica, then the 16:9 image should be longer diagonally than a 2.35.

That's what I expected as well, but if you pull out the calculator the 2.35 actually ends up with a bigger diagonal. The 2.35 image is limited by the width at 41x96 or ~104" diagonal, while the 16:9 image is limited by the height to 48 x 85 or about 97" diagonal.

Note that the area of the two screens is actually a better measurement than the diagonal. The 2.35:1 screen area is 3936 in^2 while the 16:9 screen area is 4176 in^2, so the 16:9 image is larger even though the diagonal is smaller.

>>I have a graywolf 106" that is almost exactly 8 feet wide. In 2.35 mode, non constant height, I am probably down to the 97 or so you have listed for 16:9. Does that sound right?

It depends on how high your screen is. If it's a 16:9 106" screen then the height will be more like 54" high (4-1/2 feet) so you will get an honest 106" diagonal.

You have a nice big screen there -- bigger than mine -- so you have more flexibility. If I were buying a real screen (rather than coasting with the Formica until I figured out what I should get) then something like your screen would be at the top of my list.

So how’s your constant area project going?

I’m now felling your pain. I mounted my Panny 900 yesterday and watched some different DVD’s on my fancy shmancy flannel off-white bed sheet. No sound yet and I wish I would have ironed the sheet first. After a couple hours of watching wrinkled movies with the gentle hum of the projector above me for sound, I am about to give up on the hole constant height thing I was planning on doing. When I plop my ass down to watch a movie I just want to hit a button or two on the remote. I don’t want to be screwing around with manual zooming, lens shifting or masking or messing with lenses. I’m now thinking that I’m just going to go with a 16.9 screen and live with the black bars on the top and bottom. They’re not all that noticeable to me anyway. My pending delema is that I’m sitting 12’ away from the bed sheet and I just can’t seam to find the ‘happy’ screen size for all the different movie A/R's.

One thing’s for certain though, I’m really digging the ‘big picture’ experience. I can’t wait to get some sound. I figure the bed sheet will be on the wall for a few weeks until I can figure out what screen size I like. I might even take it down and iron it.

What's behind the sheet? I was surprised before I got my screen that my theater's red walls were watchable. Not as good as the screen, but not that bad. It may be better for you than the wrinkled/wavy sheet?

I also have the 16:9 screen. I am width constrained and so it works best for me. When watching 2.4:1 movies, if you have a dark room (black ceiling, dark colored walls), and good light control- the bars on top and bottom dissapear to me. I don't notice them at all unless I look at them. It helps to have a decent black level out of the projector too.

Enjoy the setup! You'll love it when complete (with a fixed screen and Axiom sound).

Dave.

>>I don’t want to be screwing around with manual zooming, lens shifting or masking or messing with lenses.

I have it pretty simple now -- just a zoom, no shifting. I guess I will have to add some masks at some point. It's a toss-up between buying an automated masking system and hiring someone to zoom the projector and move the masks so I don't have to get out of the chair. So far hiring someone looks to be much cheaper but I can't really afford either right now

>>My pending delema is that I’m sitting 12’ away from the bed sheet and I just can’t seam to find the ‘happy’ screen size for all the different movie A/R's.

I hate to say it, but this is exactly the reason why one would consider constant area in the first place.

I'm living quite happily with the CA setup right now, with the projector mounted on a table between two big chairs, but access to the viewing area is limited by the angled walls and I am starting to think I need an open walkway there so people can get in and out.

If I put a walkway there the projector will need to be mounted higher up -- if I align it with the top of the screen (the other sweet spot for constant area) then I will bang my head every time I walk underneath, and if I mount it on the big vertical timber at the back of the loft (pre-wired with power and HDMI) then the projector is too far away for anything but a vertical compression CH setup.

I'm starting to understand why Ian & Amie have their projector mounted on a hinged plank that sticks out ~5 feet from the back wall, supported by a rope & cleats, looking for all the world like it escaped from a sailboat.

For me it is pretty painless also. The TheaterTek software has automatic aspect ratio adjustment, so all I have to do is turn a knob on my anamorphic lens during 2.35 movies. No biggy, I'm usually up/down anyway getting popcorn or kicking the kids out of the room when were watching "R" movies.

If I had room for a wider 2.35 screen I think I would be going the constant-height route since it is always going to be easier to live with than constant-area.

The fact that I am limited to about 8 feet of total screen width makes CA an attractive choice -- 16:9 movies on an 8' wide 2.35 screen seem just the tiniest bit too small.

I think I will measure again when I get home