Projection Screen Sizes
Once you have decided the type of screen and the type of fabric you want to use, then comes selecting the size and aspect ratio of the screen. Aspect Ratio of the screen is defined as the ratio of the width of the screen to the height of the screen. For example, a screen with width of 16 feet and height of 9 feet would have an aspect ratio of 16/9 or 16:9. Similarly a screen with width and height of 8 feet and 6 feet respectively will have an aspect ratio of 8/6 = 4/3 or 4:3. The two most common aspect ratios in home video segment are 4:3 (also known as 4×3, 1.33:1 or standard video format) and 16:9 (also known as 16×9, 1.78:1, wide-screen or HDTV format)
HDTV Format (16:9)
HDTV format projection screens have a width to height ratio of 16:9. They are optimal format for home theatres as they offer the best matched fit for a widescreen viewing experience. These types of projection screens match up with projectors offering native 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution, 1080p HD (1920 x 1080) resolution and 720p HD (1280 x 720) resolution.
Widescreen PC Format (16:10)
This type of format in increasingly common with the rise of widescreen PCs. This 16:10
aspect ratio projection screen pairs with projectors that offer a native WXGA (1280 X
800) resolution, WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) resolution and WUXGA (1920 X 1200)
resolution.
Video Format (4:3)
Video format projection screens have a width to height ratio of 4:3. This aspect ratio
is in use since the inception of television and many computer monitors still use this
aspect ratio. The 4:3 aspect ratio projection screens pairs well with projectors offering
a native XGA (1024 X 768) resolution, SXGA+ (1400 X 1050) resolution, UXGA (1600 X
1200) resolution and QXGA (2048 X 1536) resolution.
Screen size carries great importance when it comes to Image resolution – Image Quality relationship.
Image resolution is typically described in PPI(pixels per inch), which refers to how many pixels are
displayed per inch of an image. Higher resolutions mean that there more PPI, resulting in more pixel information and creating a highquality, crisp image.
A FULL HD resolution is 1920 pixels in width and 1080 pixels in height. It carries 2 Million Pixels, whereas a SVGA resolution carries 480K pixels, which does not produce as crisp and high quality image as expected in FULL HD. So Higher Resolution = Higher Image Quality Each Resolution is tagged to a specific aspect ratio
If you are purchasing a projector screen for a TV room or primary viewing of HDTV channels/gaming, then we would suggest a 16:9 projection screen. However, when you watch a 2.35:1 movie, you will have black bars above and below your projected image.
WUXGA(1920X1200) are however non-intrusive. When watching a 4:3 content, you will have black bars on the sides of your projected image. However, modern days OTT platform adjust the content to 16:9 to suit flat screen TVs and laptop screens.
If you are purchasing a projector screen for a conference room, auditorium or anywhere that will be displaying computer monitors display, then we recommend a 16:10 widescreen PC format projection screen. When you watch a 2.35:1 movie you will have black bars above and below your projected image, or on the sides when watching 16:9 and 4:3 content.
If you are purchasing a projection screen for a Classroom, lecture hall or any place that requires a more flexible solution to accommodate various formats, then we recommend 4:3 formats, as long as it is not fixed in its location. With 4:3 projector screen, you can simple lower the screen to the appropriate position of the format you are displaying and move the projector back and forth to adjust the image.