Projector Screens

If you've read our Projection Screen Buying Guide, you probably have a good idea how to go about selecting a projection screen. Of course, one of the crucial steps is determining which size screen you need. We carry a variety of screens from Stewart, Draper, Da-Lite, and Vutec, and each screen is available in a variety of sizes. Sizes are broken down into formats: video or NTSC (4:3), HDTV (16:9), widescreen (1.85:1), square or slides (1:1), and various AV formats. The guide below will help you determine what format and size will best fit your application.

Screen formats are determined by the specific aspect ratio of the screen. Aspect ratio is the ratio of the displayed width to displayed height. Video format (aslo referred to as NTSC) has an aspect ratio of 4:3 and is most commonly known as the standard format for most television screens and computer monitors. HDTV format is 16:9, which is a little wider, such as you might find on newer LCD and plasma TVs. Widescreen is 1.85:1, which is the format applied to movie theater screens. Square format is 1:1 - this is most commonly used for slide projection. In addition to these formats, screens are also manufactured in various rectangular AV formats.

So which format do you need? That depends on what you'll be using your screen for. If you are just going to be watching standard TV and video, or projecting a computer screen for presentations, you'll probably want to stick with video format. If you're going to watching a lot of movies and high def television, you'll need HDTV format. If you want a versatile screen for presentations, you should go with a square format. And if you are constructing the ideal home theater, you may want to go with widescreen.

In many cases, people find themselves projecting images in multiple formats on the same screen. For example, you may normally watch TV in a 4:3 format, but you also watch movies in a 16:9 format. In this situation, supposing you had a video format screen, you would have negative space on the top and bottom when you were watching a movie. Generally, the best rule is to select a format that allows you accomodate all of the media formats you'll be projecting (it's better to have unused negative space than for the projected image to extend beyond the borders of the screen). If you're so inclined, we also carry masking screens for multiple formats: motorized black masking borders can be shifted into place to alter viewing formats at the touch of a button!

Once you've decided on a format, you'll need to select an actual size for your projection screen. The easiest way to do this is to install your projector and measure the size of the image it projects. Or, if you are able to install your projector at any distance, you can just select a maximum width or height for your screen depending on the wall space you have available.

Our manufacturers have standard sizes in each format. Please note than some sizes and formats are not available on certain screens, due to limitations based case style, construction, and material type. Most screens can also have custom screen sizes cut: if you'd prefer a specific non-standard size, give us a call about custom sizes (additional charges may apply).

Below are the standard sizes for Stewart, Draper, Da-Lite, and Vutec. Again, not every screen is available in every size: if you have questions, just give us a call.