20 feet throw
A standard zoom projector 20 feet from the wall fills a 138 to 212 inch 16:9 screen. Short-throw and long-throw lenses widen that range; the table below shows every lens type and the throw ratio you need for common screens.
Standard zoom lens (1.3–2.0)
138–212"
16:9 diagonal from 20 ft. Image width 120–185 in.
Ultra short throw (0.25)
1101"
16:9 diagonal
Short throw (0.5 – 0.65)
424–551"
16:9 diagonal
Standard fixed lens (1.2)
229"
16:9 diagonal
Long throw (1.5 – 3.0)
92–184"
16:9 diagonal
Note: 20 ft gives you room to choose
At this distance nearly every home theater projector can fill a large screen, often without running the zoom to its limit. Keep the zoom near the middle of its range, where lenses are sharpest and brightest, rather than at either extreme.
Note: Up to 212 inches is possible, which does not mean it is wise
Light spreads over area, so doubling the diagonal quarters the brightness on screen. A 212 inch image from a typical 2,000 lumen projector will look dim unless the room is fully light-controlled. Size the screen to your lumens and your light control, not to the maximum the lens allows.
Watch: The smallest image from here is 138 inches
Even at full wide zoom this distance cannot produce a smaller picture, so check that 138 inches actually fits your wall with the borders and speaker placement you have planned. Moving the projector forward is the only way down from here.
| Screen (16:9) | Screen width | Throw ratio needed | Lens type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100" | 87.2 in | 2.75 | Long throw |
| 110" | 95.9 in | 2.5 | Long throw |
| 120" | 104.6 in | 2.29 | Long throw |
| 135" | 117.7 in | 2.04 | Standard |
| 150" | 130.7 in | 1.84 | Standard |
| Target | Brightness | Lumens (gain 1.0) | With 30% margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMPTE reference (dark room) | 16 fL | 2130 lm | 2770 lm |
| Punchy SDR / light ambient | 30 fL | 3990 lm | 5190 lm |
| HDR or bright room | 50 fL | 6660 lm | 8650 lm |
How we got these numbers
Throw ratio is the lens-to-screen distance divided by the image width. Rearranged, image width = distance ÷ throw ratio. At 20 feet (240 inches), a 1.5 throw ratio produces a 160-inch-wide image, which is a 184-inch 16:9 diagonal.
Zoom lenses have a range of throw ratios, so a given distance gives a range of image sizes. The standard range on home theater projectors is roughly 1.3 to 2.0; short-throw lenses run 0.5 to 0.65; long-throw lenses up to 3.0. Ultra short throw projectors (about 0.25) are designed to sit on furniture directly below the screen and are not meant for a 20-foot throw.
To go the other way, the throw ratio you need for a particular screen is distance ÷ screen width. Compare that to the projector's published zoom range before you buy a screen or drill a mount.
Common questions
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First home theater, light-controlled living rooms
A bright, color-accurate 3LCD projector with real vertical lens shift and a 1.6x zoom, which makes it far easier to place than most DLP projectors at this price. Lamp-based, so budget for a replacement bulb eventually.
Dedicated theater rooms, color-critical viewing
The sweet spot for a dedicated theater: factory-calibrated 100 percent DCI-P3 color, a long-life LED light source, low input lag, and both vertical and horizontal lens shift, which is rare for DLP under three thousand dollars.
Living rooms, no ceiling mount, UST ALR screens
The most-recommended ultra-short-throw in its class: wide-gamut triple-laser color, Dolby Vision, 3,000:1 native contrast, and low input lag for gaming, all from a cabinet a few inches from the wall.
Large dedicated theaters, 130 to 150 inch screens, awkward mounting positions
Epson's Q-series entry brings a motorized 15-element glass lens with huge shift range, ProjectorCentral-measured 3,383 lumens and 5,833:1 native contrast, and 4K120 gaming at 21 ms. It is the long-throw for a large dedicated room where the projector cannot sit exactly where you would like.