8 feet throw
A standard zoom projector 8 feet from the wall fills a 55 to 85 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)
55–85"
16:9 diagonal from 8 ft. Image width 48–74 in.
Ultra short throw (0.25)
441"
16:9 diagonal
Short throw (0.5 – 0.65)
169–220"
16:9 diagonal
Standard fixed lens (1.2)
92"
16:9 diagonal
Long throw (1.5 – 3.0)
37–73"
16:9 diagonal
Watch: 8 ft is short-throw territory
Most standard home theater projectors need 12 ft or more to fill a 120 inch screen. From 8 ft you are choosing between a short-throw model, a ceiling mount nearer the seats than most people expect, or an ultra short throw unit that sits on a console inches from the wall. Check the throw ratio before the brightness spec.
| Screen (16:9) | Screen width | Throw ratio needed | Lens type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100" | 87.2 in | 1.1 | Standard |
| 110" | 95.9 in | 1 | Standard |
| 120" | 104.6 in | 0.92 | Standard |
| 135" | 117.7 in | 0.82 | Standard |
| 150" | 130.7 in | 0.73 | Short throw |
| Target | Brightness | Lumens (gain 1.0) | With 30% margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMPTE reference (dark room) | 16 fL | 340 lm | 440 lm |
| Punchy SDR / light ambient | 30 fL | 640 lm | 830 lm |
| HDR or bright room | 50 fL | 1070 lm | 1380 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 8 feet (96 inches), a 1.5 throw ratio produces a 64-inch-wide image, which is a 73-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 an 8-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.