Projector to fit screen size

[Thebogeyman]

Very close to finishing the build - last thing required is the projector.

Due to space in the garage, I have purchased a 2.5 x 2.5 enclosure. I would prefer, if possible, for as much of the screen to be covered as possible with minimum black space at the bottom/top.

Would I therefore be best to purchase a 4:3 projector rather than a 16:9? If that is the case, will I still be able to watch films using the same projector or will it severely affect the quality?

[Buckminster]

It all depends on your impact screen size and projector location options. Most 16:9 projectors can be switched to the standard 4:3 aspect ratio.

I designed my golf simulator / movie system to have the best of both worlds.

My screen is 9' high by 12' wide, so to completely fill it I play golf with my system in 4:3 mode. That is not the optimum resolution, but it still looks great and I have had no problems with E6, TGC, or TGC 2019 software.

When I want to watch movies I switch my projector to widescreen mode and move it closer to completely fill the screen from left to right. I have about 18 inches of white screen near the floor, which is not an issue at all for watching movies. My projector has some digital zoom capability so that I can get it to exactly match my screen width.

I installed my projector above and behind the hitting area. I am able to do this because I have an 11'6" ceiling. I installed the projector on drawer slides so that I can easily slide it forward and back. In my installation, the projector is about 16'6" from the screen when in 4:3 mode and about 14'6" for 16:9 viewing.

I purchased an Epson Home Cinema 1060 which is 1080p with 3,100 lumens for $500. It works great!

This site was a great help for me, especially the Throw calculator.

https://www.projectorcentral.com/

https://www.projectorcentral.com/Eps...ulator-pro.htm