Install screen and projector

First things first, we shall assume that it will be a fixed lens projector on a manual pull down screen. The screen should be your anchor, not the projector. Think of it this way, the screen is what you’ll actually be looking at, so it’s important to have it where you want it in the room and then worry about how to get the projector where it belongs. I know that there are other schools of thought on which comes first (the projector or the screen) but after having installed more than 250 front projection systems over the years, I have come to choose the screen first theory.

Second is to establish the proper height to mount the screen. Even though we’re installing the screen first, take a quick look over your shoulder at the area where you’ll mount the projector and look for any obstructions on or above the ceiling. If you see a heating and air vent, smoke detector, ceiling fan, fire sprinkler or anything else that might be in the path of the projector or mount, you’ll need to factor that in. i.e. if the true center of your room is offset by 2 feet to the right due to an obstruction, you’ll want to shift your screen over to the right by 2 feet. Also try not to mount lower than 3.5 feet as it is the average height of a person sitting down. You would not want it to be too low as it may not be that comfortable to view. The best general rule of thumb I can give is to more or less try to aim for the bottom three-fourths of the screen at eye level. Let your sore neck (hopefully lack of) be your guide.

Recommended Tools and Materials
Basic Hand Tools like hammer
Electric drill, cordless drill and screw driver
Long string and pencil
Carpenters water level
Screws or anchor bolts
'A' frame step ladder (minimum 1 unit but recommend 2 unit)

Mark the walk where you want to install the brackets and use the anchor bolt to lock them into position, once that’s finished you and your helper will place the screen into position and then secure the screen to the brackets. Determine the screen center line, centering a projector is critical for proper optical alignment.

I’ve seen several of methods for determining true center in relation to a fixed object but none of them seem as easy or ultimately accurate (no, using a tape measure isn’t accurate, that assumes your room is perfectly symmetrical, it’s not) as the one I use.

For this part you’ll need an assistant, a ladder, a long string and pencil mentioned previously. Pull off a long piece of the string and tie a knot at one end, have your assistant hold that knot in their hand and hold it up to one end of the screen frame where the screen canvas edge is. Now, pull off enough string to make it back far enough so that you’re into the projector manufacturers recommended throw distance for your particular screen size. (Note: the throw distance can either be found in the owner’s manual or online by searching for brand and model + throw distance).

Once you’re certain you’re back far enough into the recommended throw distance (preferably ¾ into it), tie the string around the pencil and pull the string tight. Once you’ve done so point the pencil toward the ceiling and make a light mark in a circular arc motion. Have your assistant move to the other side of the screen with the string and then make a second, complimentary mark from the other side. As long as all the variables were minimized, i.e. the assistant held the string at the same position on each side of the screen and you pulled the string tight, you’ll have a perfect center mark.

Again, I’m working on the assumption that your projector doesn’t have vertical or horizontal lens-shift, (if it does skip down to the next passage) we need to factor in the projectors vertical off-set, or in other less technical terms where the lens needs to sit in relation to the top of the screen. This is an important measurement (again often found in the owner’s manual) because if it’s off even just a little, it will cause the image to keystone and trust me that’s not something you want to happen.

If the top of your lens is 12” above the top of the screen and your specification calls for a flat or zero off-set, you’ll want to drop the mount/projector down roughly 12” (add or subtract to that number for the actual drop of the lens to the top of the projector case). Basically you just want to add or subtract any extension until you’re within the recommended vertical off-set.