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How high should my screen be? (1 Viewer)

trump29

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Apr 4, 2007
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Like the title says. I have a fireplace, but there is plenty of room above it to permanently fix a screen (rather than move one in and out on a stand as I originally planned). The only thing is that it would set the projection surface a few feet off the ground, on up to the ceiling. Do you think that would be "a pain in the neck" literally, or is it normal to put the screen up above eye height?
 

Jim Mcc

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That sounds pretty high. At what height would the bottom of screen be? And what size screen are you thinking about? The rule of thumb is to have your eye level about 1/3 of the way up from bottom of screen.
 

trump29

Grip
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Jake
The bottom would be a little over 3 feet above the ground.... and that would be for a 100 inch screen.
 

TRINADS

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Jimmy
I currently have my Philips 50" Plasma HDTV mounted about 8 inches above my fireplace, and the top of the tv is about 7 inches below the ceiling. I too thought that this would be a strain on my neck due to the height of the television. It has been mounted there for over a year now, and I absoluetly love it, wouldn't think about moving it at all. It is not a strain to my neck in anyway whatsoever. Since I use my fireplace often, I also thought that the heat from it would make the wall warm, and therefore make the tv run more hot than normal. This is not an issue at all either. The wall doesn't get warm at all (probably due to the insulation) even with a "raging" fire. Hope this helps!!
 

Leo Kerr

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Our eye-line is pretty close to the bottom of the screen (when we're seated.) It works surprisingly well.
 

Kevin Stewart

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So this will be covering the fireplace opening (or is your fireplace smaller than 3' high?)?

A 100" screen 3 feet off of the floor is not ideal, but it shouldn't be a problem. Depending upon your seating choice, your eye height will probably be about 4' high, meaning your eyes will be about 1/4 way up the screen. Dropping the screen another 6" would be even better.
 

trump29

Grip
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Jake
This wouldn't cover the fireplace opening at all. The fireplace and the screen would both be 100% visible all the time if I go this route. There is the fireplace, then about a foot of vent, flat metal, and then trim. The screen would start where the trim ends and go up from there (which is as I said, a bit over 3 feet up).

Lots of good feedback... it sounds like it's at least a possibility, so I'm thinking I'll test it out on the wall for a bit before I buy my screen. If it works, then great, if not then I'll buy a screen that I can move in and out rather than one I can fix in place.

Thanks!
 

joseph westcott

Second Unit
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Oct 24, 2005
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355
3 feet off the ground is no big deal unless you were sitting REAL close. Try it for a while. Your neck will tell you if it is too high pretty quick. This will also give you room to properly place your center channel speaker at ear level when sitting down. Very important and often overlooked or impractical with low ceilings and a big screen.
 

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