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Advice Needed - Screen Size (1 Viewer)

Sam Posten

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Using the term 'bigger' here is a real disservice because it is effectively meaningless. Depending on your wall's aspect ration you might be able to fit significantly more square inches of real estate on one aspect ratio and another home might benefit from the exact opposite. You guys are carelessly throwing data points around that are going to continue to make the whole discussion increasingly confusing.
 

Mark-P

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The 'enthusiasts' who come out every time a total projector noobie asks about getting started. There is ZERO reason to recommend anything but a 16x9 screen to anyone who isn't fully aware of all the intricacies that going outside that involves.
To be fair, Sam, the original poster (who by the way apparently has checked out of this thread) wanted to know the benefits of each. Nobody is advocating CIH. They are just giving him the information he asked for. Most newbies don't understand why 2.35:1 screens even exist. For moviephiles like myself CIH is all about showmanship. I even go so far as to have curtains that conceal the sides of the screen for narrower movies. Obviously few people want to deal with any of that hassle and would just prefer a fixed 16X9 screen where you never have to touch anything other than the power button. That's fine. I wouldn't dream of trying to talk them out of it. Now my question to you is, why does CIH push your buttons so much?
 
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Sam Posten

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Nobody is advocating CIH. ... Now my question to you is, why does CIH push your buttons so much?

Clearly not true. The first reply explicitly did. And it burns me because it turns people away, as has happened here.

Yes, the OP did ask about a scope screen, and the response was 'oh absolutely, if you love movies you need to invest in a scope screen and go CIH'. No discussion about his room setup, budget, experience level or any of a dozen factors that are way more important than if they love/value movies.

We all love movies. And Scope / CIh is the wrong choice for 95% or more of us.
 
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Brent Reid

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After a few false starts, the widescreen format was finally successfully introduced in the early 1950s to give an experience "bigger" and "better" than TV of the time. However, technology has moved on quite a bit since then and we're capable of equalling that in the home, as per the OP's wishes. I estimate 80-90% of the content I watch (1890s-1950s film and pre-2000s TV) is Academy-ish or 1.78-ish ratio. To me, it makes no sense for I or anyone else to deliberately diminish and compromise the size of all that material, just so a few scope films can look artificially "wider".

In other words, when actual, physical film is being used, CIH projection is mostly fine. But the digital revolution has made clinging onto it, especially in the home, nothing short of an anachronism. All films, whatever their aspect ratio, are composed to be at their best when seen on the largest screen possible. The bottom line is, despite nearly 70 years of tentpole movie studio hype and CIH enthusiasts' rhetoric, to the human eye there is actually nothing inherently more "cinematic" about a scope image. Controversial? Maybe. Logical? Yes.
 

JohnRice

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I'm betraying myself again... but if I was going to the trouble of setting a serious HT with projection, I'd want to at least be made aware of the CIH option. I had never even considered the idea before, but if I was to set up my dream theater, I would be seriously tempted to go CIH. I guess that makes me a freaking moron in some people's eyes. It would depend on the dimensions of the room, but if the screen wall was wide enough in proportion to the height, I'd seriously look into it. I see no reason to so aggressively bash someone who merely pointed out the option, even if it wasn't tempered with wording like "you might consider..."

Moderators are supposed to moderate, not instigate.
 

John Dirk

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I see two dynamics in play here.

1) A new HTF member asked a legitimate question.

I have a room that is going to be used for a home theater and I am trying to figure out what size and aspect ratio the screen should be.
... That being said, should I do a 2.4 cinemascope screen or a 16:9?

2) We HT enthusiasts turned it into a debate.

We did that because we are passionate about HT and possess a great deal of collective knowledge. In a setting like this, however, there will invariably be differing opinions even between people who understand the tech. It's what we do and [IMO] a big part of what makes forums like this one valuable. When I visit a forum as a "newbie" I know I may have to navigate some difficult waters but I also know that I came there for a reason. I wanted expert advice. In any field, if you aspire to be a guru you'll first need to accept being a newbie and soak up some knowledge, regardless of the environment. HTF is not hostile by any measure but we are a "community." From High School to College Fraternities, or my particular path, The United States Navy, similar communities exist in all forms of human existence.

If you value movies over television programs, go with a 'Scope aspect ratio screen. If your projector can provide "constant image height" lens adjustment features, you will be able to increase the width of the image as the director intended. The vast majority of blockbuster motion pictures are a wider aspect ratio than 16x9.

While I don't agree with you on this @GeorgeAB I did note, from your original post, that you're an owner of a company that likely sells high end equipment. For the market you may serve, your advice is possibly reasonable but remember the OP in this case was a newbie and probably hopelessly confused by your comments.
 
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