Which drop-down screen can magically fix my living room layout?
Skip to tl;dr if you couldn't care less about my seating setup problems.
I currently have my projector (a Groview JQ818C) sitting on a shallow bookshelf 6' from the floor, with a throw distance of 10' to the opposite wall, and a projection size of 80"x48" (16:9 ratio). The wall is a landlord special, a semi-matte light beige, but it's not very textured and I'm not very picky, so this setup has worked pretty well for me since I moved to this apartment 2 years ago.
However, I've been struggling to figure out how to make my living room layout work. Having the projector sit on the bookshelf was the simplest and most cost-effective way to set it up, but it also means that the only logical place for the couch is directly in front of the bookshelf, so I can't access the lower shelves unless I move the whole couch. The couch kinda fits in front of the bay windows, but it's almost impossible to watch anything from anywhere but the farthest left seat. Across from the bay windows is a wide, arched doorway that leads into the kitchen, which I don't want to block off if I can possibly avoid it. It's also just not a huge space - about 10'x10', with a little extra space thrown on because of the windows (I think I made it look a little more narrow in my second sketch).
So far, I think my best bet is to install a drop-down screen above the bookshelf, and move both the couch and the projector to the opposite wall. I don't want a fixed screen (nowhere to put it + doesn't solve the problem of the seating arrangements) and I don't want to go too cheap and wind up doing a lot of tinkering/maintenance (such as a DIY option using a white sheet - might try that for the backyard though).
tl;dr Looking for a drop-down screen to install above a bookshelf so I can stop moving my couch around.
- Location: West Coast, United States
- Room Dimensions: 10' x 10'
- Budget: $400 at absolute most (ideally looking for <$250 but can pay more if what I want just isn't available at a cheaper price point)
- Projector: Groview JQ818C (standard throw, currently 72" from floor)
- Ideal Screen Gain: ~1.0-1.5 (full curtains not quite enough for satisfactory viewing during brightest hours, but don't want to blind myself watching at night)
- Ideal ALR: ??? (I don't fully understand this, but the ambient light would all be coming from below/side; I don't use my overhead/ceiling light)
- Ideal Format: drop-down (wall mount strongly preferred over ceiling mount or tripod)
Any other info/suggestions welcomed! Especially curious to hear from anyone who has/had a similar setup, with a screen in front of a bookshelf.