u/mknav

Finally circling back to the living room setup and I'm stuck on screen size again. Room's roughly 11x13 with 8ft ceilings, open-ish layout, not a sealed theater by any means.

I keep flip-flopping between 120" and 100". 120" sounds amazing on paper but I'm lowkey worried it'll just dominate the wall and look kinda goofy when nobody's watching. 100" feels like the "safe" pick but I know myself and I'll be second-guessing it within a week.

The other thing bugging me, I don't love the idea of a permanent screen bolted to the wall 24/7. Feels like it'd make the whole room read as "home theater" even when we're just, idk, eating dinner or whatever. So I've been eyeballing motorized stuff that tucks away, but not sure if that's overkill for a room this size or if people actually like living with it.

First time projector buyer, planning a permanent living room setup and would appreciate a sanity check before I start shortlisting.

Current reference point is a Sony X90L 65". I'm not expecting OLED blacks or anything, but I do want to actually love the output, not just tolerate the size.

Setup:​

Living room (not dedicated), windows on one side. I can black it out when it matters, but I'd rather not have to every single time.

Throw distance: 3.65m / 12ft, measured lamp to wall. Shelf-mounted upside down behind the couch is the plan.

Target image: 110". Seating at ~3.25m / 10.5ft.

Budget: ~€1,200 total, so roughly €900–1,000 for the projector + whatever the screen needs.

Use case is movies and series mostly, some casual gaming. Don't care about built-in speakers or smart features (audio goes through an AVR, have a separate streamer).

Questions:​

The throw ratio I need is ~1.50, and that seems to knock out half the usual recommendations in this range. What actually fits this geometry without hitting the very end of its zoom?

If a screen is worth it, is a basic matte white 1.0 fixed frame enough, or does the side light push me toward something fancier?

Lamp vs laser at ~€1,500, is laser even realistic here, or do I accept a lamp and budget for replacements? Want this to last 4+ years.

Current shortlist is roughly BenQ GP520 / TK705 territory, but honestly the throw ratio question has me doubting everything. Appreciate any reality checks.

Just picked up my new projector and I’m gonna mess around with it tonight. Suggest me movies. It should feel fresh and colourful.

Dune: Part Two is definitely going on first lol.

For anyone curious, I managed to keep the whole setup under my $2,500 budget:

Hisense PX3-Pro, $1,800 used

NothingProjector Black Series fixed frame, $600

Thanks!