Throw-ratio calculator.
Which image size fits your room depth? Or what distance do you need for your desired size? Work it out in seconds — 16:9 geometry with presets for our PIXORA projectors.
Your data
Typical: 1.0–1.5 for standard, 0.5–0.8 for short throw, under 0.5 for ultra-short throw.
Distance between the projector lens and the projection surface.
16:9 format. 1 inch = 2.54 cm.
Enter distance or image size.
- Image width
- — m
- Image height
- — m
- Diagonal
- —″ · — cm
- Distance
- — m
Matching screen from our range
View screensThree projector types, three throw ratios.
The lower the throw ratio, the larger the image from the same distance.
< 0.5
Laser short distance
20–50 cm distance is enough for 100 inches. Ideal for small living rooms and direct wall mounting. Considerably more expensive to buy.
0.5 – 0.9
Short-throw standard
Both our PIXORA models sit at 0.80. 1–2.5 m distance for 40–130 inches. The sweet spot for home cinema without a dedicated room.
1.0 – 1.8
Classic projector
Needs 3–5 m of clear space for large images. Typical for dedicated cinema rooms, basements or ceiling mounts.
Three typical living situations.
Compact bed-edge projection for the PIXORA One. About 1.50 m image width, 0.85 m height — fits over the bed and is set up in under a minute.
The typical living-room setup — sofa back, projector on coffee table or shelf. 2.50 m image width fills a clear wall without compromise.
Maximum size on the house wall or a freestanding screen. Public viewing for friends, summer evening cinema. Best projection conditions at dusk.
What is the throw ratio?
The throw ratio is the ratio of projection distance to image width. A throw ratio of 1.2 means: at 3 m distance the image is 2.5 m wide. The lower the ratio, the larger the image at the same distance.
Standard projectors sit at 1.0–1.8, short throw at 0.5–0.9, ultra-short throw below 0.5.
image_width_m = distance_m ÷ throw_ratiodiagonal_inches ≈ image_width_m × 45.14The 45.14 comes from 16:9 geometry: diagonal_m = width × √(1 + (9/16)²) = width × 1.1471, plus the m → inch conversion (×39.37).
Verification: The 16:9 formula is industry-standard and can be cross-checked against any standard projector calculator. The preset values for both PIXORA models (throw ratio 0.80) come from our own manufacturer spec sheets. For other projectors, please choose "Other projector" and enter the throw ratio from the relevant spec sheet.
What customers want to know before buying.
How accurate is the calculator?
The 16:9 geometry formula used (diagonal_inches ≈ image_width_m × 45.14) is mathematically exact. In practice the calculated diagonal differs from the actual projection by 1–2 inches at most — these are tolerances introduced by your projector's keystone correction.
More important than the formula's precision: the throw ratio of your projector. If it differs from the spec sheet (typical zoom range), the entire tolerance band comes from there.
What if my distance doesn't fit exactly?
No problem — our PIXORA projectors have a working range of 0.6–2.5 m (Max) and 0.7–2.3 m (One). As long as you stay within this range, the image size automatically matches your distance.
If the calculator shows a warning ("outside the working range"), the projector has a technical limit at your desired size or distance. Solution: either adjust the distance or pick a different type of projector.
Does it also work with angled projection?
The calculator assumes a straight-on projection. With an angled setup (e.g. from below up onto the wall) the image becomes trapezoidal — the projector's keystone correction straightens it digitally, but you lose about 5–10 % of the image area.
For exact dimensions we recommend placing the projector as level as possible and at the centre height of the image.
Do I need a screen or is a white wall enough?
A smooth white wall works for getting started — but a dedicated screen delivers measurably better results: more even brightness, higher contrast, sharper colours. The difference is visible to the naked eye, especially in dark scenes.
Our screen selection ranges from cloth (cheap, mobile) through tripod (single floor stand with frame) to fixed frame (two tripods, freestanding for outdoor).
What's the difference to screen-diagonal calculators online?
Classic "viewing-distance calculators" go the other way around: they take your desired diagonal and tell you how far the viewer should sit. Our calculator instead works out the projection distance between projector and wall — that's the critical number for projector planning.
For optimal viewing distance, the rule of thumb is: viewing distance ≈ 1.5 × image width. So for a 2 m wide projection, around 3 m viewing distance.
What if my projector isn't on the list?
Choose "Other projector" and enter the throw ratio from your spec sheet. It's usually in the technical data as a ratio (e.g. "1.2:1" = TR 1.2) or directly as a number (e.g. "throw ratio 0.8").
If the value is missing entirely, work it back from your product description: throw ratio = projection distance ÷ image width. One example from the spec sheet (e.g. "at 3 m distance the image is 2.4 m wide") is enough for a good estimate.