What size is better if I'm 7 ft away from TV?

[TheTenth]

I now have a 26" HD ready TV, I'm looking forward to a 32" HD ready TV. A friend has a 40" HD ready Sony Bravia and I don't think the difference is awesome (he has a X360 with a HD DVD add on). The image of the numeric TV is horrible, and for the games (Gears of War, Gotham racing) it's barely better - if at all - than my TV (I find Gears of war so overrated anyway, as the background colors for buildings is always the same) ; he usually plays at 8.5 ft from the TV.
So what's the best screen size / viewing distance for HD ready TV?
(I can't afford full HD and I think it's better to have 40"+ screen for full HD).

[HDJK]

Try this.

[MacDaddyOJack]

I'd keep saving until you can go full HD. There are tons of people who are stuck with a tv that is only 1080i and they won't get a new one because they spent so much of the one they already have. A tv is one of those things you have to do right the first time.

As for the size, bigger is better. Unless you are certain that you will never move it from the spot that it is in, you may want to get a bigger tv than you thought. I moved my tv and I think it would have been bugged with it if it was any less than 46" in the new spot. Good thing I went overboard when I bought it!!

[cawgijoe]

The bigger the better. Most people regret not buying the bigger set. Buy a 1080p set if you can even though there is absolutely nothing wrong with a 1080i set. Most people cannot tell the difference between a 1080p and 1080i signal.

That being said, 1080p is where everything is headed for now and Blu-Ray does 1080p.

[DocNovak]

I sit about 8' away from my 60" and the picture looks great at 1080p. I have a 26" 720p/1080i in my bedroom because that is all that would fit in the armoire that my wife refused to get rid of and it looks so tiny at about 10' while lying in bed. IMHO I would go with at least a 42" 1080p. If cost is an issue I would save up until you can get one. I was thinking about getting a 32"-37" HDTV for my Mom & Dad for Christmas, but decided to wait until I can save enough to get them a bigger set since there viewing distance is between 10-12'. I have friends who have large screen SDTVs and a viewing distance of about 8' makes them look horrible with the screen door effect, but with 1080p my set looks great at that distance.

[CptGreedle]

Cool link. I like it. I might need to move my TV closer now
Thanks!

[Magic]

Originally Posted by DocNovak

I sit about 8' away from my 60" and the picture looks great at 1080p. I have a 26" 720p/1080i in my bedroom because that is all that would fit in the armoire that my wife refused to get rid of and it looks so tiny at about 10' while lying in bed. IMHO I would go with at least a 42" 1080p. If cost is an issue I would save up until you can get one. I was thinking about getting a 32"-37" HDTV for my Mom & Dad for Christmas, but decided to wait until I can save enough to get them a bigger set since there viewing distance is between 10-12'. I have friends who have large screen SDTVs and a viewing distance of about 8' makes them look horrible with the screen door effect, but with 1080p my set looks great at that distance.

I agree. I sit approx 8.5 feet away from my 61" rear projection 1080p and it is awesome! I had originially wanted to go a little smaller b/c I thought this was going to be too big in my apt. I'm glad I didn't go any smaller and I'm certain you will feel the same.

[DaViD Boulet]

Guys,

the proper rule of thumb for ANY high-def viewing is that you should be re-creating an approximate 30 degree viewing angle. This means sitting about 1.5 screen-widths back from your screen (width here, not diagonal). This is called "wide angle". It's the only way to properly get out of HD what's in there... you can't see the detail or get the effect that you should from more than 1.75 screen-widths away (not that it will look bad, just that you won't get the full effect and see all the detail).

so if your sitting 15 feet away, your screen should be 10 feet wide.

If you're sitting 7 feet away, your screen should be about 5 feet wide.

That sounds big. And it's because traditional decorating/TV sizes are geared towards NTSC viewing... and that's what you're used to.

Front projection makes properly-scaled images easy. But even if you go direct-view or RP, I'd urge you to get a bigger screen, or sit closer, or both, until you get close to that 1.5 screen-width distance.

[cawgijoe]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

Guys,

the proper rule of thumb for ANY high-def viewing is that you should be re-creating an approximate 30 degree viewing angle. This means sitting about 1.5 screen-widths back from your screen (width here, not diagonal). This is called "wide angle". It's the only way to properly get out of HD what's in there... you can't see the detail or get the effect that you should from more than 1.75 screen-widths away (not that it will look bad, just that you won't get the full effect and see all the detail).

so if your sitting 15 feet away, your screen should be 10 feet wide.

If you're sitting 7 feet away, your screen should be about 5 feet wide.

That sounds big. And it's because traditional decorating/TV sizes are geared towards NTSC viewing... and that's what you're used to.

Front projection makes properly-scaled images easy. But even if you go direct-view or RP, I'd urge you to get a bigger screen, or sit closer, or both, until you get close to that 1.5 screen-width distance.

This is not an absolute. Distance from the TV or screen in the theater is all personal preference and comfort level.

When I go to the movies, I like to sit somewhere in the middle. If I'm any closer I get a headache. If I sit too far back, the picture may be ok, but the sound is not.

Same at home. There are people who love to sit right up on the picture, others like to sit further back.

Take this as a guide and adjust........

[DaViD Boulet]

This is not an absolute. Distance from the TV or screen in the theater is all personal preference and comfort level.

When I go to the movies, I like to sit somewhere in the middle. If I'm any closer I get a headache. If I sit too far back, the picture may be ok, but the sound is not.

I never said you can't do what you want.

but to *properly* evaluate and see all the detail in an HD image, you need to be around that 30-degree viewing angle.

That has to do with science around human vision and perception.

Now, if you don't want to see all the detail in an HD image and would rather sit 2 screen-widths away, you certianly can!



But sitting 2 screen widths or more away from an HD image won't reveal all the detail to your eye, nor will it fill your peripheral vision with image content which is part of the art of "movies" and one reason why that 30-degree viewing angle has been researched so strongly.

BTW, sitting in the "middle" of the theater *is* getting you that 30-degree angle. Sitting up front is much wider of a viewing angle, and isn't required (and actually reveals the limits of the source, though some folks still like to sit that close). Sitting in the back row of a theater is anyone's legal right... but you're not going to see all the detail in the film print from that distance.

Note: I'm not talking about what falls into one's personal preference. I'm talking about the viewing angle required to see all the detail in a 1080p image and stimulate peripheral vision which is part of the art of wide-angle film and video.

[Deciazulado]

Or closer

[Brandon B]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

Front projection makes properly-scaled images easy. But even if you go direct-view or RP, I'd urge you to get a bigger screen, or sit closer, or both, until you get close to that 1.5 screen-width distance.

I'm with Dave. I sit 10' from a 56" TV. But when I pull my 120" screen down in front of it, I am at 9.5' from it

BB.

[Frode]

While those calculators are "nice," in general there's no "too close" or "too far away" in most viewing situations, so you might as well just go with what you feel is comfortable. I'm also a subscriber to "buy the biggest, but best set you can get," which means that go big, and go quality. Pick a budget, pick the biggest size picture you can get for the budget, and then back off slightly on the size if necessary so you can spend more on a quality product. Don't get the cheapest set in a size bracket.

[DaViD Boulet]

There's no too close. But there is a too-far-away, *** IF *** we're talking about viewing in a manner that is able to see all the detail that the content providers/artists intended you to see.

That's what that 1.5 screen-width distance is about.

Sit wherever you like. But don't pretend that you can see the detail in a 1080p image from 3 screen-widths away that viewers watching from a (proper) 1.5 screen-width distance can enjoy.

This is very important to understand. Folks are constantly posting things like "this BD looks great" while others are seeing flaws. Then after 10 minutes of posting you find out that the person not seeing the problems with the disc is viewing 10 feet away from a 30" flat-screen.

high definition is about an "experience". You get that at 1.5 screen-widths and closer. anything past 2 screen widths away is "just TV"... and there's a science as to why this is the case.

[Frode]

Sit wherever you like. But don't pretend that you can see the detail in a 1080p image from 3 screen-widths away that viewers watching from a (proper) 1.5 screen-width distance can enjoy.

Actually I'll not only pretend I can - I can see it . There's nothing limiting my eyesight in that regard, but then I've also had a FP setup so I know what to look for, even in smaller viewing areas.

I think a bigger problem with those people who sit far back and provide comments on the image, is that they don't know what to look for to begin with. When you add that to any artifacting that may take up a very small part of the viewable image area it becomes that much harder for them to pick it out. Viewing experience is just as important as the the setup itself. Going bigger makes it easier to pick out problems, but it's not essential for the eyes and brain to receive the image data that is there to begin with.

[Mikeesracing]

Have you ever heard someone say I wish I would of bought a smaller TV????

[ay221]

Originally Posted by Mikeesracing

Have you ever heard someone say I wish I would of bought a smaller TV????

For me, 118" was about the biggest I could go and still have room for the speakers on the side.

[DaViD Boulet]

Actually I'll not only pretend I can - I can see it . There's nothing limiting my eyesight in that regard, but then I've also had a FP setup so I know what to look for, even in smaller viewing areas.

I think a bigger problem with those people who sit far back and provide comments on the image, is that they don't know what to look for to begin with. When you add that to any artifacting that may take up a very small part of the viewable image area it becomes that much harder for them to pick it out. Viewing experience is just as important as the the setup itself. Going bigger makes it easier to pick out problems, but it's not essential for the eyes and brain to receive the image data that is there to begin with.

Knowing what to look for is essential. And certainly having lived with a larger image makes one more aware, and possibly then better able to see flaws/details in a smaller image one might not have noticed otherwise.

But there are indeed details in a 1080p image that cannot be perceived from 3 screen-widths that can be seen at 1.5 screen-widths.

[Deciazulado]

Well some people have 40:20 vision so they can see twice as good as average so those could sit farther away and still see all the detail, but those are the exception

[DaViD Boulet]

But even in that case, their peripheral vision is not getting active image area, which is another key reason why that 30-degree viewing angle is so important to replicate a "movie experience". It's not just about detail. It's about an experience.