Recommended viewing distance: 7 feet is enough?

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-sweetness-

· #3 · Jan 14, 2007

You will be fine I have a 50" TV and I sit 6-8 feet from my TV.

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Newsgroup

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jan 14, 2007

Thanks!

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RandyWalters

· #5 · Jan 15, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by Newsgroup /forum/post/0

We are looking at the Panasonic 42 inch Plasma TH-42PX6U.

I was told that the recommended viewing distance is 10+ feet, but the distance from our sofa to where the tv will be is 7-7.8 feet. Is this size too big for viewing?

My eyes are 8-9 feet from my 42" Panasonic's screen and it's perfect. At 7 feet, i start to see the pixel structure and SDE.

The 10 foot distance would dictate a 50" display, but a 42" is fine for most people at 7-8 feet unless you're looking for a more immersive big screen theater experience.

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Elemental1

· #6 · Jan 15, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by RandyWalters /forum/post/0

My eyes are 8-9 feet from my 42" Panasonic's screen and it's perfect. At 7 feet, i start to see the pixel structure and SDE.

The 10 foot distance would dictate a 50" display, but a 42" is fine for most people at 7-8 feet unless you're looking for a more immersive big screen theater experience.

Wow....I don't seem to see it at 3' on my 50".

Could just be my eyes.

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adb

· #7 · Jan 16, 2007

I also have a 42" at seven feet and for us that is just the right size.

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itigap

· #8 · Jan 16, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by Newsgroup /forum/post/0

We are looking at the Panasonic 42 inch Plasma TH-42PX6U.

I was told that the recommended viewing distance is 10+ feet, but the distance from our sofa to where the tv will be is 7-7.8 feet.

Is this size too big for viewing?

thx

I have been looking carefully at just this issue through observation; both myself and some friends at local stores. It definitely varies with eyesight but not by that much, perhaps a foot or so. For my maybe just a bit less than average eyes, I find that at around 8' I loose the SDE effect on a 50" display. Better eyes may need to back up another foot or so. Thus, for me, 8' is the prefered distance for a 50" 768p plasma display. This distance gives me the widest viewing angle with a smooth picture.

The best advice I can give is to go look and take a measuring tape and measure carefully from screen to eyes. Back up from about 5' until you can't see any SDE to intrude on PQ.

While I always recommend a larger screen, you may be just on the edge and 50" may or may not be the best from that close dictance. Be sure you measure from the eyes when seated in your viewing furniture.

Cheers,

Gary

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MitsuDude

· #9 · Jan 16, 2007

46" at 10 feet is perfect for me...

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irkuck

· #10 · Jan 16, 2007

Viewing distance depends on display resolution.

For 1080 HD format optimal distance is 3-4 multiples of picture height.

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micheldb

· #11 · Jan 17, 2007

Viewing distance is a very personal thing so you also have to consider what you are comfortable with: When you go to movie theatres, do you prefer to sit? At the front, at the back or somewhere in the middle? We tend to sit in the front to mid section of the theatre and have a 42" at 8 feet. It's fine but I certainly wouldn't think that a 50-60" would be too big for me from that distance. (I got the 42" for financial and timing reasons (at the time I got a really good deal on a 42" plasma) but I was actually looking more for a 50-60" and will likely upgrade at some point).

It also depends what you are trying to achieve with the TV; are you trying to recreate the theatre experience or are you just looking for something to watch TV? If you wish to recreate the theatre experience, then you need to look at having smaller viewing distances.

This link gives a guidelines on what is recommended for home theatre setups. Since it's for HT, you'll notice that the viewing distances are actually quite close. In particular, note the difference between 'maximum recommended viewing distance' (general TV use) and 'maximum recommended SMPTE viewing distance' and the THX distances. (Basically for theatre experience, you should have a viewing angle of 25% to 35% (which means quite close). For TV, you can comfortably have a viewing angle that's much less than that).

http://www.myhometheater.homestead.c...alculator.html

Bottom line, 42" from 7 feet is probably very reasonable for most people for most uses but if you like to sit close in the theatre and/or want to similate the theatre experience, you should maybe look for bigger. If on the other hand, you prefer sitting farther in the movie theatre and want something more for casual watching, 42" from 7 feet might actually be too big.

Hope this helps.

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Barrybud

· #12 · Jan 17, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by micheldb /forum/post/0

Viewing distance is a very personal thing so you also have to consider what you are comfortable with: When you go to movie theatres, do you prefer to sit? At the front, at the back or somewhere in the middle? We tend to sit in the front to mid section of the theatre and have a 42" at 8 feet. It's fine but I certainly wouldn't think that a 50-60" would be too big for me from that distance. (I got the 42" for financial and timing reasons (at the time I got a really good deal on a 42" plasma) but I was actually looking more for a 50-60" and will likely upgrade at some point).

I agree with this. I sit 8 feet from my 50" and it works great for me, though I tend to be near the front of the movie theater.

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NathanC

· #13 · Jan 17, 2007

One thing to keep in mind is that since 42" plasmas have less pixels than 50" plasmas the pixel spacing is actually about the same on both sets. With the low prices on 50" sets i think getting a 42" set is silly. 6 months ago i paid >$2k for my 42" plasma and now the 50" set of the same series is actually lower than the price i paid for my 42". I sit 7' from my 42" set and plan on replacing it with a 50" soon. No one ever wishes they got a smaller TV, but lots wish they'd gotten a bigger one.

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itigap

· #14 · Jan 18, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by micheldb /forum/post/0

Viewing distance is a very personal thing so you also have to consider what you are comfortable with: When you go to movie theatres, do you prefer to sit? At the front, at the back or somewhere in the middle? We tend to sit in the front to mid section of the theatre and have a 42" at 8 feet. It's fine but I certainly wouldn't think that a 50-60" would be too big for me from that distance. (I got the 42" for financial and timing reasons (at the time I got a really good deal on a 42" plasma) but I was actually looking more for a 50-60" and will likely upgrade at some point).

It also depends what you are trying to achieve with the TV; are you trying to recreate the theatre experience or are you just looking for something to watch TV? If you wish to recreate the theatre experience, then you need to look at having smaller viewing distances.

This link gives a guidelines on what is recommended for home theatre setups. Since it's for HT, you'll notice that the viewing distances are actually quite close. In particular, note the difference between 'maximum recommended viewing distance' (general TV use) and 'maximum recommended SMPTE viewing distance' and the THX distances. (Basically for theatre experience, you should have a viewing angle of 25% to 35% (which means quite close). For TV, you can comfortably have a viewing angle that's much less than that).

http://www.myhometheater.homestead.c...alculator.html

Bottom line, 42" from 7 feet is probably very reasonable for most people for most uses but if you like to sit close in the theatre and/or want to similate the theatre experience, you should maybe look for bigger. If on the other hand, you prefer sitting farther in the movie theatre and want something more for casual watching, 42" from 7 feet might actually be too big.

Hope this helps.

micheldb,

This question comes up everyday somewhere on this forum. Yours is really the best written response I have yet read and I have read, and written, many. I hope everyone has an opportunity to read and think carefully about it. I wish the moderator could make it some kind of sticky. It should be required reading.

Thanks,

Gary

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jfaul4820

· #15 · Jan 21, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by itigap /forum/post/0

micheldb,

This question comes up everyday somewhere on this forum. Yours is really the best written response I have yet read and I have read, and written, many. I hope everyone has an opportunity to read and think carefully about it. I wish the moderator could make it some kind of sticky. It should be required reading.

Thanks,

Gary

32 inch LCD at 6 ft is perect. Any bigger and i would see every little blur in the picture and i would agonize, sometimes less is more.

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plazman

· #16 · Jan 21, 2007

A big variable is the type of source you are going to use. The lower quality the source the further back you have to sit. Typical SD TV I'd say don't get any closer than 2ft for every inch of screen size.

For good HD, like Blu Ray or HD DVD, you can sit 6 ft from a 65 inch plasma and be completely fine (and very happy).

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Lodrin

· #17 · Jan 21, 2007

I was on the fence about this issue as well. My viewing distance is between 6-8 feet, and usually at ~8 feet. I couldn't really decide whether to get the Pioneer PDP5070hd or the PDP4270HD. At the start I really wanted the 50" because of the full 720p pixel spread and supposedly bigger is better, but I was very worried about the SDE/pixelation as well as neck strain.

I took a trip down to Circuit City and Best Buy, I brought along a tape measure. I measured out 6, 7, 8 feet, laid the tape measure on the ground, and then stood/crouched (if the TV was on a bottom rack) for a minute at each position and looked at the picture for both 42" sets adn 50" sets. No salesman bothered me, and the one that did talk to me, told me that what I was doing is EXACTLY what anyone who didn't know how big of a TV to get should do. To me (note: SUBJECTIVE), a 50" TV seemed 'odd/uncomfortable' at 6 feet, and the sweet spot seemed to be more around 9 feet. Meanwhile the 42" sweet spot was around ~7 feet, meaing 6-8 feet worked well.

It's all really personal. You need to go down yourself and do what I did. Find what's comfortable to you.

My only closing comment is what people say about TV size is true... they do seem to 'shrink' over time. My 42" was HUGE in my bedroom when I first got it. I've gotten used to it and it seems just right. I may have been able to tolerate a 50", but I tend to watch alot of SD and the higher pixel density on a 42" is a bit better for that.

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rickster51

· #18 · Jan 21, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by plazman /forum/post/0

A big variable is the type of source you are going to use. The lower quality the source the further back you have to sit. Typical SD TV I'd say don't get any closer than 2ft for every inch of screen size.

For good HD, like Blu Ray or HD DVD, you can sit 6 ft from a 65 inch plasma and be completely fine (and very happy).

That's a great point. With my 42" Panny, 7-8' is perfect with HD programing. But with SD programing (which a lot of us still watch) the picture looks like crap most of the time. Not really a pixel issue, just poorer PQ.

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Newsgroup

Discussion Starter · #19 · Jan 21, 2007

Good info all.

I heard a salesman yesterday say that P;asma is on it's way out and for our needs and requirments (we watch SD) that we should get a tube tv and wait until the ghosting issue gets fully resolved in the LCD's.

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Lodrin

· #20 · Jan 21, 2007

Plasma isn't going anywhere, lol.

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