[dpotter]

In a recent thread several of us were discussing how different people like to sit closer/farther from their CRT, and how this impacts their decision-making process when buying a new set. I'm curious to know where people like to sit in a movie theater! I'm guessing that there are a lot of similarities between theater seating preferences and television viewing habits.


Here's my $.02:


I insist on being within a few degrees of dead center left:right, and am willing to get in line 1-1.5 hours in advance to guarantee that I can get in the center. Front:Back seating is a far second priority to me, but when I get the choice I'll choose a row toward the middle of the theater or slightly forward of middle.


My wife likes to sit a little farther back, so we frequently compromise. When it's entirely my choice, I like to screen to almost, but not quite fill my peripheral vision.


And let's face it, a good IMAX screen is close to heaven.


I'm hoping that your answers to this question may help others recognize your point of view and personal prefereces when discussing home theater topics.


dp

 

[KadMan]

Although I haven't really payed enough attention to express it in feet, for many cinemas my sweet spot tends to be in the first handful of rows in the main section (that is to say there is often a close up section, then what I'm calling the main section). I also insist on being close to the middle from a left/right perspective. It's not so close that you get a neck cramp from looking up, not so far that you feel removed from the action, and the side speakers seem to be in just the right spot to get the right affect. My wife prefers to sit in an aisle seat that is close to the door for snack/restroom access. Sigh...

 

[ricbayer]

dp


I am 48 years old and back when I thought the crowds, traffic, and sticky floors still warranted going to the movies, I tried to sit in the middle about half way to two thirds of the way back.


Now I watch about 15 DVDs each month ( www.netflix.com ) on my Sony 34" widescreen. My viewing distance is 7' because of the room layout. With a good quality DVD, I would be happy to sit closer. With a poor quality DVD, or replaytv I initially feel the urge to move back even though the 4:3 screen size is only 27.8".


Since my TV is well calibrated, after a few minutes I get into the show and mostly forget about borderline picture quality, so 7' is a pretty good compromise for us (my wife is even more picky that I am). If the show is so bad that I am still nitpicking about the grainy picture quality part-way through the show, then I delete that show and watch something better. After all, what we have now is vastly superior to the old technology that I used to watch when I was young.


Rick