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Viewing Distance

461 Views 12 Replies 9 Participants Last post by sfogg, Feb 23, 2005

Riceowl68

Discussion Starter · Feb 22, 2005

Can anyone provide a formula or rule-of-thumb for the optimum viewing distance for a given screen size, assuming a high quality projector?

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1 - 13 of 13 Posts

Two times screen width is a good guide - 14ft from a 7ft wide (visible) screen for example. The higher the resolution of the projector, the closer you can sit before seeing screen door. I'm sitting approx 1.85 from a 7ft screen with an HD2+ pj, but I couldn't see screen door from the XGA pj I was using before that. An 800 x 600 DLP did sometimes show a little screen door on white credits but it wasn't obvious unless you looked for it.

This link has some useful info:

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

Gary.

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wm

· #3 · Feb 22, 2005

This is at least partly a matter of personal preference. Personally I think 2xWidth is a poor guide, what a waste! I sit 1.25xwidth and love it - and no screen door! (JVC HD2K)

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Gary Lightfoot

· #4 · Feb 22, 2005

At that distance (edge of my seat) I think screendoor is just perceptable, but I might try it just to see how it looks.

Wouldn't a perforated screen with the center placed behind become more of a necessity at that distance though?

Gary.

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Art Sonneborn

· #5 · Feb 22, 2005

I agree with wm if the projector and source allows, and you like the immersion, sit closer. If you like the front 1/3 of a commercial theater and would like a similar effect at home then you will need to be much closer than even 2.5 the height.

Art

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darinp2

· #6 · Feb 22, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by wm
This is at least partly a matter of personal preference. Personally I think 2xWidth is a poor guide, what a waste! I sit 1.25xwidth and love it - and no screen door! (JVC HD2K)

Why do you sit back so far?

I'm enjoying 1.0-1.2x with the HD2K. I might go closer than 1.0x at times (probably D-Theater), but my head gets into the images.

--Darin

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Gary Lightfoot

· #7 · Feb 22, 2005

So at what distance would you say a center speaker below the screen has to be moved behind the screen because the audio is becoming noticable by it's location?

I've experimented from my seating distance and found it to make no noticable difference to me from having the speaker just below the screen or within the screen area, but there must be a stage where it becomes noticeable that the dialogue is coming from below the screen and not from the on-screen character(s).

Where would that be would you say?

TIA

Gary.

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aachrisg

· #8 · Feb 23, 2005

I don't really like 1-1.2x with dvds, but its awesome with hd sources (hd2k projector).

I'm going to try the Yamaha "Dialogue lift"+presence speakers to help out the center channel's perceived position.

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Thunder

· #9 · Feb 23, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by darinp2
Why do you sit back so far?

I'm enjoying 1.0-1.2x with the HD2K. I might go closer than 1.0x at times (probably D-Theater), but my head gets into the images.

--Darin

Wow, that's encouraging because with my new set up,

the screen will be in front of the center speaker which means it will be only about 9' from me and I didn't want to go with too small a screen. I plan on buying HD2k and was debating whether to partner it with a 70" (1.54 X width) or an 80" (1.35 X width) wide screen. After reading this, maybe I should get even more aggressive with it. The new projector is replacing an Epson TW100 and I could never sit closer than 1.6 X the screen width with it. Will the HD2k allow me to do that with DVD material?

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Art Sonneborn

· #10 · Feb 23, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by darinp2
Why do you sit back so far?

I'm enjoying 1.0-1.2x with the HD2K. I might go closer than 1.0x at times (probably D-Theater), but my head gets into the images.

--Darin

I wasn't going to say it ,but since you are running interference , I sit at about 1.1 X width .

Art

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darinp2

· #11 · Feb 23, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by Art Sonneborn
I wasn't going to say it ,but since you are running interference , I sit at about 1.1 X width .

I admit that there is a little bit of the mountain climber mentality for me. Why? Because I can. I'm not sure where I'll settle in in the long run, but with HD-DVD and BluRay it will probably be fairly close.

I don't think anybody who has been over has complained about the 1.0x-1.1x where I've put the prime chairs (they can move though). Actually, the complaint is more likely that when they get home their screen seems small.

I went back to the 11k at 92" wide (instead of 120" wide for the HD2K) and it was hard to get used to the larger viewing ratio. I'm hoping that the fill ratio improvement for the DC3 is enough to allow sitting a little bit closer than the HD2+ in the 11k.

--Darin

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thebland

· #12 · Feb 23, 2005

I have to say that I don't know how you guys do it. My front row is approx 1.1X away from the screen but I find that sitting so close is a bit fatiguing as I need to move my head to the right or left if action is occuring near the screen corner....

I must be getting lazy!

I have to say that some DVDs and all D-Theater look fantastic at that ratio......a nice peak into what HD DVD / Blu Ray will bring.

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sfogg

· #13 · Feb 23, 2005

I do constant height and with 2.35 material I'm just about 1x screen width away as well. This is with a G10 using an Isco II. I love the big immersive picture.

Shawn

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