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Original Message

Well then, one question you didn't askâ€¦

Posted by David Aiken on September 27, 2007 at 20:23:46:
is about viewing distance.

The recommendations for viewing distance for hi-def screens are closer than those for standard def screens, basically because the picture elements (pixels for hi-def vs lines for standard def CRT) are closer together so you can sit closer without getting pixelation. Why would you want to sit closer? Simply because the screen then fills a larger proportion of your field of view and the experience is closer to being in a cinema with a large screen.

So, to the recommendations. I've seen viewing distances from 1.25 times the screen diagonal to 2.5 times the screen diagonal recommended. The really close end, the 1.25 times, is intended to reproduce the viewing angle a large screen makes at the cinema. In my view you'd really only want to go that close with a very large screen like a front projection screen, simply because it puts you very physically close to a 'smallish' screen like a 32" screen and you probably won't feel that you've got the space to stretch your legs out in front of you.

I've got a 32" LCD screen and my viewing distance (eye to screen) is roughly 80" or 2.5 times the screen diagonal. I find that quite a comfortable viewing distance and it gives me some room for a footstool between the sofa and the screen. It also allows some room behind the sofa for the side and rear surround channels of my 6.1 surround sound setup. I think I could comfortably view up to a 42" screen at that distance, just maybe a 46", but I probably wouldn't like to go as big as a 50", even though that still falls reasonably short of the close end of the recommendations.

Assuming you place the screen on a short wall and place your viewing position around 10-12' from the screen, you're probably going to be looking at something like 50-60" screen for your room, larger if you're going to sit further away. That should give you an idea so that you can stand that distance away from various screens in the shop and see what you think of the image size and how the picture holds up at those distances.

It's worth noting that at the 2.5 times end of those distance recommendations you probably won't notice much difference between 1080p and 720 p sources so a screen with a 1080 pixel height won't show much in the way of extra resolution over one of 720/768 pixel height. You may therefore be relatively happy with a 1366 x 768 screen of around 50" in size at a 10-12' viewing distance. If you reduce the viewing distance and keep the screen size, or increase the screen size while maintaining the same viewing distance, you're going to find yourself gravitating more towards a 1920 x 1080 screen simply because it's going to look better at the larger viewing angle those changes create.

Have fun shopping.
David Aiken