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According to source cited below, the optimal viewing distance for a 50" plasma, regardless of whether it is 720p or 1080p, is 12 feet. Click on the "plasma comparisons" for a list of display sizes and optimal viewing distances.
Do you agree? What is your experience?
I've read various threads that discuss the issue of resolution and viewing distance . . . something to the effect that " . . . unless you view display at such and such distance, you will see no difference between 720 vs. 1080."
I know if you sit too close to a plasma, you risk the dreaded "screen door" effect. Setting that aside for the moment, what about the issue of a larger screen contributing to a more "immersive" experience, in that the larger screen occupies more space in the viewer's field of vision?
I thought with higher resolution (blu-ray, HD DVD), one could actually sit closer, and therefore have a more immersive experience.
Follow Ups:
That is if I am sitting upright or leaning back in the recliner.
I LOVE the picture!!
If I sit in the sweet spot for 5.1 sound then I am a bit further away at 10 feet. too far too far...
> > I thought with higher resolution (blu-ray, HD DVD), one could actually sit closer < <
A plasma TV is a "fixed-pixel" display, which means that there are a maximum number of pixels the TV has available. Hi-rez content doesn't make the TV display more pixels, so using hi-rez media doesn't affect the viewing distance required to avoid seeing SDE.
Sorry, but I think that's just plain wrong. Yes, its true you can get the "screen door" effect, but only at 720 and lower resolutions. You have to be REALLY close to get that effect with 1080-the pixels are smaller.
Distance should be related to resolution. One of the reasons I've been considering a 70" set for my family room, is because the viewing distance is about 13'-14'.
Here's a graph giving sizes, distances, and resolution.
JackEdit: I'm siting about 8'-9' from my 60" SXRD.
For high definition screens, I've seen recommendations of viewing distances that range from around 1.4 times the screen diagonal to 2.5 times the screen diagonal. 12' for a 50" screen is almost 3 times the screen diagonal and you can certainly get closer than that.
I think the closest recommendation I've seen, something like 1.3 to 1.4 times the screen diagonal came from THX and it was intended to reproduce the same viewing angle as a wide screen in a theatre in order to get that immersive experience you mention.
My screen is a 32" (80 cm) LCD and I sit at 2 metres which is 2.5 times the diagonal. I chose that distance so I've got some leg room between me and the screen, and also to provide some distance from the speakers. It's a 1366 x 768 screen and you can definitely see the difference between high and standard definition at that distance. I have tried sitting at around 1.2 metres, around 1.5 times the screen diagonal. The picture still holds up at that distance and you get the immersive experience a lot more but it's simply too physically close to the screen (no room to stretch your legs) and too close to the speakers for good sound.
With a 50" screen, I think you could sit at my distance (2 m = 80") or a little closer, have the leg room to stretch, and I doubt you'd have problems with the screen but I don't know about plasmas and the "screen door effect" you mention. You could definitley sit closer than 12'. I don't know about 66"-70", the 1.3 to 1.4 times the diagonal, because I think that's still getting physically a little too close for what I'd prefer in terms of a feeling of some space around me, and it may be a little close for some speakers, but the picture may still hold up.
So the answer is you can certainly get closer, quite a bit closer in fact, but you're going to have to consider several things at the close end of the recommendations:
- does the picture still hold up (probably);
- are you far enough from the screen to have enough space around you to feel comfortable, put your feet up, have a coffee table, or whatever (maybe, will depend on your needs); and
- are you far enough away from your front speakers to get good sound (once again a maybe, will depend on your speakers: probably if you have 2 way monitors and probably not if you have large floorstanders).
I suspect the one of both of the last 2 of those factors may prove critical as you move closer. Note that they become less of a problem as screen size increases as that minimum distance of 1.3 to 1.4 times the diagonal gets larger and provides the space you need for both of those concerns.
David Aiken
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