Is 1.5 REALLY the OPTIMUM seating distance?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Is 1.5 REALLY the OPTIMUM seating distance?

NZRobin

161 posts

Master Geek

#67900 10-Sep-2010 13:12

Hi Geeks & Geekesses

Well it looks like I'm finally going to relegate my 29" Panasonic CRT with its high-tech composite terminals to the back bedroom and replacing it with the latest 'V' series Panasonic Plasma. The problem is size! The room is only 3.6mtrs across. So to try and maximize the feeling of space I'll mount the TV on the wall which means my eye to screen distance would be about 2.9 - 3.0 mtrs.. But what size? According to fellow Home Theater fans to get the optimum size to distance of 1.5 my TV would have diagonal size of 2.0mtrs !! WAF just went out the window! I was thinking of a compromise size of 55", whats that, about 1.4mtrs. The wife though will only go as big as 50" (1.27mtrs).

So what do you think the optimal size in actual every day use should be. Does sitting 1.5 from your large TV just seem a little daft to get the 'cinema' experience or does practicality take over. What size did you want and what size did you end up feeling most comfortable with.

Thanks

wellygary

8312 posts

Uber Geek

#378569 10-Sep-2010 13:43

NZRobin: Hi Geeks & Geekesses

Well it looks like I'm finally going to relegate my 29" Panasonic CRT with its high-tech composite terminals to the back bedroom and replacing it with the latest 'V' series Panasonic Plasma. The problem is size! The room is only 3.6mtrs across. So to try and maximize the feeling of space I'll mount the TV on the wall which means my eye to screen distance would be about 2.9 - 3.0 mtrs.. But what size? According to fellow Home Theater fans to get the optimum size to distance of 1.5 my TV would have diagonal size of 2.0mtrs !! WAF just went out the window! I was thinking of a compromise size of 55", whats that, about 1.4mtrs. The wife though will only go as big as 50" (1.27mtrs).

So what do you think the optimal size in actual every day use should be. Does sitting 1.5 from your large TV just seem a little daft to get the 'cinema' experience or does practicality take over. What size did you want and what size did you end up feeling most comfortable with.

Thanks

I think you have been given a bum calculation, your optimal viewing distance according to THX is the set size (diag) divided by .82 ( or multiplied by ~1.2, )

Thus your 1.5 m viesing distance works out as a set size of 1.3m- so if you go for 50" you should be sweet.

http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/hdtv-set-up/

How do you calculate the best seat-to-screen distance for a plasma, LCD TV or projection screen? Divide the size of your screen by .84 (screen size is measured diagonally). For example, a 65-inch TV divided by .84 equals a 77-inch viewing distance (6.5 feet).

Seat-to-screen Viewing Distance Calculations

If your HDTV is going in a living room with limited space, THX recommends the following:

35 inch class TV = 3.5-5 feet away

40 inch class TV = 4-6 feet away

50 inch class TV = 5-7.5 feet away

60 inch class TV = 6-9 feet way

It might seem that THX is recommending a very large screen size for your room. But, it’s important to note two things: 1) THX screen size recommendations are based on recreating an immersive cinematic experience, and 2) the biggest complaint among TV buyers is that they wish they had bought a bigger set.

geekiegeek

2513 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#378580 10-Sep-2010 14:40

I work on the calculation that there is no such thing as to big and whatever size you go for will look big for a week and then you will wish you got the next size up!

I went for 100" projector and sit about 3.5m back :-)

scuwp

3885 posts

Uber Geek

#378581 10-Sep-2010 14:41

Forget the techno stuff. My rule is to buy the biggest baddest screen that:

1. You can afford
2. That the wife will let you
3. That will fit on the wall
4. That won't give you a sun-tan or heat-rash

TV's always look big when you get em because of the "wow" factor. But that soon subsides and as stated above that's when you will wish you had gone just that little bit bigger.

Good luck

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

gehenna

8497 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#378582 10-Sep-2010 14:47

this might help

ZollyMonsta

3009 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#378607 10-Sep-2010 15:38

Since we moved, we're now sitting about 1.5 to 2 metres from our 52 inch.. Looks far better than previous house where we were about 4 to 5 metres away from it.

LookingUp

411 posts

Ultimate Geek

#378611 10-Sep-2010 15:58

One thing to be aware of is that while great content will look really good when you're sitting close, bad content may well be unwatchable if you have good eyes.

We run a two stage system - 46" TV a good 5m away from the sofa allowing a "socialable" and open room setting, with beanbags we can simply drop in up close for a "better than cinema" experience. The only downside to this is getting the speaker distances synch'd with the viewing position, but a halfway solution seems to suit both scenarios fine.

Things are LookingUp.... A photo from my back yard :-)

NZRobin

161 posts

Master Geek

#378706 11-Sep-2010 00:23

Ha Ha, Thanks everyone! Well it looks like I may just have buy the larger size and hope she doesn't twig why it looks so much bigger than it did in the shop

Equinox IT

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.

smac

333 posts

Ultimate Geek

#378732 11-Sep-2010 08:56

If you are mounting on the wall, do you also mean you are mounting higher than 'ideal'? If so you need to factor that in, and may want to be further back than you otherwise would.

Humans are kinda dumb when it comes to adaptability, in that we're too good at it. You will adjust to pretty much any set up.

Gotta say there's just about as much crap published about viewing distance and angles as there is about cables. By all accounts our sound system and viewing distance/angle should be rubbish.....but it's great, for US. Do what works for you.

sqlpro

516 posts

Ultimate Geek

#380547 16-Sep-2010 10:48

Hello guys
its all confusing , is this distance figures refer to minimum distance or maximum distance we should sit?

am also planning a TV but need advise here. from my tv position couch is about 3 meters and ours open plan and kitchen is about further 2 meters away from back of our couch.

so whats the best size i should be looking into ?
thanks for the advise.

geekiegeek

2513 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#380566 16-Sep-2010 11:32

As earlier stated - forget about opyimal distance. Just buy the biggest badest screen you can afford and then in 6 months time wish you had had more $$$ to have brought an even bigger one. There is no such thing as to big.

sqlpro

516 posts

Ultimate Geek

#380583 16-Sep-2010 11:58

geekiegeek: As earlier stated - forget about opyimal distance. Just buy the biggest badest screen you can afford and then in 6 months time wish you had had more $$$ to have brought an even bigger one. There is no such thing as to big.

the reason for asking, my friend has 50 inches tv with similar distance as mine. when i watch from couch it looks good but if i step a bit back (about 1m) it was looking even better.