Viewing Distance Discussion Thread

[aaragore]

LOL! When I first got this TV 2 years back my sofa was more than 2.5 meters away. Now it's less than 2 meters so the question is, why?

Because as time goes by my TV seem to shrink in size and I had to keep shifting my sofa towards the TV every month! Hahaha....

exactly!~ haha but im abt the max i can shift my sofa...which means no other choice but to get a bigger tv

 

[X3no]

great guess im not alone!

46" TV and my sofa is just shy of 2m away

 

[petetherock]

A good post on why a widescreen TV can be smaller:

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showpost.php?p=34638884&postcount=552

 

[iMbEst]

but well....you can't get a 50" CRT though.....

 

[GaaraOfTheSand]

Need advice from you guys before I buy our new tv. Our viewing distance away from the tv screen is only about 2m. Is a 46" Samsung Series 9 LCD TV (1920*1080 resolution, 2million:1 contrast) too big for viewing comfort? Anyone using this model at about the same viewing distance too?

 

[petetherock]

Can you try and give more info???

SD TV or HD TV?

FYI I sit about 2.1m from a 50" Pioneer HD ready screen, and IMO it is ok or actually growing smaller by the day....

Need advice from you guys before I buy our new tv. Our viewing distance away from the tv screen is only about 2m. Is a 46" Samsung Series 9 LCD TV (1920*1080 resolution, 2million:1 contrast) too big for viewing comfort? Anyone using this model at about the same viewing distance too?

 

[GaaraOfTheSand]

Can you try and give more info???

SD TV or HD TV?

FYI I sit about 2.1m from a 50" Pioneer HD ready screen, and IMO it is ok or actually growing smaller by the day....

The model I'm considering is Full HD. Model LA46A950D1M. Here's the link:
Samsung Series 9 LED 46" LCD TV

Yours is 50" and 2.1m away... do you have problem taking in the whole screen length at one glance? comfortable?

 

[Drexter]

Just got a 42" full HD LCD from LG.

Purpose to play PS3, watch Blu-Ray from PS3 and watch video files from my computer.

I'm sitting about 2meters away from the LCD. It looks great from 1-3meters. Unfortunately for TV channels(non-HD), it's pixelated from 1-3 meters.

 

[sHrike]

basically I feel viewing distance is subjective...especially after I get my 42" LCD TV.

I feel that a minimum distance of 2 metres from the TV for viewing comfort. Any closer will make me awkward. First of all, what kinda of experience are u looking for... a movie theater experience, then my frens...a 46" at 2m oso not enough. maybe u need 100"...

However, I not only use it to watch my movies but also news and daily programs. 42" at 2m is more than enough. I feel it is big enough and for SD programs not so pixelated. The bigger screen u get the more pixelated it will be.

Another issue is the brightness, is also up to individuals. I find it too bright if I switch to dynamic mode...yes the colour is nice but I feel it is too straining for the eyes if you are at 2m away from the TV lor.

Ideally I will say the viewing be around at least 2-3m and a reasonable size will be 42" onwards.

More importantly....don't sit too near to the TV. It's bad for the eyes.

 

[warr]

Need advice from you guys before I buy our new tv. Our viewing distance away from the tv screen is only about 2m. Is a 46" Samsung Series 9 LCD TV (1920*1080 resolution, 2million:1 contrast) too big for viewing comfort? Anyone using this model at about the same viewing distance too?

46 is too big for 2m. ur eyes will get tired.

for 2 meters, 37 is probably the best. anything bigger than that will hurt the eyes.
plus, u spend less on a smaller screen.

 

[petetherock]

Is your advice based on some scientific principle?
If you see the chart, 2m can easily accomodate a 46" screen.

I sit 2.3m from my full HD 50" Pioneer, no issues.

In my living room, I use my HDready 50" Pioneer for SDTV, at 3m, also very comfortable.

46 is too big for 2m. ur eyes will get tired.

for 2 meters, 37 is probably the best. anything bigger than that will hurt the eyes.
plus, u spend less on a smaller screen.

 

[archtomato]

Personally at 3.7m, I find 42" too small. 50" will be ok.

For watching free to air, which is mainly SD, plasma looks better than LCD.

I stay in a 3 room flat and wanna get a Plasma for my living room. But i am not sure if would be an overkill in terms of size. I read somewhere that the viewing distance for a 40inch should be about atleast 5 meters.

Anyone staying in a 3 room owning a big tv?

 

[petetherock]

Mod - moved to the viewing distance thread.


Where in the world did you read that a 40" should be viewed from 5m?

Even for SD TV, for that distance, a 65" screen would not look too large.

I stay in a 3 room flat and wanna get a Plasma for my living room. But i am not sure if would be an overkill in terms of size. I read somewhere that the viewing distance for a 40inch should be about atleast 5 meters.

Anyone staying in a 3 room owning a big tv?

 

[aaragore]

omg 5m for a 40" is terrible, wouldnt be able to pick up all the fine details high definition has to offer.

 

[ixoral]

my tv is 40" and i sit abt 2.5m away. To me, it's just nice, any thing smaller wld be too small. For my distance, prob can take in 42". 46" wld be abit too much i feel.

 

[blacvios]

Hi guys need some advise, viewing distance around 2.5-3m. Looking at plasma either 42" full hd or 50" hd ready. Need some feedback from current users on pros and cons for both at this display. I am leaning towards the HD ready 50". Thanks in advance.

 

[TsQ]

isnt there a lot of website that recommend viewing distance? (not meaning hv to follow but as a guide)

http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html
http://www.thx.com/home/setup/display.html

for me, if u are on a 42" or 50" i dont think its gonna be much issue (unless ur room is damn small)...

those have this problem are with projectors since the price does not go up too much when they screen size go bigger.. so they hv to decide what size of screen they need to buy.. and it can easily goes too big for the viewing distance..

 

[blacvios]

I have read most this thread and would like personal reviews from current users at the distance with the above mentioned sizes. To me i see a difference between the 2 sizes, to me 50" is the way to go. Just need to come to terms with nearly 2X price with the 8" diagonal size difference.

 

[cscs3]

omg 5m for a 40" is terrible, wouldnt be able to pick up all the fine details high definition has to offer.

This is very subjective. Assuming the day of CRT TV. Most people are only using 29" !
If you consider 2 meter for a 40" LCD TV. I assume only a few people can enjoy the TV program as within the 2 meter and 178 degree viewing angle. You can only sit a few persons. When you connect your home TS. You are so close to the speaker and you cannot really enjoy the suround sound !

Another factor is also if you are using LCD or Plasma. If you use a HD plasma (ie none 1080 resoultion). Even an oldman like me can see each of the square pixes on the plasma. Really you cannot enjoy the show at all.

 

[fatesealer]

Well i have bought an LG 50" HD ready set and at 720p, watching a transformer 1080p blue ray movie on my PS3 is still very sharp at 3.5m away from the screen. No obvious square pixels or complains of the pictures appearing soft, but is the noise normal in that movie in dark scenes? But i think for a htpc, its best to go 1080p right?