TV viewing distance/size ?

[Scuba_Dave]

I've been reading up on some of this & some sites make no sense
Used to be a 25" TV was standard, at least when I grew up
And that was it....any closer then like 4-5' & you were told you were too close to the TV

Now it seems a 25" is good for viewing only up to 5.5' :confused:
I have a Toshiba 42" LCD & I am 15' away from it
According to this chart I'd need a 70" TV...wtf ??
The 42" is on the small size in height compared to my 35" CRT
But once the addition is finished a big TV is going in there
So we wanted something that would fit in the same corner where the 35" was in the existing room
No idea what we will get for out there, considering a projector but nor sure on using that for all around TV viewing

Choosing Screen Size and Placing Your TV
(http://www.crutchfield.com/S-m1L5gjOGglN/learn/learningcenter/home/TV_placement.html)

And Wiki:
According to Toshiba I'm good

Optimum HDTV viewing distance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimum_HDTV_viewing_distance)

I'm also thinking this is partially a personal choice
MIL had a 19" TV she was watching until I brought down a Sony 27" TV I picked up
A 20" TV is about the smallest I'd want
We have one that my son watches his VHS & DVD's on
Its in the guest bedroom & viewing distance is only maybe 8'

[IFLOPPEDITSUCKER]

A 20" TV is about the smallest I'd want
We have one that my son watches his VHS & DVD's on
Its in the guest bedroom & viewing distance is only maybe 8'
What is this "VHS" you speak of?





Seriously though, 2x the diagonal width is usually good. Really it depends on you. The larger TVs , if you sit too close, you'll start to see individual pixels.

[jrees]

You mention screen size, but make no mention of resolution. That's going to play a role in your placement as well.

1080p Does Matter s When (Screen Size vs. Viewing Distance vs. Resolution) | CarltonBale.com (http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter)

[Scuba_Dave]

The 20" TV has a VHS & DVD built in
All the kids movies are mostly on VHS - hand me downs
No sense buying them again on DVD
Our main TV has a dual DVD/VHS player too
And we still have (2) VCR's :mrgreen:
Tuner is gone on my 35" CRT, but it works fine w/a DVD player or VHS

I read another thread where someone bought a 60" TV & they thought it was too big for the room
I guess I'm still thinking of "normal" TV that isn't in HD
I don't want to be too close for that stuff

I still haven't figured out where the TV will be in the great room
Movie theaters we never sat in the front row...usually the middle

[Scuba_Dave]

You mention screen size, but make no mention of resolution. That's going to play a role in your placement as well.

1080p Does Matter s When (Screen Size vs. Viewing Distance vs. Resolution) | CarltonBale.com (http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter)

Yeah the 42" LCD is 1080p
I'm expecting at least the same for the great room
The wall I have is 17' long (window 5' from one side), to center the screen on the wall I'd have a max screen size of 7'
Then the area has a cathedral ceiling
So either the projector would be hanging in mid-air, or I'd need a floor cabinet
Neither is the ideal setup
So I am probably looking at a 60" LCD or LED

If I offset the screen to one side (on the wall) for a projector I'd still need to have the projector sticking out from one wall about 6' I think
Not sure how that would look & if its worth it for a 8-12' screen ?
Projector setup does indicate you can have the projector on one side, just not sure by how much ?

[jrees]

Yeah, sounds like you have some real challenges there. Not sure what would work best. :(

[Scuba_Dave]

I went & looked at some 60" Tv's....seem real small ;)
So I think I will need to figure out a way to connect a projector
Even an 8' screen would be worth it

[huge1s]

I went & looked at some 60" Tv's....seem real small ;)
So I think I will need to figure out a way to connect a projector
Even an 8' screen would be worth it

let me get this straight.... you have 20-30 19" televisions scattered throughout your house and the 60" seems small????:eek:

(just giving you a hard time :D )

[Crawland]

You have to be careful with what projector you buy. Some have the ability to shift the image quite a bit, but I think most have very limited shifting abilities.

[Scuba_Dave]

let me get this straight.... you have 20-30 19" televisions scattered throughout your house and the 60" seems small????:eek:

(just giving you a hard time :D )

Now what I need to do is take all the tubes out & assemble them into one giant TV :mrgreen:

I think I can build a 3' decorative balcony out from the wall that the cathedral ceiling rises up to meet
Then put the projector either under that or on top
If under I could route the wires up thru the balcony out of site

One site showed the projector on the side of a screen that was at least 8' wide
So the projector was on the side 4' from the center of the image

I wish I knew someone with a projector that I could setup & test

[jrees]

If you're going the projector route, maybe a trip to an AV specialty shop is order. They'll be able to help you, and possibly can 'loan' you a unit to see it in action at home.

[Scuba_Dave]

Good idea, I'll have to look around & see what stores are in the area

[zathras]

I've also heard that around 2x the diagonal is a good distance for a theater screen to be from the viewer. But for regular tv viewing I think you can get away with a little smaller screen or longer distance. We have 46" in the bedroom about maybe 14' or so from our heads and it is fine.
ymmv, but I'd err on the larger side if you have a choice. Once you get used to it you'll wonder how you ever managed looking at a smaller screen.