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TV VIEWING DISTANCE QUESTION

I am in the market for a new TV and I wish to take advantage of the new 1080P technology. My short list includes the Samsung 5678 (56 inch picture 16/9 measured diagonally). I plan to sit about 11 feet 6 inches from the
TV.
Last night I watched a movie at a friend's house on her new 42 inch Sony Plasma TV and I was sitting about 11 feet
from the TV. Today I had a major headache, sort of the way I feel when I am sitting too close in a movie theatre.
In a movie theater I am comfortable near the back.
My research tells me that to really enjoy high def its best to sit 8-11 feet away and most manufacturers say there is no problem sitting 11 feet away from a 56 inch tv.
Anybody have any experience with this and any suggestions
would be welcome. I currently have a 34inch Sony XBR 16/9 CRT which is great, but I wanted a bigger picture. I would hate to spend $4000 on a 56 inch TV and find that its too much tv for the room. Or could it be that I have a particular personal sensitivity to sitting that close?
kjl
drew_eckhardt
394 posts
 
About 1.5 screen widths is required to achieve an acceptable sense of immersion. This is no bigger than the subtended field of vision in the farthest seat from the screen within a decent THX certified commercial theater.

I run a 9" CRT projector (no visible projection artifacts) on an 87x49" screen (100" 16:9 diagonal) with seating at 11'. This is small for nice DVD scope transfers, a little large for lower aspect ratios, and the best compromise for a standard screen shape. I'm leaning towards a change to 101x43" constant height.

Also note that it is impossible to visually resolve 1080 line HD sitting beyond 3.3 screen heights (about 1.8 widths).
donbellphd
205 posts
 
Re KJL: I doubt screen size had anything to do with the headache, but an obvious answer is to watch another movie at the friend's without ingesting anything.

We sit 92" from a Sony 36 XBR as a compromise set by an equalateral triangle determined by the separation of the front LR speakers. That's a ratio of 2.5, a bit too far away to be immursed in the picture. Although that's a near field listening configuration for stereo, I prefer listening at my desk chair, a bit over 11' from the center line of the speakers. An obvious solution for movies and HDTV is front projection, but I need to figure out a way to accomodate TV without running through expensive projector bulbs or sitting in a dark room.

db
teonyc's avatar
teonyc
43 posts
 
As others have responded, light, flickering or sudden changes in light to dark can stimulate headaches. Also keeping your eyes focused on a single point for extended periods that are different than your usual focal length can do the same.

With respect to screen size, use your own subjective experience and taste. Going by the numbers is a good place to start, but you may find a smaller screen to be more comfortable if you regularly experience headaches. Room decor can also be a big difference. If a 42" screen is mounted on a dark background, you may get the same immersion as a larger screen on a light-color wall. I recently made this change, and the difference was spectacular.
unsound
7,318 posts
 
www.myhometheater.homestead.com
larryi
3,799 posts
 
Plasmas can be very bright. That can be the cause of eye strain, particularly if you are not used to the brightness.

It is possible to cause more eye strain from sitting farther, not closer, because the bright spot (the picture) in a small part of your field of view can cause eye strain. Your brain averages the light level in determining how wide to open the iris. A small screen makes that average low, causing the iris to open up and this makes the bright spot (the screen) seem even more intense. That is why it is recommended, particularly for smaller sets, that a light source be located BEHIND the set to reduce the apparent intensity of the set's brightness.
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