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How Big is Too Big?


As the resolution has increased for video monitors, I have been using a 32" 1080 HDTV for a computer monitor, which seems to work just fine.

In fact, now that I am becoming a bit far sighted, I am wondering if I might even use a BIGGER HDTV for both cable TV and PC applications, streaming video etc etc.

Have any of you experimented with using one or more 1080 screens, 32" or more?

How about an array of screens - 40? 46?

Thanks for any ideas.
cwlondon
vicdamone
850 posts
 
For TV I thought I went a little and my wife thought I went way over board with a 60" plasma. The second it was powered up we were both very happy. Its corner placement puts seating 7'-10' away without a complaint from anyone.

Our 27" iMac is a bit much and had to be moved back some.
cwlondon OP
1,210 posts
 
Bryoncunningham

Thanks for the THX calculator....

Not understanding all the viewing angle calculations, it seems:

For a 55" screen, THX recommends 6.1 feet
For a 46" screen, 5.1 feet
For a 40" screen, 4.5 feet and
For a 32" screen, 3.6 feet

These distances are similar to my preferences and make sense to me for an immersive, cinematic experience.

But it seems that most people sit significantly farther away from their screens that that.

Maybe their parents told them it would make them go blind?

Yet reason that an array of 46 or even bigger monitors might make sense for computing, despite being counterintuitive.
bryoncunningham
890 posts
 
Cw - I agree that most people sit much farther from their screens than the THX guidelines recommend. I sit at 9 feet from a 60" screen, so I too am farther away than the guidelines, but probably closer than most viewers.

I find the distance at which I can start to see pixilation, then move back a couple feet. That maximizes the impact of the screen's size while not allowing me to see the limits of the image's resolution.

Of course, the higher the source resolution, the closer you can sit without seeing the limits of the image's resolution. This may explain why people sit so far from their screens - they developed their habits with low resolution images, which require farther viewing distances to avoid seeing the limits of the image's resolution, and they have not adjusted their habits as high resolution sources have become more common.
andrewdoan
223 posts
 
You really need to ask HER. In Texas, they say size does matter.
cwlondon OP
1,210 posts
 
Re Ask HER

I just asked my wife, and she thinks I sit too close to the screen.

I have just asked her to sit at the most comfortable distance from our 40" HDTV. Using a tape measure, this is +/- 9 FEET!

I nonetheless look forward to an array of 46" screens approximately 3 feet away.
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