Comments on: 1080p Does Matter – Here's When (Screen Size vs. Viewing Distance vs. Resolution)

By: Lawrence

Lawrence — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:51:15 +0000

Hi Carlton.
First of all, congratulations on an excellent and very useful website.
I have a question. I'd like to buy a TV for my room (i.e. not a "Home Theater" per se), on which I can watch sports, movies, etc.
I'm exactly 10 feet away from my TV, and had originally intended on getting a 1080p 50 inch Panasonic Plasma (TX-P50GW20).
Your chart indicates full benefit of 720p would be visible.

1) What do you think of the Pano?
2) Difference between 720p and 1080p will be absolutely unnoticeable for that screen size and viewing distance?

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:58:10 +0000

Faster color wheels minimize the appearance of rainbows, but it still varies by user. I think LCoS is the best technology, especially as implemented by JVC in their D-ILA products. There are some fantastic deals on last year's models as they are being cleared-out for the new, only slightly changed, models released in late 2009/early 2010. Check out http://AVSforum.com for details.

By: Howard

Howard — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 06:58:11 +0000

I am considering replacing my lcd projector. In viewing a dlp projector I found the rainbow effect to be distracting (Vivitek H1080FD). Loved the clarity and brightness though. Does the effect go away with higher-end dlp, or is 3lcd the better technology?

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:28:41 +0000

Brandon: You should use that recommended distance as a minimum and move forward from that. You may be able to benefit from slightly higher resolution if you sit closer, but in my experience, you won't be complaining about need more or being able to notice any issues. Having a very wide screen filling your entire field-of-view is the most important factor of a movie theater experience. So unless you're a few feet from the screen, you probably are not too close.

By: Jigmeister

Jigmeister — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:08:07 +0000

If only such a chart existed for optimizing the consumption of cheese puffs, my quest to spend thousands of dollars on getting both fatter and stupiderer would be complete. Must watch more magic pictures.

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:13:27 +0000

Tony: Your problem s most likely the cable TV signal not being clear and not the TV itself. See how it looks with a DVD player to judge.

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:12:32 +0000

PhiPsi032679: You'll get a much better widescreen experience from a projector and big screen – that's what my primary viewing room is. If you have light control, it's the best performance for the investment.

By: Tony

Tony — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:09:09 +0000

I think I just found my answer on your Audioholics link! Your blog has answered alot of questions already. Thank you!

By: Tony

Tony — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:03:52 +0000

My wife has had a 19-inch tube tv in the bedroom that she always watches from approx 4 feet away, laying in bed, hooked up to cable. I bought her a 25-inch/1080p/LCD tv that I thought would be much better, but the picture is not clear at all. I told her that she needs to be farther away from the tv for it to be clearer. Do I need to purchase a bigger flat panel for it be more clear?

By: PhiPsi032679

PhiPsi032679 — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:56:25 +0000

@Carlton Bale

Thanks for the reply. Have re-considered my Home Theatre upgrade and have decided to invest in a 1080p projector (Panasonic PTAE-4000) and an 0.8 gain, white matte screen, 100" diagonal (manufactured by Crystal Vision).

My seating distance is approx. 11-12ft from the screen. Will I get the "full" appreciation of 1080p resolution? From other sources I have found that THX recommended seating is approx 11.2 ft. Just want to make sure that I will achieve a "cinematic experience".

My decision of not getting the LG 55" LCD is simply because the cost of the projector with the screen is approx $350USD less than the LG – am presently based in the Philippines at the moment, so go figure.

By: Brandon

Brandon — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:10:12 +0000

Carlton I find your site and spreadsheet very useful. I'm attempting turning an unfinished space in my basement into a dedicated theater. Finished dimensions will be 10'6\ wide by 24' long. The screen would be roughly 122\ diagonal (cinemascope) I'm really worried about getting the seating locations right for the video and the audio. I have them set on your spreadsheet at 12ft and 16.5ft that number is supposed to be to the eyeballs right?? Seating will be essentially a couch, on the first row, and then a right and left arm love seat sectional, so essentially a four person couch. My real question I guess is what would be the ideal seating distances I've used the spreadsheet and just want to see if there is a better location other than the acceptable one it gives me. Reason for the big distance between row 1 and row 2 is some ottomans.

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:02:11 +0000

PhiPsi032679: I'm in 100% agreement with you. The LG panels are awesome. If I were to purchase a new flat panel right now, the 55" LG 1080p with LED backlighting is exactly what I'd get. The matte screen makes it a better performer than the glossy Sonys and Samsungs, and it costs less as well.

By: PhiPsi032679

PhiPsi032679 — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 12:51:19 +0000

@Carlton Bale

Color me impressed. I have read through your comments and such and really appreciate your insights in regards to setting up a suitable 1080p home theatre. Now I am in need of your expert advice.

At the moment, I'm in the market to invest in a FULL HD LCD. My sitting distance is approx 10-11ft. My viewing environment ranges from well-lit (during the day) to dim (during the night). Just for some background. I started my search and was getting ready to invest in the Pioneer KRP500m. Then I read your article and saw your chart of optimal viewing distances and saw that at my seating distance I wouldn't be able to fully appreciate 1080p with a 50" monitor. Then I was ready to purchase the Pioneer KRP600m. BUT then I read the "horror" stories of consumers receiving panels that have "the buzz" issue which at the price I would have invested (equiv. to $6,456.oo USD – I'm based at the moment in the Philippines) is not worth the risk.

I have been very satisfied with my Full HD Philips 42PFL7403. But then after reading your optimal distance article, I always felt that I was not utilizing the full benefit of 1080p viewing (seating distance from the 42" = 9ft). I have had such a great experience with my Philips that I always hoped to find another LCD unit that just like it, but 55 in. or above.

That led me to the LG Full HD 55LH50 (240Hz TruMotion)-Philippines version. I believe that in other regions (United States, etc) it is the 55LH55. The one aspect of my Full HD Philips panel that I appreciated was the matte screen. Absolutely no glare or reflection. I demo'ed the LN52B750 & LN55B650 and got a headache from the glare and seeing my reflection during totally black screens, which is prevalent in my all-time favorite movie – Batman The Dark Knight. Then I noticed your advice regarding LG having a matte screen! I demo'ed the 55LH50 and was quite impressed. With just a few quick calibrations (mainly turning off the 240Hz Trumotion, adjusting backlight, etc.), I really like the PQ of the LG. It had a myriad of picture settings! If only Samsung's panels were not glass and extremely reflective, I may have taken the plunge with the 55B650. I also looked at the Sony 52V550, but I felt I would benefit more from an additional 3 inches to get the cinematic, Full HD experience.

Anyways, just wanted to say thanks for your research and was wondering if you strongly recommend at my seating distance of 10-11ft, will I benefit in investing in the 55" LG FULL HD,1080p panel?

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:49:56 +0000

Grant: older analog content can frequently have noise along the sides of the picture. To prevent consumers from complaining about their TV not working correctly, pretty much every one on the market crops the edges to eliminate potential noise. Now that all signals and all new shows are digital, noise isn't a problem, but old analog content broadcast over digital still has it.

By: Grant

Grant — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:36:50 +0000

Thanks for the response. I was OK with the resolution but wasn't aware of the 1:1 criteria. From what I've read since it appears most TVs that support 1:1 are configurable. Is this because the 1:1 setup necessary for full screen viewing of a PC output doesn't work or creates issues with TV viewing?

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:50:27 +0000

There are 2 things the TV needs to have: high resolution (1920×1080) and direct pixel mapping. The second point isn't easy to figure out. Usually, if it has a DVI port, it supports direct pixel mapping. Otherwise, it may be possible through the HDMI port but you'd need to search for AVSforum.com to see anyone can verify direct pixel mapping support. Otherwise, the 20 outer-most pixels on all 4 sides of the screen will be cropped-off.

By: Grant

Grant — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:29:46 +0000

Very interesting posts! I did a read through but didn't find something similar to my question. I want to set up a TV (likely 32" but open to suggestions) as the second monitor on my home office iMac. What TV specs do I need to consider to most effectively use a small to mid size TV for both TV (likely viewing distance 8 – 10 feet) and computer monitor (distance 24 – 30")? BTW: I picked 32" as a compromise between 'good enough' TV size and still fit reasonably on a desk.

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:08:34 +0000

Shammi, This is exactly the issue/conflict between field-of-view and visual acuity viewing distances. Of the two, having the screen fill your field-of-view completely is the most important. The big screen, IMAX-like experience is much more important to the movie watching experience than is image resolution. For resolution/visual acuity, there is only one "perfect" spot. Farther back and you can't see all the resolution you have, closer and you could benefit from more resolution. However, this is an approximation of the distance, not an exact value, and will vary based on the viewer and the equipment. So if you were closer than that, you would barely be able to benefit from a higher resolution. And you wouldn't notice any pixels / gaps / annoying issues for most modern projectors / TVs. So closer is better, even if resolution could stand to be a little higher.

Hope this helps.

By: Shammi

Shammi — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:50:10 +0000

Carlton, why does your calculator have a comment in the 'Visual Acuity "ideal" viewing distance' cell stating that, 'However, the room should still follow THX/SMTPE guidelines for seating distance'. These guidelines for **longest recommended** viewing distances are either barely slightly higher than the ideal acuity distance (SMTPE), or slightly lower (THX). Thereby, you seem to be suggesting that one should sit closer than the 'ideal' acuity distance and one will get good results. Will pixellation not become obvious at these shorter distances (i.e. inside the ideal acuity range)?
Thanks

By: Épsilon

Épsilon — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:33:57 +0000

hello,

I would like a preview of an LCD monitor with 50 meters away.
How to calculate the necessary resolution and image size that this view is possible?