What Screen Size to buy?

The Distance rule and Viewing angle

How far away to sit to minimize artifacts and maximize viewing pleasure.

Viewing Distance rule:

The zone for optimum viewing is from 2 to 3 times the screen diagonal to 5 times the screen diagonal..

So, you should sit at least 10 feet away from a 42 inch screen; 12.5 feet away from a 50 inch screen; 13.75 feet away from a 55 incher; 15 feet away from a 60 inch screen.

Yes, size matters, But size must be considered with the important issues of viewing distance to the set and viewing angle.

Viewing Angle:

For the best picture the audience should sit no more than at a 30 degree angle to the picture.

According to the theory of optimum placement, then, a 60 inch screen should work for 8 people in one or two tiers from a distance of 15 to 25 feet. Personally, I find 25 feet pretty darn far for a screen that size. If I were going for 25 feet, I’d have to think about a larger screen or a separate ceiling mounted projector and wall screen combo. If I had a room I could darken.

If you HAVE to go to a store you’ll be smart to take a tape measure with you. Mark off the distance you expect to use, and look at screens from that distance.

If you can, estimate where the side chairs – the worst seats in the house – will be, and look at the screen from that angle and distance. Some TV displays, especially flat panel LCDs, lose brightness as you move far off center. Plasmas are the champs of side-on viewing.

The viewing angle for CRT and PLASMA is wider than most LCD Video Panels (direct view), but the manufacturers are working hard to make this a wash.

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