Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater High Def viewing distances.

Yeah, I'm probably 8-9' away from my 60" TV. When I first got it, I was overwhelmed by the picture, but it didn't take long for me to get used to it, and now I know I could handle it being bigger, which is why I'm definitely moving to projector at some point.

JC, I sit 13ft away from my 10ft wide, 2.35AR screen, 130+ inch diag, no need to go to the movies anymore.

I am currently about 8' from my 52" and its fine. When I had it temporarily in my bedroom I was at 6'. That was fine as well, but any closer and I had to turn my head to take in different parts of the screen.

You will be fine at that distance.

I think I am on the close end, but I am generally between 6-8 feet from my 46" Toshiba with excellent results. Only use it for Blue-ray and HD though.

Just remember that when you first get it you will go through a transitional period. I remember when I first got my Toshiba 65 inch rear projection HDTV I was upgrading from a 36 inch regular television, and the 65 inch almost made me sick watching it. I honestly thought I'd gone too big! After a week or so though all of those issue's went by the way side. I got accustomed to the size and never looked back. Then when my roommate got his 46 inch widescreen I thought it was freaking tiny!

With my current 65 inch Sharp I sit 14 feet from the screen, and could sit further away, or closer without any problems. Keep this in mind when you get your tv. First impressions may be bad, but stick with it for a good 10 - 14 days before doing anything drastic. If after 2 weeks of viewing you still aren't happy, then perhaps a change would be in order.

About 9~10' away from a 46". No problems, and next time I'll look for something 52" or a little bigger...

Keep in mind that the reason for the increased resolution of 1080P is so that one can move closer to the screen, filling a wider angle of view, thus having a more realistic, immersing viewing experience. I think I've seen the ideal field of view stated as something like 33 degrees or 36 degrees. Can't remember .

Since they all seem to vary, one can drive oneself nuts with all the calculators, formulas, and charts recommending the proper viewing distance. Though I can't offer conclusive proof that it's the definitive source, I have always relied on this HDTV Widescreen Seating Distance Chart. However, based on my viewing experience (when viewing Blu-ray movies I sit just a hair over 7 feet from my 56 inch display) I think it's a fairly accurate chart (but I wish it was in feet and inches rather than just inches). YMMV.

On the other hand, I'm often sitting at my computer while watching something on HDTV, which probably has me 10 or 11 feet from the screen, and don't feel deprived in the least.

I've always found the chart below interesting as well. As you can see, for a 60" screen the full benefit of 1080P is realized aroound 7.5 feet, but some benefit is realized all the way out to about 13 feet.

Spot on . . . I know exactly what you mean and this is a common comment from all visitors . . . commercial movie theatres are history !

Which is sad, as a good friend of mine's dad owns 3 theaters in smaller towns around Iowa, the big chains are going to make the small guys dry up. Not to mention that after the motion picture companies get their cut, there is only about .30 per dollar left for the owner, before expenses. sucks.

They make most their money on food/candy, sad.

I'm using a 42" from about 8 or 9 feet and was thinking I could go bigger. I think you'll be happier with the 50 than with anything smaller. Also look at the chart Jack posted. At that distance you will want a 1080. With a 720 screen you may start to notice some pixelation or screen door effect.