# How close do you sit to your video display?



## phillihp23

Interested in what the average distance people view their video displays from.

To keep the information uniform please list in the following manner:

Display Type: example Projector / TV
Display Size: example 60"
Viewing Distance: example 10'


I personally have the following
Display Type: projector
Display Size: 100"
Viewing Distance: 10'







So far the survey has resulted in the following. Ironically no one has posted the same size display. Hoping to get enough input to create a generally recommended viewing distance based on display size based off of actual user data.

Projectors

Size Distance
92 12 / 9
100 10 / 12
106 10 / 12
120 12 / 14 / 11
134 14


TVs

Size Distance
40 9
42 12 / 12
50 15 / 8 / 9 / 7 / 10 / 10 
52 9
54 10
55 11 / 11 
58 7 / 6.5
60 7 / 12 / 12 / 12 
61 8
64 8
65 9 / 13 / 10 / 8.5
67 13 
70 10
73 8 / 11 
75 12.5
82 12


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## Tweaked05

Samsung Plasma TV
58"
I sit 7' back from it.


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## Mike0206

Panasonic plasma
55"
11 ft


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## tonyvdb

Panasonic ST60 50" plasma I sit 15ft away in the livingroom and in my theater I sit 12ft away from a 120" screen.


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## Andre

currently 10' for a 70, eventually 11 for a 120 2.35 like Tony


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## mvision7m

10' from 65" plasma


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## mvision7m

mvision7m said:


> 10' from 65" plasma


*correction* 9' not 10'.


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## mark62

Display Type- TV
Display Size- 60"
Viewing Distance- 7'


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## tripplej

My Display is a 75 inch Samsung LED TV.
I sit approx 12 Ft 1/2 inch away.


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## nova

Display Type: Sony LCD
Display Size: 40"
Viewing Distance: 9'


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## WRYKER

Display Type: Projector
Display Size: 106"
Viewing Distance: 10'


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## NBPk402

Display Type: Projector
Display Size: 134"
Viewing Distance: 14'


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## B- one

Plasma
64 inch
About 8-9 ft away it varies I usually move my chair up when watching a movie.


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## moparz10

plasma 58 inch

6.5 ft away


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## padgman1

Display: Plasma
Size: 50"
Distance: 8-9'


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## tcarcio

Sony projector
106" screen
12' away


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## Dwight Angus

Stuart Firehawk 120 inch. 14 ft


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## flamingeye

Panasonic plasma 
54 inch
10 feet


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## gary thomas

Panny 60" plasma & epson projector on 100" electric screen at 12 feet.


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## |Tch0rT|

DLP TV
73"
8ft


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## Audiofan1

73" DLP
11ft


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## chashint

60" LCD/LED 1080p ~12'


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## jamfan76

Panasonic 42" plasma tv, primary seat is 12' - 13' away


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## lcaillo

Panasonic 50" PDP
9 ft.


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## tripplej

someone should put all this data into a dot graph you know with the x axis distance and the y axis the screen size. Should be a good graph to see where the majority sit.


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## Mike P.

Display Type: Samsung DLP
Display Size: 67"
Viewing Distance: 13'


Display Type: Samsung LED
Display Size: 55"
Viewing Distance: 11'


Display Type: LG Plasma 
Display Size: 50"
Viewing Distance: 7'


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## phillihp23

tripplej said:


> someone should put all this data into a dot graph you know with the x axis distance and the y axis the screen size. Should be a good graph to see where the majority sit.


Once we get a good number of stats I will see what I can do to create a chart.


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## OKLAGMCRUISER

Display Type: DLP Mits WD-65838
Display Size: 65"
Viewing Distance: 13'


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## DolphinAV

ellisr63 said:


> Display Type: Projector
> Display Size: 134"
> Viewing Distance: 14'


Wow! You got a pic of this setup?


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## NBPk402

DolphinAV said:


> Wow! You got a pic of this setup?


Sorry, but the room is so dark I can't get a pic of it. When we start the new HT in a month I will make sure I get a pic of the new setup with a 14' wide screen. :T


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## yoda13

50" plasma
10' away


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## Audiohallick

82" Mits DLP
12'


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## Savjac

About 10' from a 65" plasma.


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## onedayiwillbedone

Upstairs display
60 inch lg plasma
Viewing distance 12 feet

Downstairs display
Epson 6020 projector
Jamestown 120 inch screen
Viewing distance 11 feet or 16 feet


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## phillihp23

*Updated Stats*


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## Almadacr

9 feet from 52" Sharp Aquos and 100" pj screen .


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## goatfarm

12' from a 92" 16x9 Draper Cineperm screen. Panasonic PT-AX100U projector.


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## maclick

42" plasma 12'


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## ALMFamily

96" screen and I have two rows of seats at 9' and 15'.


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## xsilverjag

50 Led 10ft


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## cavchameleon

Display: 65" Plasma
Distance from seating to Display: 8.5'
Room is only 13'W x 12'D, with display mounted to wall so there is not much room to work with. We would like an 80" display in this room, would work great.


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## pddufrene

Display: 61" Samsung
Distance: 8ft
Hope to upgrade to a 70 or 80" in the next few months.


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## phillihp23

*updated*


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## Horrorfan33

11' from 100" screen....about to be a 106" screen


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## JayJedi

52" Samsung
11 feet


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## redsandvb

Interesting thread.


Display Type: LED-lit LCD TV
Display Size: 46" soon to be 55" (46" broke)
Viewing Distance: ~9'-10'


Display Type: LCD TV
Display Size: 40"
Viewing Distance: ~10'-11'


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## 3dbinCanada

My HT setup is also my 2 channel setup so I've setup primarily for 2 channel audio rather than optimum viewing distance for my 47" display. In other words, I sit too far from my screen given its screen size. 

Here's a really cool link that calculates how close you should be sitting for your given display size and how big the screen needs to be given your current seating distance.


http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html#anchor_13194


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## asere

50" Panasonic Plasma
I sit around 12 feet away.


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## phillihp23

Horrorfan33 said:


> 11' from 100" screen....about to be a 106" screen


When i read this post i thought...hmmm I wonder how he stretched that screen another 6 inches...


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## phillihp23

phillihp23 said:


> Interested in what the average distance people view their video displays from.
> 
> To keep the information uniform please list in the following manner:
> 
> Display Type: example Projector / TV
> Display Size: example 60"
> Viewing Distance: example 10'
> 
> 
> 
> So far the survey has resulted in the following. Hoping to get enough input to create a generally recommended viewing distance based on display size based off of actual user data.
> 
> Projectors
> 
> Size Distance
> 92 12 / 9
> 100 10 / 12 / 11
> 106 10 / 12
> 120 12 / 14 / 11
> 134 14
> 
> 
> TVs
> 
> Size Distance
> 40 9 / 11
> 42 12 / 12
> 46 10
> 50 15 / 8 / 9 / 7 / 10 / 10 / 12
> 52 9 / 11
> 54 10
> 55 11 / 11
> 58 7 / 6.5
> 60 7 / 12 / 12 / 12
> 61 8
> 64 8
> 65 9 / 13 / 10 / 8.5
> 67 13
> 70 10
> 73 8 / 11
> 75 12.5
> 82 12


*Updated* Anyone know (administrators?) why the option to edit my header post in the thread is no longer available.


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## Dwight Angus

Thinking about replacing fixed 120 inch Stewart firehawk with 130 inch acoustical transparent screen. I currently sit about 14 ft back from 120 inch screen. I will lose about 2 ft building false wall to hide LCR plus 2 subs. So viewing distance will be approx 12 ft as screen wall is 2 ft closer. This is probably too close for 130 inch screen. Not sure yet


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## 3dbinCanada

Here's a quick and dirty visual guide of screen size verses viewing distance. Like I said in my previous post, I sit too far away from my display to see even 1080p


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## kevin360

Thanks for that chart. I feel better about my 17' (and a touch) viewing distance to a 92" screen. Acoustically _transparent_ is a bit of a misnomer, IMO (wanted my screen a good 5' behind my speakers). I confess a touch of envy of those with mammoth screens (and/or closer seating), but I'm also quite delighted with my far from ideal video setup. Apparently, I'm too far away for 4K to matter. That comes as something of a relief - will help keep that dreaded temptation to upgrade at bay. Even my aging eyes see the benefits of 1080p quite clearly. It's funny when I think back to how large I thought our first 25" TV was.:laugh:


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## qx56

135 diagonal. My front row is 12 feet away and back row is 17 away. Then a bar with 3 stools directly behind that. I would say it is great from all seats. Not too big at all and of you don't like the view from the front. Just move to the back.


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## Dwight Angus

qx56 said:


> 135 diagonal. My front row is 12 feet away and back row is 17 away. Then a bar with 3 stools directly behind that. I would say it is great from all seats. Not too big at all and of you don't like the view from the front. Just move to the back.


This is very encouraging news as I thought my projector would need to be set back a few feet. If you are happy with 135 inch screen at 12 ft then my 130 inch should be a walk in the park. I will be upgrading my projector as well. Can you tell me what projector you are using?


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## Dwight Angus

Dwight Angus said:


> This is very encouraging news as I thought my projector would need to be set back a few feet. If you are happy with 135 inch screen at 12 ft then my 130 inch should be a walk in the park. I will be upgrading my projector as well. Can you tell me what projector you are using?


Yeah my back row is also about 17 feet away. What is the ideal height for 130 inch screen. Want to make sure screen is viewable from all seats.


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## qx56

I hope I didn't mislead you but the projector its self is 17 feet away from the screen. You can you the calculator for and projector on there websites. I have theater recliners in the back and a couch in the front. Riser is 1 foot tall. My 16:9 screen is about 22 from the floor. And heads seldom get in the way. Only when people sit very straight up. ( not very often). When matching the wider aspect ratio blu rays I never have a prob.


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## smurphy522

I've enjoyed my Elite Screens EZ-frame 115" (2.35:1) CW for years now. I sit 12' from the screen and have no regrets. My Panasonic PT-AE4000U resides on the ceiling about 13' from the screen.


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## BeeMan458

phillihp23 said:


> Interested in what the average distance people view their video displays from.
> 
> To keep the information uniform please list in the following manner:


Display Type: Flat Screen/TV
Display Size: 60"
Viewing Distance: 10'

View from MLP. Being a wide angle image, the perspective is seriously distorted into making you think it's a 20" screen.  The equipment credenza is five feet across......no, seriously. 

 

My understanding, the ideal viewing distance is 1.5 x screen diagonal. That means we need an eighty inch screen.

(but honey, the rule of thumb says we need a larger screen)

...:innocent:


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## Moviehound

Display 52 inch LCD
Distance to sitting position 10 ft.

I would sit further back but my room is an L shape so walls and furniture dictate my seating position.


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## Peter Loeser

60" Plasma Display
approx 9ft viewing distance


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## BeeMan458

To add a question to the question; how do you guys feel about your sitting distance in relationship to what's unfolding on the screen in front of you?

Like most, we have a 60" screen at 10' viewing distance. But I feel the screen is not wide enough. OTOH, the 60" screen is perfect for regular programming such as news, or a reality show when the house lights are on.

My point, considering the prices one finds at Costco, by stepping up to an 80" screen, for regular programming viewing, the 80" will be too large yet I want a larger screen for movie viewing.

(due to aesthetics and WAF, a projector and screen are not even a consideration)

What say you guys?


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## tripplej

I have a 75 inch LED TV and to be honest, anything bigger would be too much. I sit 12.5 feet to the screen. Anything smaller would be too small for me. (I had a 55 inch TV prior and I always felt it was too small).

To me 75 inch LED was perfect.


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## BeeMan458

Too big, too small, just right.  In my opinion, for home theater junkies, this is an important concept.

So far, based on the last few posts, most of us are working with a 2:1 ratio; viewing distance/diagonal length. The ideal is reported to be 1.5:1 and in the case of an 80" screen, that would be a viewing distance of 120" or 10' or 300cm. Some are happy with 2:1 and others want larger. Hmmmmmmm!

What say you guys; regular programming screen size vs movie viewing screen size? What would be the acceptable middle ground between these two viewing concepts?


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## mvision7m

I currently have a 65" plasma and I sit 9.5' away from it. Content doesn't matter to me personally, movies, TV shows. Whatever I watch looks great at that distance with this size TV. I would consider a 75-80" screen if there were any at that size with the picture quality of my plasma and also in the realm of affordability. I'd still sit around 10' with either a 75" or 80". But that's me.


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## greglett

I have a 60" now and I definitely want to get at least a 70". I don't think the 60 is big enough. I sit about 12 feet back.


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## pdxrealtor

Display Type: Projector 
Display Size: 110"
Viewing Distance: example 10-11'

To add- screen is 12" from ceiling. I forget how high off the floor. I don't have any viewing problems fully reclined with blankets and slippers on.


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## koyaan

I had a 48" Sony rear projection for years and set up the home theater for that, sitting 8' back with the speakers even with the display. Last year I switched to a 65" LCD mounted on the wall changing the viewing distance to @ 10' and placing the display about 2' further back than the speakers. The result is still acceptible.


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## A/V

I designed our seating/screen position to sit at the 40deg nclusive angles recommended by THX. I have a 110" 16:9 DIY screen with 2.40 masking, and I sit approx 3.3m from it.


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## Chucka

Main system viewing distance is about 14 Feet to 100" Front 16:9 Projection Screen. Bottom of the screen is about 24" from the floor and it is very comfortable to watch for my wife and I.


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## BamaDave

142" with two rows @ 13' & 18.5' and I like the 13' distance as opposed to the suggested set-back!


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## Aundudel25

My plasma is 42" and i sit about 11' back....i know pretty far for a screen that size. I want to upgrade to at least a 120" AT screen eventually.


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## vardo

70" full back lit LED, 10' viewing distance.

vardo


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## TheaterAdviceGuy

9' from my front row to a 133". No substitution for size and immersion if you have a clean enough picture


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## hyghwayman

34" crt tv :help:
4' to 8' seating

When I bought my Sony back in 2006 I wasn't sold on flat screens but in 8yrs they have come a long way and prices are a lot better. Hope to upgrade to about 70" to maybe 75" in a year or two but :dontknow:


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## Decade

Have a 50 inch LCD HD Display
Have a 5.1 Audio system
Average Viewing distance is 10 feet perpendicular to the screen.


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## mdrums

In my theater which has a 106" screen and a 1080P projector 1st row is 10ft and second row tiered is 16ft. I could go with a larger screen now with 1080P but I'd be covering my R/L speakers. Thinking of pref screen but not sure yet.

In my family room with a 65" Sony 4k I am 8-10ft away depends were on the sofa you are at.


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## phillihp23

So far the survey has resulted in the following. Hoping to get enough input to create a generally preffered viewing distance based on display size based off of actual user data.

Projectors

Size (inches) Distance (feet)
92 12 / 9 / 17
100 10 / 12 / 11 / 14
106 10 / 12 / 10
110 10 / 11
115 12
120 12 / 14 / 11 / 14 
133 9
134 14 / 12 
142 13


TVs

Size Distance
34 6
40 9 / 11
42 12 / 12 / 11
46 10
50 15 / 8 / 9 / 7 / 10 / 10 / 12 / 10
52 9 / 11 / 10
54 10
55 11 / 11 
58 7 / 6.5
60 7 / 12 / 12 / 12 / 10 / 9 /10 / 12
61 8
64 8
65 9 / 13 / 10 / 8.5 / 9.5 / 10
67 13 
70 10 / 10
73 8 / 11 
75 12.5 / 12.5
82 12


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## Ovation123

Display Type: Projector
Display Size: 64" (small, I know, but that size TV was way too expensive when I got my PJ and I don't have room for a bigger screen at the moment)
Viewing Distance: 7.5'


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## rgordonpf

Display Type: TV
Display Size: 55"
Viewing Distance: 11 feet


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