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CVByrne

By CVByrne
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blandy Grand Master

blandy

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Depends on the room size, Chappy. There's no point a mahoosive telly if you are only sat 8 feet away.

If you have the time, go to a proper telly shop, rather than a Curry's warehouse, and talk to an advisor about what size etc. to get.

or look on the internets if you don't have time.

Having a telly that is too big is as bad as one that's too small, if not worse.

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Risso Grand Master

Risso

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Depends on the room size, Chappy. There's no point a mahoosive telly if you are only sat 8 feet away.

If you have the time, go to a proper telly shop, rather than a Curry's warehouse, and talk to an advisor about what size etc. to get.

or look on the internets if you don't have time.

Having a telly that is too big is as bad as one that's too small, if not worse.

 

Exactly that.  We've got a 65" in a cellar room set up as a cinema room, which works brilliantly.  The local TV shop came and set it up so that the surround sound is perfectly positioned for the best results.  It's just like being at the cinema, with the added bonus of having my kitchen upstairs, so I can pause the film and get a beer.

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limpid Grand Master

limpid

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Exactly that.  We've got a 65" in a cellar room set up as a cinema room, which works brilliantly.  The local TV shop came and set it up so that the surround sound is perfectly positioned for the best results.  It's just like being at the cinema, with the added bonus of having my kitchen upstairs, so I can pause the film and get a beer.

Do you have to put your own popcorn on the floor?

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Risso Grand Master

Risso

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Exactly that.  We've got a 65" in a cellar room set up as a cinema room, which works brilliantly.  The local TV shop came and set it up so that the surround sound is perfectly positioned for the best results.  It's just like being at the cinema, with the added bonus of having my kitchen upstairs, so I can pause the film and get a beer.

Do you have to put your own popcorn on the floor?

 

 

Yep.  It's called having three kids!

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  • 3 weeks later...
Kingman Grand Master

Kingman

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So what is the best viewing distance for watching TV?
The answer is relatively straight forward but it will depend on a number of factors. Firstly there's the resolution of your TV. In other words is it standard definition, high definition or ultra high definition? The lower the resolution of your screen, that is the number of pixels that make up the picture, the further you need to be away from the screen to ensure you can't see them.

Which brings us on to the second important factor, the size of your screen. Obviously the bigger your screen the further back you need to sit to make sure you can't see the pixels, although again the resolution will affect this distance. All TV screen sizes are given in terms of their diagonal measurement and you will need to know this so you can calculate the ideal viewing distance.
 
The graph above gives you a good idea of how the optimum seating position works, with distance on the vertical axis and screen size on the horizontal. So as you might expect, the lower the resolution the further you need sit away from the TV and the smaller the screen size. The area labelled 480p refers to standard definition, although that's the US TV standard and it would actually be 576p here in the UK. So based upon the graph you can immediately see that the seating distance should be between 2.4 and 6.1 metres with screen sizes ranging from 20 to 55 inches.

The next section on the graph equates to 720p, although you could also count the 1080p section as together the two would be considered high definition. Again the graph shows that viewing distances can range from 1 metre all the way out to 6 metres and screen sizes that go from 20 inches up to 100 inches. Finally there is the ultra high definition 4K section where you could sit as close as 0.5 metres from a 20-inch screen and 1.2 metres for a 100-inch screen. Of course these are just rough estimates but it gives you an idea of how optimum viewing distances is calculated.
The general rule of thumb for a high definition TV is to sit back about 1.6 times the diagonal screen size.
To calculate the best viewing distance for your TV, what you really need is a set of tables so you can check your TV's diagonal screen size and resolution, thus quickly working out how far away you need to sit. The problem here is that there are a number of different tables produced by manufacturers, retailers and industry bodies like SMPTE or THX. In terms of the recommendations of manufacturers, they tend to be the most conservative, recommending a viewing distance of 2.5 times the screen's diagonal width. So for a 50-inch screen the optimum viewing distance would be 125 inches or about 10 feet (3.18m).

However multiplying by a factor of 2.5 is more related to the optimum viewing distances recommended for a standard definition TVs and since high definition TVs have much higher resolution, you can in fact sit much closer. SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) recommends a viewing distance that is 1.6 times the diagonal width of the screen. This is generally regarded as idea for high definition TVs and so, using the same example, you would sit 80 inches or 6.6 feet (2.03m) from the screen.

THX however feel that the viewing distance should replicate the immersive cinematic experience as closely as possible. So they recommend a viewing distance that is 1.2 times the diagonal width of the screen. By sitting closer the screen fills more of your field of view and THX believe that high definition content has the resolution to handle these closer viewing distances. This means that using our 50-inch screen for a third time, the distance would be 66 inches or 5.5 feet (1.68m).
 
The approach taken by THX brings up another factor that can also be taken into account, that of viewing angle. This really just means how much the screen fills your field of view, the bigger the angle the larger the image. The viewing angle used by many manufacturers equates to 20%, with the SMPTE guidelines it's around 30% and for THX it's 40%, which they feel gives the most immersive experience. Whilst we're on the subject of viewing angles, clearly for the best experience you want to be sat directly in front of your TV and you don't want it too high - you shouldn't have to look up more than 15 degrees.

In fact the THX calculations would actually work as a general estimate of viewing distances for Ultra HD TVs, especially when compared to the other guidelines. In fact when it comes to ultra high definition, you will need to sit quite close to your TV to fully benefit from the higher resolution, especially with screen sizes below 65 inches. Of course ultimately these are purely guidelines and there is no right or wrong answer. In fact even the industry bodies involved can't agree on a single solution, so ultimately it should come down to personal preference. https://www.avforums.com/article/tv-full-hd-ultra-hd-4k-viewing-distance-guide.10704
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Kingman Grand Master

Kingman

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I reckon even if such a product existed it would be 3 or 4 times the price.

 

Nope, There is already a Future proof LG 65EC970V 65inch 4K UHD Curved 3D OLED TV available for around 6k. 

 

Give it another 12/18 months and they will be two a penny mate. 

 

Personally I'm waiting for Samsungs model around next easter time.

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Genie Grand Master

Genie

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There's a budget brand 50" Smart TV with built in WiFi for only £299 on Tesco website. Should also come with their 5 warranty too (not 100% sure if its still running).

http://www.tesco.com/direct/digihome-50-inch-smart-wifi-built-in-full-hd-1080p-led-tv-with-freeview-hd/566-3957.prd?pageLevel=&skuId=566-3957

Its amazing how the prices of TV's are falling.

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Kingman Grand Master

Kingman

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Its not the length of the barrel, Its the power of the shot that gets you pal. 

 

The 50" TV's are £299 for a reason, They simply haven't got the minerals to power it to full potential inside it, They look ok till you hit the on button then the excitement dies. (Bit like thinking you're buying a decent sports car only to find out it performs and sounds like mini metro)

 

You would be a lot better off paying the same price (£299) for say a 32/40" TV with the manufactures paying more attention to detail with the resolutions and refresh rate specs rather than the panel size.

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Genie Grand Master

Genie

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Its not the length of the barrel, Its the power of the shot that gets you pal.

The 50" TV's are £299 for a reason, They simply haven't got the minerals to power it to full potential inside it, They look ok till you hit the on button then the excitement dies. (Bit like thinking you're buying a decent sports car only to find out it performs and sounds like mini metro)

You would be a lot better off paying the same price (£299) for say a 32/40" TV with the manufactures paying more attention to detail with the resolutions and refresh rate specs rather than the panel size.

I tend to look at the reviews rather than generic unsubstantiated comments like buy a smaller one because it will be better. A 32" TV isn't much good if you're looking for a 50" box.

This is a budget brand so I don't think anyone expects ultra premium performance. What this set does have, as well as a 5 year guarantee is 7 reviews 5 being 5*, 1 being 4* and 1 3* (and that we as because there was no analogue tuner).

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jjaacckk91 Mentor

jjaacckk91

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My mom just got an LG Smart LED TV 42" for £329

This one

It seems excellent so far.

I was about post something similar, I got my 47" LG over a year ago now and it was only £379 then.

It's been a good tv. I don't really know what makes a "top end" TV anymore though tbh.

I don't think you can go far wrong with most tv's these days, I bought a cheap logik about 5 years ago when I was a student and its still going strong.

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  • 3 months later...
Kingman Grand Master

Kingman

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If anyones interested in getting the Astra UHD 4k demo channel, I came across the below and installed from my Samsung TV and have to say its pretty impressive. 

 

Think it could be the first and only channel thats true native UHD 4k (Not upscaled) available that you can pick up with a Sky dish.

 

Menu>Broadcsting>aerial, satellite.
Menu>Broadcsting>Channel settings>Satellite system>Satellite selection, select astra 28.2E.
Menu>Broadcsting>Auto Tuning, start auto tuning and select reinitalise. and select Astra 28.2E
Menu>Broadcsting>Channel settings>manual tuning> select Astra 28.2E, press scan.

Now enter in the transponder/frequency details, scroll all the way down till you see New, enter 12441, 29500 and vertical. Then select Search. The 4K channel should now display. 

 

Have fun!

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