Television Viewing Distance

TV watching distance

Have you ever pondered on where to sit while watching television? What should be the ideal distance maintained from TV while viewing it? Here are some guidelines to help you make the best of television viewing experience.

Its a common observation that different people prefer different viewing distances. This can be best observed in a theatre. Different people choose different seats according to the distance and the angle they enjoy the best. Even while watching TV at home, personal choice of the viewing angle and distance determine the seat taken. There is no ideal television viewing distance. But an optimum range of distances make the experience troublefree and enjoyable.

SMPTE and visual acuity haved framed guidelines for optimum TV viewing ditances. According to the same the nearest television viewing distance should be twice the width of the television. It also says that the farthest TV viewing distance should be five times the width of the television. If you move closer than twice the width of the television you will see the scanning lines, pixels and other video artifacts. That would distract the television viewing experience. If you watch from farther than the farthest distance specified you will miss out on the pircture details.

The distance of viewing also changes with the type of television. HDTVs require closer viewing distances than the analog TVs. Five times the screen width is the optimum distance for watching an analog TV. But HDTVs should be watched from the maximum distance of three to four times the screen width.

Thus while purchasing a television for your home consider the size of the room or distance of viewing. That would be crucial in determining the size of the television. And get the perfect piece from the available variety.