Projector TV Question

[Ray D]

The idea of a large screen is you have to look around to see all the input, just like in real life.  If you see one set up right, it is awesome.

Ray D

[WEC4104]

I noted John's comment about a 33 foot viewing distance, and it didn't seem in line with what I have experienced.  I have a 50 inch set in my home, and viewing it from 9 or 10 feet seems just fine.  So I googled up some respected websites.  Four different electronics sites are recommending a 50 inch widescreen should have a minimum viewing distance between 5 to 6.5 feet (out to a maximum viewing distance of 10-12 feet). 

Personally, a 50 incher is more than I would want in my bus, and I'd be thrilled to upgrade to a 32". But to each his own.

[JohnEd]

WEC,

Thanks for getting that data.  My numbers seem large to me also.  I have a 27 and 11 feet seems perfect for me and its a good thing cause the room won't fit anything bigger due to my placement.

The numbers I quoted were from a video Eng firm that specialized in command centers for Fire and Police and military users.  The end users had to be alert to anything popping up anywhere on the screen and the distances they quoted me was engineering design criteria that resulted from University Bioengineering "stuff".  I am not hitting you with the scientific edge of this.  I thought at the time that anything you were comfortable with was the best.  The shrinks evaluating this determined the distance by having people respond to stimulus from different spots on the screen.  As the size of the screen grew beyond a certain point the users began to miss stuff up there that they were supposed to "kill" or otherwise hurt.  I don't recall all the stuff that went into the decision but it was more complicated than what "feels" fine.  Hell, my first inclination was to fill the entire wall but my consultant got me smart and turned around thank God cause my budget would have allowed me to do anything and there was a Lazar projector in DC that a Co. was pushing for the airforce that was such a pile of multimillion dollar CRAP and had a screen like a small drive-in..  I was shocked!   Shocked, I say.

I made a contribution in that project.  When the install engineer was doing the final alignment he did Red Convergence and started to move on and I told him I would not accept the install unless he got the equip to pass convergence.  He adjusted it twice and I still told him it was awful.  I finally asked him how many lines he thought was acceptable and he said "one" and looked spooked.  Two of my guys slid up alongside me and said in a low tone "John, we only see one line too." And they looked worried.  I told them to take charge of the acceptance testing and left.  I called the owner of the company and asked his opinion and he responded, I don't know what is going on with you, John, but you just explained to me why I have ripped out a command center for an admiral three times and none of us can find any reason for his rejection.  A couple weeks later he called to thank me and shared that they had gotten the Admirals final acceptance by eliminating RED from the displays they used for the demonstration.  The Admiral's question after acceptance was "now why couldn't you have done that in the first place instead of putting up all that smeared stuff?".  Nobody answered him.  I saw 6 discrete lines that were not parallel and crossed each other.  I only have one eye and it fatigues....doc's explanation.  So the moral is that we don't all see the same stuff and age is a factor.

HTH and thanks again for the info.

John

[basil]

Screen size is really a personal preference, and certainly preferences vary alot.

The original idea of a movie screen was to fill your whole field of vision, as if you were actually in the movie.  The optimal distance was to sit somewhere between one and two times the width of the screen away.  You can see this setup in very old movie theaters.  The old screens even curved slightly to further surround you.

When TV came out, people got much more used to smaller screens, and then multiplexes took advantage of that trend to reduce their screen sizes to net more total seats.  Owners even noticed people started moving more to the back of the theaters to even further reduce the screen size they were seeing since they were so used to tv (or maybe wanted to make out).  Surprisingly, with all this new technology we have, people are viewing entertainment now on much smaller screens than they were in the 30's and 40's.

If you have not tried it, it is worth checking out the original movie experience by sitting 1.5x the screen width away from a show filmed for theater viewing in high resolution.  You may find a whole new experience that is really different.  With a good sound system and the right show, it can be stunning.  (Note some action content made for smaller screens can make you sick close up because the movement is too quick.)

On a bus, if you can get 6 or even 7 feet of width crosswise by using acoustically transparent material, it seems like you could provide that 1x to 2x experience across most of the living room seating.

[WEC4104]

John,

Agreed. As you point out, there are many factors which weigh on the optimum screen size, including type of image being projected, and the viewer's eyesight. (as well as their personal preference too.)

In general, a lower resolution image like a 480i TV broadcast or 800x600 PC output, on a closely placed large screen is going to look like crap. But you can also run into problems the otherway.  I own a home satellite receiver designed for HD broadcasts. Some owners of this model are complaining that the text size for the electronic program guide is too small to read from across the room.  It looks great on my 50 inch, and I have no problem at all with it, but I could see that on a <30 inch set folks might start having problems.


WEC

[makemineatwostroke]

Thanks guys for all the input on projection TV, what I like is a the total unit weight with the screen is around 10# and the Sony with the cabinet is about 200# plus the Sony takes up a space 41/2ftx3.3ft x 14 inches deep  and compairing that to 1ft square big gain in space for me.Obliviously Ace has not seen the clarity of of these units when you can see the hair on peoples arms that's clear.  Have A Great day

[Blacksheep]

Your absolutely right! Besides hair on an arm is not what I usually look for while watching the "boob" tube! Get my drift? LOL
Ace

[JohnEd]

Basil,

Nice post, Thank you.

John

[makemineatwostroke]

Ace; enjoy your 17 in TV and I will do likewise with my 50 in  have a great day