SIT CLOSER TO YOUR HDTV

I see it mentioned all too often here (and everywhere really) that it's difficult to tell the difference sometimes between an upconverted DVD and its HD-DVD or Blu-Ray counterpart. Well, there are really just two main causes for this:

1) You need to sit closer to your TV
2) You need to get your eyes checked

I'm assuming that the home theater is otherwise properly set up. It's beyond the scope of this simple post to help troubleshoot video problems. I also cannot help with 2), but there is a very good reason for 1). The further the HDTV is from your eyes the harder it will be for you to notice the details (duh). So to help out folks with normal vision, please refer to the following chart. It's pretty self explanatory, really.

First, a chart showing the approximate distances at which details become noticeable, with screen size and distance from screen as parameters.
http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html

Then, from the same chart comes some recommendations:
http://s3.carltonbale.com/distance_chart.html

The recommended viewing distances are maximum viewing distances. Obviously, the closer you are to the screen the better you're able to appreciate the 1080p image on your TV! Within reason of course...sit like a foot from the screen and you'll see a bunch of nice pixels.

Don't miss out video details of that HD goodness!

[Post edited by YCH on Mar 7, 2008]

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I see it mentioned all too often here (and everywhere really) that it's difficult to tell the difference sometimes between an upconverted DVD and its HD-DVD or Blu-Ray counterpart. Well, there are really just two main causes for this:

1) You need to sit closer to your TV
2) You need to get your eyes checked

YOU ARE CORRECT SIR!!!!

What you are really hearing are sore losers on the wrong end of the format war. They are going to take their ball and go home.

YCH,

Welcome back!

I agree. I have friends and relatives who sit much too far back to appreciate any high-def detail, or, worse, they sit too far back and at acute angles to the TV.

On the other hand, most of us with HD TVs also watch a lot of standard-definition material, and we all know that standard-definition (esp. cable and satellite broadcasts) can look pretty gruesome if you're sitting too close. So, you need to find a viewinig distance that is close enough to discern high-def detail and far enough way not to make you go blind watching standard-def images.

John

Very true. Unfortunately, 2009 only REQUIRES all channels to be DIGITAL, not 1080p hd. So, unless that hdtv is SOLELY for watching 1080p hdtv clips... viewers are accustomed to sit a bit farther from the tv. Not on purpose, just instinct- to blur out pixel jags on fast moving sequences.

Hey John,

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On the other hand, most of us with HD TVs also watch a lot of standard-definition material, and we all know that standard-definition (esp. cable and satellite broadcasts) can look pretty gruesome if you're sitting too close. So, you need to find a viewinig distance that is close enough to discern high-def detail and far enough way not to make you go blind watching standard-def images

Interesting...I only cater for my highest quality source, haha.

Now that you mention it, this might be a big reason people sit so far from their TVs, both from habit and the SD chunkyness. Well, maybe the TV makers can provide an option to shrink the SD images (via some kind of smart source detection) so that viewing distances for HD sources are put on highest priority

Has anyone seen an Oppo in action? Or a device such as a Lumagen? My Oppo blows my HD DVD player's upconverting capabilities out of the water, so I am just wondering what qualilty of upconversion people are comparing to. The Oppo is incredible little machine, and yes, HDM is better overall, but the right processing thrown at SDVD can be beautiful too.

Griz

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Has anyone seen an Oppo in action?

I have an Oppo that I bought during the Holidays. I still haven't opened it yet. I'll try a comparison this weekend.

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Has anyone seen an Oppo in action? Or a device such as a Lumagen? My Oppo blows my HD DVD player's upconverting capabilities out of the water, so I am just wondering what qualilty of upconversion people are comparing to. The Oppo is incredible little machine, and yes, HDM is better overall, but the right processing thrown at SDVD can be beautiful too.

I have seen some Oppo upconverting DVD players in action. Not Lumagens though. I have also seen and used (arguably) the best regular upconversion software for digital photos available in the market, and the enlarged images do not compare to the detail of a native resolution photo of the same crop and image. I doubt a real-time video processor can do any better than a non-realtime fractal resizing software with manual touchups and tweaks.

There is one thing I would like to admit though. If someone else has a really good upconverting player playing a DVD, and you have no idea what the source is, the lines may look clean enough in certain scenes that you may *think* for a moment that it might be a lower quality HD video (I know just enough about video and what to look for that I won't be fooled that it's a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD disc unless it's a terrible transfer devoid of most details)...until you pop in the HD-DVD or Blu-Ray version of the same movie and it's just like you're there.

Really, just about anything that isn't a smooth object or flat surface in a movie will give it away.

[Post edited by YCH on Mar 7, 2008]

I've never considered the distance from the tv in terms of pixel count comfort. I've always placed my TV and my derrier where I was comfortable. According to that chart my 52" tv needs to be less than 6ft from me for "optimum" resolution. I have never cared for the feeling of sitting "on top of" the TV. When you factor in the average recliner your feet don't leave much of a walkway between them and a tv at that range either. Just my $0.02.

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I've never considered the distance from the tv in terms of pixel count comfort. I've always placed my TV and my derrier where I was comfortable. According to that chart my 52" tv needs to be less than 6ft from me for "optimum" resolution. I have never cared for the feeling of sitting "on top of" the TV. When you factor in the average recliner your feet don't leave much of a walkway between them and a tv at that range either. Just my $0.02.

True, and practical problem at that.

However, do bear in mind all the money you paid for a HD disc player setup may as well have not been spent if you sit far enough.