Viewing distance from tv / which Sony tv

secret_tramp

Two questions if I may as there is a lot of conflicting information as to the correct size of tv appropriate to the viewing distance; and secondly the technical jargon in the reviews of tvs as I am not tech savvy. Quite simply I just appreciate a nice clear picture.

The first issue is I require a tv that will be viewed from around 14ft away. The advice I have seen generally recommends a size of tv way in excess of available wall space - which will accommodate a 55" tv as a maximum.

Is that size tv too small? (Incidentally I sit 9 feet from my current 37" 1080p tv).

Secondly, I am considering either a Sony BRAVIA KD55XE9005 or the KD55XE9305. Both have excellent reviews, but is the latter option worth a 25% odd price premium?

Any advice or wisdom would be much appreciated.

teddysmum

Those are recommendations, but the actual distance is personal and someone with poor eyesight would need a larger screen, at a certain distance, than someone with good eyesight.


I suggest measuring your distance then going into a store and viewing different sizes from that distance away.


It's worth noting that a newer screen with very narrow surround can be quite a bit larger while the area overall is only a little larger than for an older smaller screen with wide surround. Our 42" Panasonic is only a couple of inches wider and taller than the older 32" it replaced.

dunroving

I think that part of the recommendations is related to being able to see the whole screen at once, not just whether the content is big enough to see. Otherwise, it could be like Wimbledon, scanning left to right to accommodate whatever prescription you have in your glasses.

Rodders53

14 ft (4.25 metres) is a very large living room... are you really viewing from that distance?

Screen viewing distances depend on the resolution of the TV pictures you watch... Standard def 576i will look awful if to close to a big screen cf HD 1080i/p or Ultra HD...

BBC have a white paper on what the public do (may be worth a read?) http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/publications/whitepaper287

https://www.cnet.com/uk/how-to/how-big-a-tv-should-i-buy/ gives a reasoned argument of screen size cf the different authoratitive standards setters.

Both seem to reckon your 55" is too small @ 9ft. But then most of us have to fit the TV into our rooms and don't want it too dominating.

Advice is to audition both models side-by-side in a demo room of a good retailer to see if the differences are worth it.... and to watch 'normal' SD and HD material as well as Ultra High Def stuff to see how the sets upscale and treat the normal TV material which is likely to make up the majority of your viewing.

Don't neglect the sound either! One may be far better than the other.

Places like AVForums may have reviews and owner threads on the sets so may help you to determine what differences account for the extra money?

House_Martin

These latest 4k TVs only reveal their superior sharpness much closer to the TV than before.I have seen a recommendation to be sitting between 5 ft and 13ft of a 55 inch screen.
Check reviews on Oled TV s and Qled TVs.Things are constantly changing. 8k screens come next no doubt
I have a top Panasonic plasma TV which was deemed one of the best but the new larger Oled Tvs have got me interested in a new one especially the LG 55 inch Oled TV or even the reported best TV in the UK the Sony oled 65 A1 at £4000 ish
3 D screens have died a death thank god.
Has anyone got one of these larger Oled TV s ?

secret_tramp

Rodders53 wrote: »

14 ft (4.25 metres) is a very large living room... are you really viewing from that distance?

Hi, thank you for your very informative answer. Yes, it is a large and quite awkward room. I have tried to figure out how best to arrange it so I don't need such a large tv, but it is not easy!