TV's for Fellowship Hall

[Docedfer]

I would like some expert advice and it seems you guys know what you are talking about.

I want to install TV signage with computer, satellite, and video capability in the fellowship hall of our church. It would be used for announcements, PowerPoint presentations, and what else, Super Bowl Games

Our fellowship hall is long and narrow, 80’ by 30’. The area needed for the TV’s is only 54’ X 30’

There are 14-8’ round tables that seat 150 people. The ceiling is only 8’ high and to mount the TV or TV’s in the ceiling in the middle of the room the unit would hang 27-20” below an 8’ ceiling creating a problem with crowd flow. I have considered one 50” or 58” plasma in one end AND two 42” plasmas in opposite corners of the room.

I am getting different answers to how large the image needs to be for X number of feet of distance from the viewer. If I use one unit it would need to be viewed from 54’ and with two units in opposite ends about 30’ seated at round tables.

One person said that a 50” would be seen well at 50 feet. Another said a 42” would be good for only about 15 feet. A big difference!

I am trying to get by with 42” because of cost but if it won’t work I need to know. Buying the right size for the room is crucial. But as in all churches, budget is important. At this point I don't know if Plasma or LCD is better for this project.

I would like to know from your expertise and knowledge which way you would go with this project.

[Brad Weber]

Two factors in the practical viewing distance are what is being displayed and how important it is that people be able to comprehend what is on the screen. There can be a big difference between simply being able to see that someone is running downfield and being able to see the number on the jersey, or between being able to tell there is text on the screen and being able to easily read the text. There are even significant differences between reading large font text in a PowerPoint type slide and reading text in a full page Word or Excel document. These are the type of considerations that probably led to some of the variations in information you received, although I would say that 50' of viewing from a 50" diagonal image (which is only about a 24.5" high image with 16:9 format) is rather wishful thinking, I wonder if they thought you meant a 50" high image rather than 50" diagonal.

A couple more related comments. Think about where people would be looking, the viewing angles for flat panel displays have improved quite a bit but there are still some limits. And in your application, think about people walking around and how they might interfere with viewing.

In summary, I think you may need a lot more displays than you currently planned. Do you have a consumer electronics store or a WalMart or anything like that nearby? It's usually pretty easy to go and judge for yourself what you think is acceptable.

Although indirectly related, since you mentioned satellite and specifically the Super Bowl, be sure to look at the licensing and property rights issues related to these, there are limits on viewing use and screen sizes for most commercial media.

[Docedfer]

Thank you for your input. The format I am going to use is 16:9 ratio. The Super Bowl rights have been extended to churches since last years debacle.

[Ron]

We use a 50" plasma for our choir confidence monitor. Max distance is 40' to the back of the choir. It's more than enough at 40'.

[Docedfer]

Thanks Ron! That's what I am looking for, some personal experience.

[Ron]

Here's a pic of our monitor. Other pics of our setup are at http://www.fbchugo.org/media/mediaphotos.htm

[Docedfer]

Thanks Ron. That helps me in my decision

[Sunny]

It also helps me.

[Brad Weber]

Before everyone goes running off to buy 50" displays, keep in mind that it is the character size and not the display size that matters. A picture of a screen with no text or media does not really tell you much, you can always use a larger font to get greater viewing, but you can then fit fewer characters on the screen. So consider what is going to be on the screen as well as the screen size.

Also keep in mind that some churches have a dedicated feed for confidence monitors and ancillary displays, they are not getting the same content as the main displays. This can allow much more flexibility in font sizes and types and how that is displayed on those displays. What works in one situation may not in another.