Is it Time for Bigger Screens? Boise ID

Well, folks, Ive just returned from CEDIA EXPO 2006, and as usual, there was no end of classes to teach, friends to meet, and cool new stuff to see. Every show seems to develop its own buzz or unique beat that sets it apart from the others. A few years ago, for example, it was the unfortunate and surprisingly swift demise of the CRT. This year, the unmistakable theme was the evolution of 1080p as the dominant resolution for high-definition video. In addition to 1080p, HD DVD, and Blu-ray Disc offerings, there were native 1920x1080 displays everywhereflat-panel LCDs, plasmas, and video projectors using every technology you can name.

Nowhere was 1080ps preeminence more apparent than at a side show presentation conducted by video wizard Joe Kane of Video Essentials fame. Joe demonstrated clips at 1080i/p using MPEG-2 compression, 720p using Windows Media Video (WMV), and 1080p using VC-1 (the updated, tweaked version of WMV that is receiving universal acclaim on HD DVD). From my seat on the front row, where the viewing angle pushed 50 degrees, the differences were stunning. The 720p WMV content did look better than 1080i and 1080p MPEG-2, but the hands-down winner was 1080p VC-1. Gone were the motion artifacts and compression macro blocking weve come to expect from MPEG-2, leaving nothing but a sharp, detailed, film-like image. The only remaining factor restricting viewing angle was the pixel structure, but it was barely visible from my close vantage point.

The emergence of 1080p into the mainstream raises an interesting issue for home theater design. Traditionally, we have limited the horizontal viewing angle to 30 degrees (screen width = 0.54 x viewing distance) for SD and 36 degrees (screen width = 0.65 x viewing distance) for broadcast HD. With 1080p and improved video codecs like VC-1 and MPEG-4/AVC, we have our first real shot at a true cinematic presentation in the home. Film images are composed to be viewed at an angle of 45 degrees (screen width = 0.83 x viewing distance), which is supported by 35mm film but not HD videoat least not until now. Based on what I saw, 1080p allows us to legitimately increase the viewing angle to 45 degrees without compromising picture quality.

We must, however, avoid the urge to go hog-raving wild with home theater screens that rival Cinerama just because we can. A number of factors ultimately influence what screen and viewing angle are appropriate for a home theater. Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that, for the foreseeable future, only a very small percentage of the program material that our clients will be viewing is 1080p VC-1. The rest will be MPEG-2, mostly at lower resolutions. (MPEG-4 will eventually figure into the mix somewhere.) The 1920x1080 displays havent really been in the field long enough for us to draw hard conclusions, but the early reports are not favorable toward viewing SD and HD MPEG-2 at very wide angles. Its also important to remember that TV images are composed fo...

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