Waveform 05 Casual Viewer, Videophile or Critical Viewer?

[HD Library]

Originally published 10/15/2004, HDTV Magazine, editor Dale Cripps

Critical Viewer has been added in this reissue.

By Richard Fisher

Are you a casual viewer or videophile? Some have taken offense to this question yet it is being asked so you can achieve the right results in the most cost effective way.

As I run around Atlanta repairing and calibrating displays I find that most of my customers are casual viewers. That means little attention is placed on the viewing environment or viewing distance and for the most part how the display fits in with the room decor and how many people can see it is of the utmost importance. Being a casual viewer is a good thing if you are concerned with how much you are spending on your home theater system. The requirements for making you happy will revolve around a different set of parameters than the videophile. Resolution should be the least of your concerns as you will not be close enough for it to be of value. This has other benefits in that many imaging artifacts will not be visible making even SD viewing far more palatable. Using an external scaler to clean up your image will have little value in this application. Casual viewing allows you to use a display that can perform well at many angles for your family and guests. It also reduces your display costs as you will likely be happy with the smaller and less expensive models on the market. Many casual viewers love the concept of the flat panel display such as plasma which can fit in beautifully in this type of environment although they are expensive. In this application the casual viewer can even consider an ED or enhanced definition display over an HD display due to the long viewing distance while still retaining the proper 16:9 screen shape for DVD and HDTV with accurate color provided they choose to have it ISF calibrated and remain open to bias lighting if necessary.

If you are a videophile then you need to be aware of the fact that video is a system of standards and if you follow those you can acquire the full HD video experience and it can be just like a movie theater. There are many casual viewers out there ready to join the ranks. A videophile is not concerned with fitting a display into an environment, rather this person is concerned with getting the environment setup to accommodate the display that has been chosen. More than likely a room will be devoted to viewing in which the light is under complete control. A videophile will likely need a scaler as they will want consistent, accurate and faithful performance with what ever source they desire. An ISF calibration and system setup for accurate imaging should be considered. Concerns about DVD player and HDTV receiver performance will be paramount. Some videophiles choose FPTV, front projection TV, with 85-110" screens, and while fewer there are those that devote lots of money towards screens 120-220" and projectors that can put out the light to drive them. If you are a videophile with a conservative budget, RPTV, rear projection TV has much to offer using CRT technology. Naturally as a videophile you will want one 60" or larger to receive the full benefit of this technology and the size won

[alice]

A thoughtful & useful article that deals well with casual viewer aspect