Optimum TV/Monitor size for a 4 to 6 feet spacing

Has anyone tried using a large monitor/TV whilst using Zwift whilst sitting about 4 to 6 feet away?  If so then what is the optimum screen size that you’ve used without causing eye strain?  I currently use a 24" 1200 line screen that is OK but not large enough to be fully immersive.

I’d like to purchase a larger TV/monitor in 4K resolution but am not sure which size would work well.  I’ve tried a 46" LED HD TV and that was far too large.  It made me feel a bit queazy!

Thanks,

Mark

I use a 55" 4K with my handlebars 6 feet away, so add another foot for my head to screen distance.  Video card is a GTX 970 that is adequate but not stellar in 4K.  Image sharpness is incredible.  I don’t suffer from motion sickness. I like the cornering sensations in the Esses! Immersion is almost total.

What video card are you planning on using?

The question is in aid of both myself (980 - 4 feet away from wall in a small room) and my girlfriend (970 - far wider room but she sits about 6 feet away).

Rendering at 4K we see an almost identical frame rate of ~40 FPS on average with all the Nvidia options turned up.  Dropping that down to High gives about 70FPS.

 

 

Is that 70FPS on 2160 lines?  I have Vertical Sync turned off but can not get anywhere near 70.

I also see a horizontal band of increased luminescence crawl down the screen about every 15 minutes or so.  I don’t remember seeing this on my old 1080p TV. 

I’ve just done a test by changing the Zwift settings only and watching Zwift riders for a few mins each.  Note that my processor is an i7 5930 6 core with hyperthreading enabled, although Zwift doesn’t make very heavy use of that at all.  My monitor has 1200 lines:

  • 4K (2160 lines) gives 38-47 FPS. Average is in the 40s.

  • Ultra (1440 lines) gives 58-108 FPS. Average is in the 60s.

  • High (1080 lines) gives 63 - 100+ FPS. Average is in the 70s.

I haven’t seen the luminescence issue.

I use an i5-4690.  On 4K (2160 lines) and vertical sync turned off, I get 40ish FPS.  I suspect that the FPS goes down if I am in a heavy pack of riders.

well, i have to change my earlier comments.  i rode in a large group for half of a ride and then went solo for the second half.  Results are in the diagram.  

One of the big lessons i have learned is “mount the tv low”.  For me, I have it well below eye level. Higher than that and you may find your hands going numb from c-spine issues.

Thanks, that’s useful information.  On my end I’ve done a lot of research over the last few days and discovered that chasing pixel count is not the best approach since my eye would not be able to discern them unless the screen was very large and/or very close:

http://referencehometheater.com/2013/commentary/4k-calculator

For a (maximum - wall mounted) 4ft viewing distance I’d need a 55.2" screen, like yours, but given the 46" made me feel queezy that’s not really an option.  A better bet is to buy something like a 27" 1440 line monitor and mount it closer.

Instead I plan to focus on buying a monitor with the best colour reproduction possible: LED IPS panel + high contrast ratio with Nvidia G-Sync adaptive refresh.  My 3 existing Dell 2412M 24" monitors are very good but the blacks are not very deep, but I wasn’t focussing on that at the time of purchase.  There’s a nice Acer Predator model on the market that fits the bill and goes up to 165Hz refresh:

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/27-acer-xb271hu-g-sync-led-monitor-165hz-ips-panel-2560x1440-4ms-1000000001-hdmi-dp-usb-2x-speakers-?utm_source=google+shopping&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CjwKEAjw-r27BRCzsNyzrMrM-j0SJACp2TiBi924oUJcvw99cSl1666600YIkeTh6Q1FaxBDdZ6uIBoCdUvw_wcB

 

I use a projector.