Why viewing angle matters with LCD TVs

The picture-quality scores in our Ratings (available to subscribers) reflect the ideal viewing position for a typical LCD TV—directly in front of the set. You won’t see that same quality from every place in a room, though. Stray off to the side or stretch out on the floor, and the quality can deteriorate. The picture looks washed out or dim as you move away from the center of the screen. With plasma TVs, you see the same picture quality from almost any vantage point in a room, with no change.

That’s because viewing angle remains a challenge for most LCD displays. Some models have gotten better in this respect, but most still lag far behind plasma and picture-tube TVs in providing a virtually unlimited viewing angle.

Given the importance of viewing angle, we've added a score for this attribute to the Ratings. LCD TVs with excellent scores were comparable to plasma sets in their almost unlimited viewing angle. Those with very good viewing angles did well from most vantage points. A viewing-angle score of good means that the picture lost some color, brightness, or contrast as we moved away from the center of the screen. With sets judged fair, the degradation in picture quality was even more obvious. You’ll notice the problems more with typical indoor scenes than with bright images and vivid colors, like you’d see in a football game.

If several viewers will be watching a set from different angles, or if you often move around a room while watching TV, go with a model judged very good or excellent for viewing angle. That should ensure consistent picture quality regardless of location.