Because most people turn down the lights to watch a film, our recommendations are designed to deliver a better DVD picture in rooms with controlled lighting. Unless you're sitting at the minimum viewing distance for your LCD television's size (see the chart), you shouldn't watch films in complete darkness because it can cause eyestrain. The ideal setup is to place a dim light directly behind the television and leave the rest of the room dark. You should also try to prevent any light in the room from reflecting off the LCD screen, as glare will hamper image fidelity.

Tip

Look for special "daylight" bulbs that glow at 6,500 degrees Kelvin. This is the standard colour temperature that most producers use when creating films and TV programmes.

Wide-screen TV viewing distances

Your television should deliver the right-size picture for where you sit relative to the screen. Sitting closer to a smaller television means you won't have to splurge on a big screen. But if you sit too close, the picture quality will be substandard. Sit too far away, and you won't have an immersive experience.