Where is the best spot to sit in the cinema to get the best picture/sound quality?

Question

For example, the front's too close because you have to lift your head to high

Answer 1

I always try to sit smack in the middle where I'll be facing mid-point of the screen. That's usually 4-5 rows back. The sound is practically deafening anyway, so it does not matter where you sit for that...but yes, in the middle you'll be able to capture the slight changes in sounds from right to left of the screen...surround sound.

Answer 2

Short answer is about half way to 2/3 of the way back and more or less in the middle. But there is no universal "best" seat for reasons discussed below.

Sound is usually balanced for the middle seats, but varies somewhat depending on the technician. The best picture is more personal (some people prefer to be further back and other prefer to be further forward) and in addition the location that conforms to any specific viewing criteria changes somewhat between cinemas.

Guidelines for viewing angle are exactly that -- guidelines and differ between recommending bodies (See link). For example SMPTE recommend a 30 degree viewing angle (horizontal angle subtended by the right and left edges of the screen from the viewing position), while THX now recommend a 40 degree viewing angle (originally 36 degrees), but not less than 26 degrees for the rear row of seats (and the vertical angle from your viewing location to top of the screen should be 15 degrees maximum).

This means that the viewing angle in the centre row will vary somewhat depending on which recommendation was followed by the designer. Furthermore if you prefer, say, a 35 degree viewing angle while the designer set up the theater to have a 40 degree angle 2/3 way back you would need to be further back than that to get your optimum viewing location. Therefore there is no specific location that will be universally "the best".

Answer 3

3 seats from the front, 2-3 seats from the middle.

This is where sound technicians measure the audio and visuals are best viewed. ^_^