Now that we know sitting closer than PH reveals 2K artifacts, how close do people actually sit in movie auditoriums? The historical trend has been to sit ever closer. 1920s—1940s. In comparison to today’s theatrical experience, the old movie palaces had perceptually smaller screens and longer seating distances. You can think of the classic theater as a long rectangle with the screen on the short side. Seating distances ranged from 8 PH in the back to PH in the front. While today’s audiences might find this presentation puny and unimpressive, it was well.
