Almost all users find a comfortable viewing range between 30 to 40cm. Recommended television viewing location has typically been based on perceptual and health considerations. As cited by Coffey, et-al. This recommendation was based on the fact that older color receivers emitted radiation. This is no longer the case.
Children are more variable in their viewing location.
Regardless of whether people are watching TV or using a computer, they tend to chose a location for optimal visual angle. Since the output is displayed on a television, it may be assumed that data viewing and manipulation is best accomplished remotely. However, since a great deal of text viewing and fine manipulation is occurring, performance and satisfaction would be maximized if the user were located proximally to the input and output devices. A final issue addresses what type of tools would be appropriate for such manipulation. Few non-computer users can type efficiently.