Characteristics of subtitle on preferred viewing distance and subjective preference of liquid crystal display high-definition television

This study explored the effects of characteristics of TV program subtitle, including character font, character size, and position of the subtitle on preferred viewing distance and subjective preference for liquid crystal display high-definition television (LCD-HDTV). The results showed the mean preferred viewing distance was 3516 mm, about 4.3 times of television width. Character font had significant effect on PVD; PVD was longer for New Xi-Ming style than Biao Kai style. Character size had significant effect on PVD: the larger the character size, the longer the PVD. Character font had no significant effect on subjective preference. The effect of character size on subjective preference was significant. Subjective preference increased as character size increased from 10 pt, 20 pt to 30 pt, then it decreased when character size was 40 pt. Subtitle position had no significant effect on PVD and subjective preference.