Named for Bernard Lechner, researcher at RCA Laboratories. The Lechner distance is nine feet, the typical distance Americans sit from television sets, regardless of screen size. The Jackson distance, three meters, named for Richard Jackson, a researcher at Philips in Britain, is similar. There is reason to believe that the Lechner and Jackson distances are why HDTV research was undertaken sooner in Japan (where viewing distances are shorter) than elsewhere. See also Viewing Distance.