Plasma / LCD TV. What size?

[alchemysa]

We are finally in the market for a wide screen TV. (2 actually) But I'm quite unsure about what size. I really don't want to make a mistake and go too big. I've been in some homes where I find the TV uncomfortably large but perhaps thats just because I'm not used to them. (Our current TV is just a 26" Phillips CRT.)

The shops are full of 42" models but some of the guides I've seen suggest that that might be a bit big for viewing from about 3 to 4 yards. Anyone got any comments on this?

 

[jgrreed]

There are charts that show how big to go relative to how far back you're sitting. I think a 42" 9 to 12 feet away will be just fine!! You're likely in 50" range I'd think.

Here's a chart I found for you:

What Size HDTV is Right for My Room?

I really wanted to mount a flatscreen above our fireplace, but the installer strongly advised against it because of neck strain associated with looking up all the time, just FYI.

Have fun!!

-Jer.

 

[kennyd]

I used a chart like that, and went with a 50" LCD @ 12' away. Very happy with the results.

I understand the "to big" theory.

 

[NuBota]

I don't have a scientific answer, but as I replaced my old 4:3 sets, this is what I learned going to widescreen

Had a 27" in the bedroom for years - bought a 27" flat panel - too small due to the widescreen profile. It set too low on the existing stand and my feet were in the way when laying in bed. It is now my PC monitor . Went 42" to replace and it is perfect.

Replaced the old 36" standard set with a 50" flat panel.

IMHO, 42" is the smallest you should go in a family room setting, regardless of how you set it up - wall, stand, whatever. If your doing a home theater type room, definitely 50" +

It may seem too big at first, but after two weeks you'll love it and wonder how you ever watched something smaller. I agree with height of the mount though - mine are all on stands and the veiwing angle is just fine. MIL has one on the fireplace and it seems like you're craning your neck up a little to watch - but it's not uncomfortable
-Eric

 

[texbaylea]

We recently bought a 42" Toshiba that works well for us. It is wall mounted so that I look up slightly when seated in my recliner. I am 12' from the TV and that suits me fine. My wife is a little closer, nearer to 9" and doesn't feel like that's too close.

Vernon

 

[Unclebuck257]

I bought a 42 inch Philips Flat Screen and while looking I was told that I shouldn't buy a Plasma Screen TV because they are on their way out. That's why they've come down so far in price from where they started. I bought mine just BEFORE the economic slowdown too. Don't know if it's true, but I was told that the plasma starts to break down after a while. The store had plenty of Plasma Screens too, so they didn't have any reason to lie to me in that regard.

Anyway, I sit about 8-9 feet away from the screen and that 42 inch is as big as I would want to have. In the flat screen TVs, the brightness,the colors and contrast appear to me to be much brighter than in the other types of TVs. Also, a flat screen TV doesn't have the problems with light deflection from windows, table lamps, etc. like the older screens do, so viewing the screen from various angles is no problem.

 

[randy41]

We've got a 40" Samsung LCD in the living room. If there are extreme closups with a lot of motion its too big. this is from 5'-10' away. Otherwise its fine. We sit in the kitchen (our LR & K are like one large room) which is 25' away and watch the news while we eat supper and there's no problem seeing the TV clearly.

 

[EddieWalker]

We're looking at the 52 inch screens. We sit about ten feet away from the wall, where it will go and currently have a 52 inch TV that still works. It's ten years old and has it's issues, but it's not a rush to replace it just yet. Prices keep dropping and quality keeps getting better. With Circuit City closing, we might look for a deal there, but then Best Buy might match them, so it's anybodies guess what we'll do.

Currently, we like LG the best. Just looking at all the screens playing the same thing, the LG has the picture that we like the most.

My FIL has a Polaroid flat screen that be bought from Walmart that just died. From what he was told, it's a common problem that can be fixed with a $220 part. He's not happy.

I also like to read the reviews of stuff on Amazon.com Sometimes they have the best prices, but either way, it's nice to read what people like and dislike about what they buy. I wouldn't buy a TV online, because service if it broke would be a big factor in who I buy from. Again, Best Buy is probably where we will buy from.

Has anybody ever bought a TV and thought it was too big? Is that possible?

Eddie

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I can add to what Nubota said above.

Due to the new widescreen format, TV's aren't as "tall or high" per inches as the use to be. I had a 35" tube TV which measured 21.5 from bottom to top. So, I used that as a basis to shop because I didn't want a smaller wider screen. I ended up buying a Panasonic 50" that measures 24.5" from bottom to top. I couldn't be happier. I got the Viera 720 plasma model and it has a beautiful picture. I've seen them for about $999 I think lately. $999 is pretty cheap if you think about what TV's cost 20 years ago for something comparable. We sit about 12-14 feet from it or closer.

If you are a "videophile", and are willing to pay the extra money for 1080p, I would only recommend it if you are also willing to pay about $30-35 per Blueray disc DVD. Otherwise, save your money until they get cheaper.

 

[jgrreed]

If you are a "videophile", and are willing to pay the extra money for 1080p, I would only recommend it if you are also willing to pay about $30-35 per Blueray disc DVD. Otherwise, save your money until they get cheaper.

I didn't know this before I bought mine, so I'll share it. The only 1080p source available right now is blu-ray. HD satellite and HD cable are 720p. I was told that a 720p signal put through a 1080p panel looks worse than if it were put through a 720p. My point being that unless your primary use is blu-ray watching, save some coin and get a 720p HDTV. Also, I was told that contrast ratio is an important factor, and I think the current standard is 1000000:1.

-Jer.

 

[SnowRidge]

We bought a 36 inch screen, with the width of our media cabinet being the limiter. It is a little on the small side. Ditto on what everyone else has said about the wide-screen format. Often, they broadcast wide-screen stuff so that it will show well on a conventional 4:3 TV by shrinking the vertical component. We watch from 9 to 12 feet away, and a 42 to 54 incher would be preferable.

 

[froggy]

Here's a chart I found for you:

What Size HDTV is Right for My Room?

Jer.

Thanks for posting that website. It will come in handy when I purchase a larger TV later this year.

 

[woodchuckie]

I didn't know this before I bought mine, so I'll share it. The only 1080p source available right now is blu-ray. HD satellite and HD cable are 720p. I was told that a 720p signal put through a 1080p panel looks worse than if it were put through a 720p. My point being that unless your primary use is blu-ray watching, save some coin and get a 720p HDTV. Also, I was told that contrast ratio is an important factor, and I think the current standard is 1000000:1.

-Jer.

I haven't signed up for the HD with my satellite provider yet so I don't know what their source will be but when I watch my local channels over the air the tv shows whether or not it's HD or NTSC and if it's HD it shows 720p or 1080p. Most of the networks are broadcasting the 1080p.

We've got a 52 inch and are watching it at 10 & 12 feet with no problem. The bottom of the screen is 36 inches above the floor. It's setting on the fireplace hearth on our old tv stand. We thought about putting it on level with the mantle which is where the top of the screen is now but we're so satisfied with where it is I think we'll leave it there. I haven't used the fireplace for 25 years. With the fireplace location it gives us that much more room in the den.

 

[JB4310]

I don't think to big is a problem with the newer wide screens?
I tried a 52" mitsu DLP at 12-14 ft it was not to big, brought it back and got the 57" definitely not to big, thinking the next one might go bigger.

Had this mitsu DLP 57" for over 2 years +, bulb burned out, got 3 kids and they fight over the remote and turn it on and off 10 times a day, which is the worst thing for the bulb. Called Mitsubishi about getting another bulb, there's only a 1 year warranty on bulbs, for what ever reason they sent me 1 for free, I was prepared to buy one and did not lie about anything, I think it had something to do with the fact that the chain I bought the tv from went out of business and they had no records of the sale?
Wasn't gonna complain since the cost would have been $270. to me.
I love the DLP picture (cable HD) and would highly recommend it, it was a bummer waiting 3 days for the bulb though.

 

[Alan L.]

I have a 50" Panasonic plasma I watch from about 12 feet. Its great, if anything I'd go bigger. I say this because I can stand 8 feet away and the picture is still awesome. Closer than that, you can see the pixelation some. The 42" would definitely be too small. Seems to me because of the aspect ratio that it takes about a 42" TV to give you what appears to be as "big" a picture as a 4:3 CRT 32" or so.

When I was reading about Plasma vs LCD 1.5 years ago, the plasmas were said to be the most reliable TV you can buy. The only drawback was the possibility of burn-in, but the later ones, including mine are supposed to resist that problem. By the way, its exactly the same burn-in as you have a regular CRT TV. I never had burn in on one of those, and I don't have it on my plasma so far.

I doubt that plasmas are "on the way out", since they are building 1080p plasma TVs right now. They are coming down in price just like LCD TVs are coming down in price. But then I have not researched the subject in a while. When I bought mine, I was being steered away from DLP TVs on the basis that you have to replace the lamp and that they have other problems. Since then, the DLP technology has greatly improved to where there is no lamp to replace, they look better, and supposedly don't have the reliability issues they did.

LCDs have beautiful pictures as do plasmas. It could be my eyes, but LCDs seem a little jerky to me on sports. I don't know why.

My plasma is 720p. I have blu-ray and it is awesome even on the 720p. I stood at Fryes one day and watched the same blu-ray movie being played back on Sony 42" LCDs. One a 720p and the other several hundred $$ more, a 1080p. I stood there for at least 10 minutes looking back and forth at the movie pirates of the carribean. As hard as I tried I could not detect a difference between the two. Some with more acute eyesight might can, but not me.

And all you asked about was size.

 

[Alan L.]

I haven't signed up for the HD with my satellite provider yet so I don't know what their source will be but when I watch my local channels over the air the tv shows whether or not it's HD or NTSC and if it's HD it shows 720p or 1080p. Most of the networks are broadcasting the 1080p.

We've got a 52 inch and are watching it at 10 & 12 feet with no problem. The bottom of the screen is 36 inches above the floor. It's setting on the fireplace hearth on our old tv stand. We thought about putting it on level with the mantle which is where the top of the screen is now but we're so satisfied with where it is I think we'll leave it there. I haven't used the fireplace for 25 years. With the fireplace location it gives us that much more room in the den.

I'm pretty sure the networks are broadcasting 1080i, not 1080p. Unless this has been a recent change that I'm not aware of.

 

[alchemysa]

Thanks everyone. You've convinced me that at least 42" is right for us this time.

 

[NuBota]

I agree about the plasma - they hold up just fine. Have had my 50" Plasma in the family room for 2 years now. Lots of video game time (4 kids) on it and no burn-in issues so far. It has a feature that you can run - a "screen cleaner" if you begin to see signs of burn-in

I did research before I bought - and almost all articles said both were fairly equitable. Rule of thumb was...

Plasma has better "black" color then LCD, but has danger of burn-in; LCD had a more gray colored black. But all the articles pointed out that both were improving in their repsective weak areas.

 

[DocHeb]

The shops are full of 42" models but some of the guides I've seen suggest that that might be a bit big for viewing from about 3 to 4 yards. Anyone got any comments on this?

Another web page with size information and great buying information (but the reviews were a little behind the times when I looked a couple months ago):

LCD TV Buying Guide

Read the Articles and the Buying Guides for great information.

 

[jgrreed]

If anyone cares, I just remembered that Playstation 3 video games are 1080p as well.

I did a bit of looking last night, but my ADHD kicked in and I gave up..... It looked to me like there was talk of upping the HD signal to 1080, but there was confusion about whether is was true 1080p, or 1080i (I think of 1080i as a 'cheating' HD).

I'll try and look again later and see what I can dredge up.

-Jer.