Now that 50" is mainstream what next?

NewBeetle

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Just thinking today that over the last couple of years the mainstream TV size, meaning the most popular size for a homes 'main' television has gone from 42" up to 50". A couple of years ago people with 50" were few and far between, mainly due to cost I suppose but now thats no longer such a factor the 50" sets seem to have become the norm or at least as common a find in suburban living rooms as 42" TV's.

So do you think this is where it will settle for a while? Or can you see the 56-60" becoming mainstream and prices being driven down due to mass production and acceptance as something 'normal' people will have in the front room? I guess viewing distances may slow this natural progression though, as most people will not have a decent enough distance to view SD sources on a 60" set. But as more and more viewing is done in HD then everyone will have enough distance for a 60"

I can hear people saying no 60" sets will never come down to affordable levels for 'most people' to afford, but honestly its not that long ago a 50" would cost £3000.
 
Great post!

Well, I'm not sure the "norm" will be over 50" for a good while yet. See, I'm only just on my first 50" come next week, and I reckon most people are yet to get 50" even though prices have come down. A good 50" LCD is still expensive and as we all know, plasma is dead in the eye's of Comet etc. I know you do get used to the size of an upgrade, but just don't see Joe Bloggs making the jump to 60"+ yet.


IF OLED takes off ( surely it will at some point ) and prices get realistic, then yes I think the 56" - 60" will easily be in the reach of most. But that's years away yet and until then, I see 50" and below to be most common.

But for many people on this forum? Yeah 60" is already quite popular and more and more will make that leap, but even then dont see most going bigger than that. Prices will not come down to reasonable levels for anything bigger for years and years.
 
Thinner, Lighter, Brighter with lower power consumption is the direction for the next 2years. :cool:
 
Having just bought my first 50" set and initially thinking this is huge as with all size upgrades you do get used to it very quickly. The main thing for most people however after cost is where do you put it in your living room, as many living rooms follow the same format of a chimnet breast with alcoves. My 50" just fits into this space and mine isn't a bad sized living space, so unless you want your TV to totally dominate, then I would guess 50" is getting towards the maximum for most people.
 
I think its down to space...there is no way I could have anything bigger than my 50" where I live right now - im at 7ft viewing distance now! ;)

I wont be upgrading my TV for a very long time - at least 3 or 4 years - and even then, youve really got to have a fairly big room to put a bigger than 50" set in I think.

I have seen plenty of people on the forum watching 42" tvs from 10-11ft though....I think they will be upgrading! :)
 
As well as space there's also a question of aesthetics - not everyone wants a monster sized screen in their living room. 50" would be about the maximum for me - if I wanted something bigger to watch flicks on, I'd be looking at a projector with a screen I could hide away when not in use.
 
As well as space there's also a question of aesthetics - not everyone wants a monster sized screen in their living room. 50" would be about the maximum for me - if I wanted something bigger to watch flicks on, I'd be looking at a projector with a screen I could hide away when not in use.

Hi, this poist is a very good thought indeed.

Aestetically, I would also think that 50" is the largest. We even swapped our 50" for a 42" because it looked like the living room was built around the screen :eek:

I think the climax of TV is the 65inch panasonic pro model, which was reviewed in the thread. This also supports a spartan design that would not draw all the attention from the living room. Wouldn't say no to that.
 
A very interesting thought what the future will hold...

I believe 3D will 'never' (before 2020) take off as it is a unique selling point for cinemas and poses too many technical challenges to fit into the already crammed tv's we already own.

OLED is very interesting but i think it'll be 5 years til these become 'mainstream'

Perhaps it's just me but i don't believe 50" is considered 'mainstream' although i totally agree it is more and more popular. I've just invested in a 50V10 after a long time on a 28" CRT :D but i only know one person that has a 46"... i would therefore consider 37" / 42" to be 'mainstream' which is why more LCD's are sold.

Even if it's untrue i'll prefer to bury my head in the sand and consider my 50" to be special! :rotfl:
 
Perhaps it's just me but i don't believe 50" is considered 'mainstream'

Even if it's untrue i'll prefer to bury my head in the sand and consider my 50" to be special! :rotfl:
LOL that's the spirit!!

At work I know of only one person in our area who has a 50" TV and I work at the Toyota factory, so there that's a fair few who dont have 50"! Though many have 46". I think the step up from 46" to 50" is easy, but I don't know of many coming from much less than that.
 
There is no way on God's earth that "the most popular size for a homes 'main' television has gone from 42" up to 50" "

I would venture to suggest that in the real world, beyond these hallowed portals, it's 32 or just maybe possibly 40/42.

If there is a general size migration to come, I don't think 50" will be the most common format for at least 5 years. I think punters are more interested in clarity, simplification and energy consumption short term.
 
I put a 50" in my bedroom last year and everyone said I was mad. Cost less than the Sony 32" CRT in the lounge though. Having got used to it we are looking for 58" or 65" for the lounge later this year. I think as people get used to the bigger screens they will want more.

I think the picture quality has a lot to do with acceptability of the screen size. Internal Freeview on the 50" in the bedroom is a bit soft but the same channels on Humax Freesat are much better. HD is simply stunning everyone who has seen ITV HD football has been amazed. I think people are put off buying large screens by the poor demonstrations in places like Comet and Currys.
 
Thinner, Lighter, Brighter with lower power consumption is the direction for the next 2years. :cool:

I agree

I think its down to space...there is no way I could have anything bigger than my 50" where I live right now - im at 7ft viewing distance now! ;)

I agree

Because of LCD and plasma advancement I think that the most average people can fit is 50" without sacrificing viewing distance and angle. Anything bigger is down to individual room sizes/layout. If I was to re-arrange the living room and do a refurb I would go for the flexability of a projection and then have a mad 100" screen :eek:
 
I got 50" Plasma and not used it yet as it have not arrived.

I think 42 inch is ideal for most people. If I get suitable amount of money and house of my own I will be buying around 65 " Panasonic Plasma for living room. I have seen 103" version and think it is too much. But it all depends on what house you buy and what room you have. I won't be upgrading my screen size for long time.
 

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