What size tv

D

Don Braidwood

Guest
Hi.

Im about to order a hd plasma tv & was thinking of either a 37" 42" or 50" plasma. I will also be ordering sky hd

I will be sitting about 10 feet away from the tv & would like to know which size tv would be best

I asked a guy in Currys Digital & he said don`t go bigger than 37" as it will give you eye strain.

Your thoughts please

Don
 
Jesus, Currys ... :mad:

From 10' don't get anything lower than 42". I sit about 8' from my 43"er & within a month I wished i'd got the 50".

Many people have said similar on these forums.

K.
 
Interesting reply, I saw a 50" the weekend & thought it was fantastic, the picture was so much better, you could see the people better ( they were larger ) etc it was amazing.

I said to the wife I would love a 50" but don`t know if it would be to big

Would 50" be to big or should I go for 42"

Also I was looking at the Panasonick px 600 42" if I went for a 50" what set would you recommend ?

Thanks for the advice

Don
 
Get the biggest you can afford and sit as close as you can without being distracted by the individual pixels.
About 5 feet away on a 50" 1366x768 display.
It is no more likely to make you go blind than another activity that was said to have that effect.
Is he just trying to offload old stock of smaller displays ?
 
I would love a 50", however I sit 12 feet away and find our 42" perfect from that distance. A 50" would probably be fine but I think 10 feet is ideal for 42".
 
Thanks Stephen..

Im very tempted to go for the 50" my only other issue is people say a large tv can look stupid in a room ie when you enter the room the first thing you see is that massive tv !

What 50" tv would anyone recommend ?

Don
 
Don Braidwood said:
Thanks Stephen..

Im very tempted to go for the 50" my only other issue is people say a large tv can look stupid in a room ie when you enter the room the first thing you see is that massive tv !

What 50" tv would anyone recommend ?

Don

Are you wanting a 50 inch TV or a 50 inch Display?

There are several recent threads regarding the best 50 inch Display (the Pioneer 5000EX aside).

Have asearch for the last few days, There was a simailr thread in whihc i listed various threads on this topic thread is here .

Adrian
 
I didn`t measure the tv I saw Saturday but it stated it was 50". I think 50" tv will a small surround.

Im just not sure which one to go for 42" or 50"

Don
 
Don, I think the biggest issue is the one you bring up last, will it look right? You'd be fine with any iof these displays, but in my experience of plasma sales, nobody has EVER asked me to exchange one for a smaller screen, but a measurable percentage of cutomers ask for 50" having bought 42", and some 50" owners ask for 63", don't they Stephen! ( in his case all in due course, not changing his mind!) If you want a 50" with minimal bezel, to minimise it's impact, you will need a panel only model. It can power any speakers with it's on board amp, it's quite common if you don't want surround sound. You could put the speakers away from the screen for the right visual effect.
 
Another consideration is budget - a 50" will cost a heck of a lot more than a 42". The question of what size is best from 10 feet, I think the answer to that is both 42" and 50" will look awesome, and whilst I would love a 50" now I am very happy with the (much cheaper and not small) 42".

What's your budget?

As for watching a 50" from 5 feet away :eek:
 
Stephen Wilde said:
Get the biggest you can afford and sit as close as you can without being distracted by the individual pixels.
About 5 feet away on a 50" 1366x768 display.
It is no more likely to make you go blind than another activity that was said to have that effect.
Is he just trying to offload old stock of smaller displays ?

Errr, I think you need to get yourself down to Specsavers mate!
 
So from wHoMe's link we can see that HDTV world suggests a minimum viewing distance for a 50" widescreen at 6.3 feet.
In my experience you can push it a bit further to maximise your immersive experience and the benefit from your investment.
I don't do it all the time of course but it does pay to have flexible seating distances so that it can be done when desired.
As MAW says I'm looking forward to seeing how close I can sit to a 63" or 65" panel with HD input on a 1920x1080 panel.
The question of cosmetics in the light of room size is a personal issue which also involves wives/partners but flat panels are not as intrusive as CRT and if you have it in a dedicated room then size (of the panel) is less important.
 
gonzoking,

Perhaps that other activity does make you blind after all !

Funny how so many people think that seeking an immersive experience is evidence of short sight.
One can see perfectly well at a distance but why only half use your equipment.
The whole point of HD and higher resolutions is wasted if you sit well back all the time. Might as well stick with SD.
 
Stephen Wilde said:
gonzoking,

Perhaps that other activity does make you blind after all !

Funny how so many people think that seeking an immersive experience is evidence of short sight.
One can see perfectly well at a distance but why only half use your equipment.
The whole point of HD and higher resolutions is wasted if you sit well back all the time. Might as well stick with SD.

Yup, sitting about 1m away from my 43" is amazing ... but don't do it all the time of course.

K.
 
I understand the point you are making about larger screens (we all wish we had a bigger one ;) ) but I can just about make out the pixels at about 6 feet on my 42".
 
Would I see the pixels of 50" at 10 feet away ? on hd & normal source ?

Don
 
I've just bought both at the same time and looked at them side by side -one is for work and one for home. I sit 10 feet away and the 42 is now going to work :smashin:

It is surprising how much better the 50 is and when I sort out the SKY HD I'll be glad I went as big as I could afford.
 
redalien said:
I've just bought both at the same time and looked at them side by side -one is for work and one for home. I sit 10 feet away and the 42 is now going to work :smashin:

It is surprising how much better the 50 is and when I sort out the SKY HD I'll be glad I went as big as I could afford.


good for you. Out of interest, what model did you buy?

I know I want a 50 inch, the issue for me is what model, and to convince the dearest that a 50 inch is the way forward.

Might just have to order it and suffer the consequences :D :D :D

If I do that though, do I do the whole hog and get the Pio 5000EX :D

Adrian
 
Found myself in a similar situation to you a few weeks ago, same viewing distance etc. but after looking at the sets I had shortlisted a few times and then sitting at home looking at the space on the wall SWMBO decided it would have to be a 50" :thumbsup: (a 46" might have worked but the available sets ruled themselves out for various reasons). We now have the Samsung PS50Q7 and have no regrets.
Because of the design and the way the speakers are hidden it is barely any bigger on the wall than the Hitachi 9700.
Main reason for choosing the Samsung was for the excellent picture (for a 50") on SD sources, as HD material is so limited at the moment that 99% of our viewing is SD. The 'better specified' sets - Sony X series & Toshiba 47WLT66 looked fantastic on HD demo material but were unacceptable to us on 'normal' sky feeds so we saved a fortune and got the Samsung which will do us just fine until HD programming has matured, by which time the newer screen technologies like SED will have probably made their way onto the market.
The moral of all this? State of the art is not always the best solution. :nono: but I don't think you will regret going for a 50" if it is the right one.
 
A few points I would add.

I sit approx 9ft away from the screen; other seats in the room vary between 8-11ft. Originally I started with a 37" Plasma which was great for SD full size picture but not so great for 1:2.35 films etc, I was always wishing the screen was bigger for those films.

Anyway I did a deal with a friend for my 37" and purchased a 42". I can now see (i.e my eyes resolve) SD picture imperfections for Sky Channels with high compression and this does irritate me a bit sometimes. However Sky Movies are fine and Sky Sports are almost fine. DVD via component is fine and 1:2.35 films etc are way better. My Amstrad Sky+ box does display faint vertical lines on certain solid dark backgrounds (a common problem I believe) and I hardly noticed this with the 37" but this much more noticeable with the 42" and also slightly irritating.

The TV is not really that much more dominating in the room and the larger screen still sits on the same stand so takes up no more floor space . To be honest my partner thinks both screens are too big for the living room!

Overall I would definitely not go back as I like the big screen feel and as more HD content kicks in there will be no looking back. I can post pictures of both if it would help let me know.

regards....Roger
 
Yes please post the pictures, I would appreciate that.

Here`s what I think........

I would like 50" but would it look to big for the room, see the pixels, have eye strain,

My safe bet would be 42" but would I regret not gettin a 50" as when I viewed a 50" in store I thought the difference was amazing

Don
 
Here you go.

See what mean about the 42" not really taking up any more real-estate?

Good luck with your decision.

regards....Roger
 

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