HDTV Buying Guide: Choosing the right size
Choosing the right size high definition television is perhaps one of the most important decisions. You don't want to buy a set too big ‘cause you will get a headache, but at the same time, if you under-buy, perhaps you will be disappointed. The brick and mortar stores like Best Buy and Circuit City, do not do a very good job in providing you a with a proper idea on the size you are interested in. But there are ways around this.
Americans love big TVs. Most people will buy a bigger set if it is only a few dollars more. This may not be the best decision though. If you are going from a 27-inch screen up to a 55-inch rear projection LCD but are only sitting 10 feet away, you will be disappointed. The manufacturer of that TV did not plan on having someone sitting 10 feet away watching “digital” cable. Sure these TVs look great in high-def, but not so much on standard definition.
The signal that the majority of people watch on a daily basis is still standard definition. This signal was developed
over 50 years ago when TVs that were bigger then 16-inches were HUGE.
Now we're still watching the same lines of resolution, sure it is a
better signal, on larger, modern TVs. But the standard was never
designed to give great picture quality at 42-inches, let alone
70-inches! The closer a person sits to the set the worse it looks.
Here is a little rule of thumb to go “buy” (pun intended) to determine the size of set in diagonal inches that will work in your room.
• Distance away from the TV x 4 for standard TV (cable, antenna)
• Distance away from the TV x 5 for digital TV (satellite, DVDs)
• Distance away from the TV x 6 for HDTV
So
if you plan on sitting 12 feet away but watching normal cable on the
set then the biggest you should get is 48-inches. Or, if you plan on
just watching DVDs then a 60-inch would be appropriate.
Now
like anything else, this is not set in stone. The size of the room has
a lot to do with this as well. If you have a two-story great room, then
buy bigger. If it is going in a basement with low ceilings, you
might want smaller. If you are looking at a CRT projection, you
have to remember that they stick out from the wall about 2 1/2
feet, while plasmas can be hung on a wall. You know your room better
then we do so make a judgment call. Many TV stores have a good return
policy because they understand that people over- or under-buy. Find out if
there is a restocking fee or an additional charge if they have to
delivery another set.
How close do you sit to your HDTV and what size is it? Also, do you think that it is the right size?
Once you figure out what size TV you can fit, come back next week, same place and same time, and we will help you figure out what kind of TV to buy.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tucker @ Sep 21st 2005 12:00PM
I sit about 6 feet away from my 37" 1080p LCD. SD is passable, DVDs look great (with a 1080i upscaling DVD player). Unfortunately I'm still waiting on my cable company to get their heads out of their asses to give me HD. My ceilings are average height, and I think the TV is at a very comfortable size/distance. I have it on a squat TV stand that puts it at eye level when sitting on the couch. It's big enough to look big, but not so big at the viewing distance that a) picture quality suffers or b) picture's too large to take in.
Bob @ Sep 21st 2005 12:37PM
Distance makes a big difference. I have a 17" widescreen LCD for my bedroom and at 6 feet away, the picture looks great straight from the cable and DVD. In the living room, there is a 51" Sony. We sit about 9 feet away and HD looks incredible. For everyday viewing of SD, I tend to push the couch back a bit to hide the distortion. In the movie room is a 100" screen in HD and the couch is about 14 feet back. The image looks great with no screen-door effect from the projector (the distance from the screen helps with this ALOT!!). Probably the best investment for a HDTV, even more than the size, is a calibration disc. Avia is the way to go. Get one of these and you'll be happier with your 37" HDTV that looks true to life than your neighbor with the 70" crappy picture.
Steve @ Sep 22nd 2005 7:03AM
Interesting read... I'm always interested in seeing easier ways for novice users to better determine a 'respectable' screen size for their room and configuration.
My question is really in relation to HD viewing versus 'theater' viewing... While these are possibly different end goals, screen size is one reason why some people still feel like they have to go to the movies. While the formulas posted are definitely easier than using viewing angle to determine screen size, they differ from the SMTPE and THX standards by a wide margin.
For Example, using the maximum SMTPE viewing distance based on a 30deg view angle, a 12' setup would need a 88" diagonal. then using the THX formula of between 26deg and 36deg, the same 12' setup would need a 106" diagonal.
Now obviously the only way to get above the 80" mark at the moment is front projection but that is for another discussion.
My old configuration was a 13' prime viewing position with a 122" 1.85 projection screen. This felt so much like the movie theater experience (good sound setup is also required) that we simply stopped going to the movies and HD tv was a true thing of beauty even with just 720p!