If my main viewing area is 10ft, isn't 52 too big? I've looked over a lot of viewing distance calculators and such and i dont want to have a TV thats too big for the distance I am sitting.
Maybe my thoughts on things ive been told is wrong but I thought you had to be a certain distance from a larger TV in order to not lose clarity.
Hell, Id love a 55" but I thought that sitting only 10ft away would be bad for that size.
There are lots of calculators out there, but the simple reality is that personal preference trumps all.
Put into perspective: THX standards will put the middle row of a movie theater about 1.5x the WIDTH of the movie screen away. So, if you are at a 10' viewing distance, than a screen which is about 80" wide (92" diagonal) is appropriate for recreation of the cinematic experience.
While it may seem insane to have a TV that large, it is actually something which feels very comfortable to movie viewing and not at all stressful for most viewers who enjoy the center of the theater.
Far more realistically, for day-to-day viewing of TV, at 10-12 feet you will find that you are going to be very comfortable with a 55" to 72" diagonal display.
FACT: The number one complaint of owners of HDTVs after they buy one?
They wish they had bought a bigger size.
From 10' I would not recommend a TV under 60" diagonal. You will find that size to be very enjoyable and will not have any stress or issues at all viewing a display of that size.
Your budget to get such a display may not allow for something that large, but you certainly will not be overwhelmed when using it. In my decade of installing flat panel displays, there is no doubt that 50" is almost always to small once people are used to the display if it is their primary display. Every customer who I have spoken to after a sale who I talked into a larger display has been grateful that they went larger.
Seven days is about the magic number. Put it up, the display seems huge. Seven days later you are completely comfortable with the size.
