Can't decide what size TV to buy

[giacona]

I need help in decding what size TV to get. My current living situation is an apartment complex with a living room size of 18 X 13. I will be about 11 Feet or so away from the Tv when you count the couch and the TV stand since I wont be wall mounting.

I want a decent size, but not overkill. The TV I decided on is the panasonic plasma VT25. Most people I talk to recommend 58 or 65 inch for my room size. IS 65 overkill? I know they look smaller in the stores and when I get it home it's going to look huge.

I've also heard once above 54 inch the only thing that will increase is the width of the tv.

 

[markw]

You really can't get too big.

 

[miniSQ]

i have a 56" tv in a room similar in size to your and similar viewing distance. 65" would be big...not not to the point of be huge.

 

[MDS]

I I know they look smaller in the stores and when I get it home it's going to look huge.

It will only look huge for a little while. After you've had it for awhile, it will look smaller and smaller.

I have a 52" LCD and sit roughly 11-12' from it (room is 16'x18' but also open to breakfast nook/kitchen). I've had it for almost 3 years now and I think it is too small and my room could easily support a much larger set. Watching movies is much better when I move the couch forward so that I'm only sitting 6-7' away.

When this TV finally bites the dust, I'll be looking for something that is a minimum of 60" or maybe even 65" if one is available. I'd say get the biggest TV that you can afford.

 

[bandphan]

i have a 56" tv in a room similar in size to your and similar viewing distance. 65" would be big...not not to the point of be huge.

Its actually the undersized according to THX recommended distances. Take your screen size and divide by .84 to get the viewing distance in inches

 

[aarond]

start here http://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/what-size-screen-display then ask questions.

 

[SopRage]

Awesome TV. Buy the biggest one you can afford. Don't look back.

I'd have loved to get a 65-inch S1, but they were approaching twice the price of the 58-inch I found on sale.

 

[GlocksRock]

If you are 11 feet away, you should go with a minimum of 65 inhces. I have a 73" tv and I sit 12 feet away, and I wouldn't mind going larger.

 

[giacona]

I'm going to try to get the 65 however it's 1K more than the 58 inch. I'm in no rush to buy so I will hold out until around black friday and see where prices are then.

The only thing that concerns me about the 65 someone mentioned I may see stuff i'm not supposed to see and it might not make me happy and think there is an issue with the tv. Still going to do more research since I have some time.

 

[GlocksRock]

I don't know what "stuff" you think you may see that you aren't suppossed to, but those things would be seen on a 58" the same as they would on a 65". Keep an eye on the hot deals forum over at slickdeals.net as great deals are always being found on big tvs

 

[bandphan]

http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html

http://hdguru.com/hdtv-seating-distance-chart/6/

http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/hdtv-set-up/

http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter

 

[Pyrrho]

I need help in decding what size TV to get. My current living situation is an apartment complex with a living room size of 18 X 13. I will be about 11 Feet or so away from the Tv when you count the couch and the TV stand since I wont be wall mounting.

I want a decent size, but not overkill. The TV I decided on is the panasonic plasma VT25. Most people I talk to recommend 58 or 65 inch for my room size. IS 65 overkill? I know they look smaller in the stores and when I get it home it's going to look huge.

It depends on what you will be watching on it, your vision, how clear you want the picture to be, and how big you want. If you are watching a 1080p source, and if you have 20/20 vision, and if you want to be able to see all of the picture's detail at 11 feet away, you need a TV that is 84-85".

See:

http://www.digital-digest.com/articles/HDTV_Viewing_Distance_Calculator_Guide_page1.html

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/features/2006/02/maxing-out-resolution

http://hd.engadget.com/2006/12/09/1080p-charted-viewing-distance-to-screen-size/

Anything smaller, and you will not see all of the detail of a 1080p picture at that distance, unless you have better than 20/20 vision.

If you get a TV 56 inches or smaller, it might as well be a 720p TV, unless you have better than 20/20 vision. The reason is, you will not be able to see any more detail than 720p on a 56" TV at 11 feet away if you have 20/20 vision.

Because of the cost of larger TVs, unless I was wanting many people to watch at once, I would consider arranging the room such that one sits closer to the TV, so that a TV of a particular size is going to take up more of one's visual space. For example, at about 8 feet away, a 62" 1080p set would be great, as it would take up as much of your field of vision as a 84-85" TV at 11 feet away. Again, see links above.


If it were me, and if I were watching a 1080p source, and if I were watching at 11 feet, I would want a TV that is 84-85". Some other people would prefer larger, giving up "perfect" clarity for a larger screen, and others would rather have a small screen TV than a big screen TV, so they would naturally want smaller.

I've also heard once above 54 inch the only thing that will increase is the width of the tv.

Think about what you are saying. Since the width of the screen increases in size, what do you think will have to happen to its height if it is the same aspect ratio? The picture will be taller as well as wider.