Panny TH-50PX75U or TH-42PX75U for 11'x12' room

[eilros]

Is a 50" too big for a 11'x12' room? I'll be sitting approximately 8'-8.5' from the screen. I was ready to buy the 42" but can get the 50" for around $300 more.

 

[avaserfi]

I sit a little closer than you will be (about 7 feet) and I have a 42" screen. I wish I had bought a 46" but its not a huge deal. If you are willing to spend the extra $300 I would recommend getting the 50". I don't think you will get visually fatigued from long viewing by the set as its not insanely oversize at most a couple inches.

 

[obscbyclouds]

I sit about 7 feet from a 46" and have no problems with viewing fatigue. I don't think 50" would really be a problem, unless you start to see pixelation due to the resolution (1366x768), this would really stand out when viewing SD material, less so for HD content. I would try viewing it in a store from 8 ft. away and see if you notice any.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Get the 50 inch. I wish I had of gotten something bigger; I set 11ft from my 50'' plasma and it seems a little small but it gives me a good reason to start "pumping" the wife for a PJ!

 

[westcott]

I sit about 7 feet from a 46" and have no problems with viewing fatigue. I don't think 50" would really be a problem, unless you start to see pixelation due to the resolution (1366x768), this would really stand out when viewing SD material, less so for HD content. I would try viewing it in a store from 8 ft. away and see if you notice any.

I agree. Bigger is not always better. It is fine for HD programming only but SD will look even worse on a larger screen. That is why I use a 27" CRT and sit so far away. Compression\Macroblocking is even apparent at this size with SD material. Going bigger only makes it worse.

 

[Drako]

50" is fine in a room that big. A friend used to have a 70" projection screen in a small HT of about the same size, and THAT was too big (felt like you were sitting in the front row of a movie theater...not good). He replaced it with a 50" plasma after seeing mine, and it looks great. I wouldn't go bigger than 50" though.

That said, a 42 will work fine in a room of that size if you also use it for regular TV watching. A 50" will visually dominate a room that size, which is fine if you're building a HT, but isn't so good if you just want to add a TV to your existing family room.

 

[jcPanny]

Hdtv

You might consider spending the extra $300 on a smaller (42") 1080p LCD or Plasma rather than getting a larger (50") 720p set. The higher resolution set will take better advantage of HD material from BluRay, HD-DVD, or satellite.

 

[eilros]

Thanks for all of the advice guys. I ended up ordering the 42". I remeasured and I'm actually going to be around 7'-7.5' from the screen because I won't be mounting it on a wall. I went to BB and looked at both from a distance of 5-8 feet and the 42" looked a little better to me. It's really tough to tell in that environment though. If nothing else, I'll have a good excuse to upgrade in a year or two.