To Big?

[Ax-man]

Dumb question for the day....

What is the largest DLP, LCD or plasma made? I've seen 70" TV's but can't recall seeing anything larger than that.


I'm asking because I'm in the process of turning my existing 25'x14' screen room into a dedicated HT 'type' environment and will be looking at getting a rather large TV that will be placed 15' in front the viewing area.

 

[Duffinator]

Dumb question for the day....

What is the largest DLP, LCD or plasma made? I've seen 70" TV's but can't recall seeing anything larger than that.

From what I've seen Mitshbishi has an 81" LCoS RPTV, Sony has a 70" LCD based RPTV, NEC (Pioneer, Mitsubishi) has a 61" Plasma, and Sharp should have their 65" LCD out in November. There are other new sets out as well that are 70" or bigger but I'm pretty sure the Mitsubishi is the largest display device you can purchase for consumers that's not a projector. Maybe Ray saw something bigger at CEDIA?

 

[westcott]

You can go too big with SD programming

DVD or HD programming does not suffer as much from having a large screen but watching SD on a large screen can be frustrating and downright unacceptable, depending on the source and quality.

I still use my 27" in my family room\HT and just sit closer for a lot of SD programs. It is still hard to beat a GOOD CRT display.

So, it really depends on what you watch more of and what your preferences are, general guidelines for seating distances aside.

 

[MDS]

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing the screen size. To say that 'bigger is better' as long as it is calibrated properly and you are viewing reference quality material misses the mark for a number of reasons.

1. WAF, as shokhead mentioned. I would go one further and say also that regardless of whether the significant other will accept a large screen, the physical constraints of the room have to be taken into account. In my case, I couldn't get an 87" screen (.66 x 11') even if I wanted to because the wall it would have to be on is only 84" wide.

2. Your eyes. I am not the kind of person that likes to sit in the front row at the theater or even in the first few rows. I prefer to be near the back. The wow factor of being really close to a big screen so you feel 'immersed' in the image gets annoying rather quickly. The guidelines go out the window in a large space because obviously not every seat in the house is at the recommended distance from the screen.

3. SD vs HD: SD looks terrible blown up on a large screen. Given that SD will be with us a long time, it seems logical to me to strike a compromise with screen size so that SD is at least tolerable. Unless you are one of the few that say they will watch anything in HD just because the picture is so beautiful. With only 10 HD channels on average, it's not a great idea to get a screen so large that ONLY HD looks good and the other 90% of your viewing is unbearable.

Recommended viewing distances/screen size are just the starting point. Start there and tweak as necessary based on physical constraints of the room and your own personal taste.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Dumb question for the day....

What is the largest DLP, LCD or plasma made? I've seen 70" TV's but can't recall seeing anything larger than that.


I'm asking because I'm in the process of turning my existing 25'x14' screen room into a dedicated HT 'type' environment and will be looking at getting a rather large TV that will be placed 15' in front the viewing area.

If the room is light controlled and you want a true home theater experience for movies/HDTV, then front projection goes about as big as you would like it. With a projector like the Panasonic AE-900 or the Sanyo Z4, you can pretty much put the projector at the rear of the room and achieve a 10 foot wide screen size, which should work nicely at a 15 foot seating distance.

I think a lot of the arguement going on here is kind of ridiculous. The claim was made that 60" is too big for a 13x15 foot room. This is flat out an innacurate statement. THX & SMPTE both state that this is not true. While a lot of personal preference goes into and there are many considerations for a room, it is wrong to ever give such a broad generalization.

MDS - If your room was 13x15 and you prefer the rear row at the theater, you are sitting at the back edge of THX standards - which is still very acceptable. Front row of a theater is not 1.5x screen width. Middle of the theater is 1.5x screen width (typically). So, towards the back and you might be at 2x screen width. This puts you even further away if viewing 4:3 material.

WAF? Room considerations? Ambient light? Decor? Budget?

Of course! Every one of those and more is a valid point of consideration which I believe should not just be recognized, but specifically catered towards when planning a screen purchase. But, because it is variable, having a good starting point, knowing the industry standards, properly calibrating for best image, and acknowledging and working with and around the client's needs are the final determination of screen size.

Definitely not "60 inches is to big for this room"

I just installed a 100" diagonal screen in a 13x15 room... The customer could not be happier. In about a dozen remodelling jobs to his home, this was the one he was most happy with. It is strictly for DVD & HDTV though and is a dedicated room.

 

[Duffinator]

This is the bottom line:

Many people have different levels of satisfaction however I have never heard anyone complain after upgrading for a smaller display device to a large one.

 

[RLA]

I'm asking because I'm in the process of turning my existing 25'x14' screen room into a dedicated HT

Installing a front projection system in a room filled with ambient light is now a possibility due to the new screen technology we viewed at CEDIA
See this link http://www.audioholics.com/cedia/cedia2004/ScreenInnovationsMirage.php

I can tell you It was very impressive I hope to get a review sample to see if it performs equally as well in dark rooms

 

[RLA]

SD vs HD: SD looks terrible blown up on a large screen.

This is no longer true if you have the budget for a good processor
And many display devises are now incorporating good processing in their products Infocus FP's use Faroudja F-2300 and 2310 processors They are not perfect but I now find viewing SD on my 110" screen with my 7210 from 14 feet back more than acceptable with a decent signal. Garbage signal will always be Garbage no matter what display device you have.

 

[Ax-man]

Actually I was told by one of the sales persons at a local high end audio/video store early this afternoon that I may want to take a look at this Mitsubishi WD-73827 whenever they get one in stock mid-next week. I may very well go back and check it out within the next couple of weeks.

I've pretty much discounted the projector/screen due to the fact that the room will have several outside windows and even though it will be of the HT 'type' environment it will still be a large standard room with a system that will be used daily rather than a full bore home theatre. *And* besides that, I know absolutely nothing about the projector/screen systems other than reading information throughout this and other forums.

 

[Duffinator]

Installing a front projection system in a room filled with ambient light is now a possibility due to the new screen technology we viewed at CEDIA
See this link http://www.audioholics.com/cedia/cedia2004/ScreenInnovationsMirage.php

I can tell you It was very impressive I hope to get a review sample to see if it performs equally as well in dark rooms

Ray, whatever happened to Sony's black screen that I read about a year ago. It was supposed to increase contrast in rooms with a lot of ambient light. Did it ever make it to market and if so does it work as advertised?

 

[RMK!]

Actually I was told by one of the sales persons at a local high end audio/video store early this afternoon that I may want to take a look at this Mitsubishi WD-73827 whenever they get one in stock mid-next week. I may very well go back and check it out within the next couple of weeks.

I've pretty much discounted the projector/screen due to the fact that the room will have several outside windows and even though it will be of the HT 'type' environment it will still be a large standard room with a system that will be used daily rather than a full bore home theatre. *And* besides that, I know absolutely nothing about the projector/screen systems other than reading information throughout this and other forums.

I agree AXman,

I have a similar situation and I refuse to setup and outfit an expensive cave for viewing movies only (now if I had a 10,000 sq ft house and unlimited budget... what the hay).

I'm skeptical of the "new" screen technology and I'm sure there will be trade offs with those. While I agree bigger is better, A 73" 1080P display like the Mitsubishi 78827 for $5-6K seems pretty hard to beat and I won't have to sit in the dark to watch it.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I agree AXman,

I have a similar situation and I refuse to setup and outfit an expensive cave for viewing movies only (now if I had a 10,000 sq ft house and unlimited budget... what the hay).

I'm skeptical of the "new" screen technology and I'm sure there will be trade offs with those. While I agree bigger is better, A 73" 1080P display like the Mitsubishi 78827 for $5-6K seems pretty hard to beat and I won't have to sit in the dark to watch it.

See, now I went with a $3,000 plasma (50") and have a $700 electric screen that drops in front of it matched with a $2,000 projector.

So, for the same $5-6K I not only have a low-profile, on wall killer display, but I also have the 106" diagonal screen for night time movies with my family in the comfort of our family room. News, soap operas, sit coms, regular TV all day long on the plasma. Then it's Master & Commander near/after dark and a real theater feel.

 

[RLA]

See, now I went with a $3,000 plasma (50") and have a $700 electric screen that drops in front of it matched with a $2,000 projector.

This type of installation is becoming very popular HT hobbyist’s are figuring out that they can stretch their hard earned dollar and have it all for about the same price as a high end 50" display.

 

[Ax-man]

See, now I went with a $3,000 plasma (50") and have a $700 electric screen that drops in front of it matched with a $2,000 projector.

So, for the same $5-6K I not only have a low-profile, on wall killer display, but I also have the 106" diagonal screen for night time movies with my family in the comfort of our family room. News, soap operas, sit coms, regular TV all day long on the plasma. Then it's Master & Commander near/after dark and a real theater feel.

Wow, never thought of this but I certainly like the idea though.

Dumb question numeral dos! Can somebody point me in the right direction regarding the basics of projectors, screens and etc., what to look for and what *not* to look for...you know the basic dumb questions.

 

[brian32672]

Start here at the buyers guide area, then let us know what your budget is....
http://www.projectorcentral.com/buyers_guide.cfm

Also look here, posts 12 through 16. Also there are a few links in those posts that you may want to check out as well.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13527

 

[Ax-man]

Thanks a lot Brian, I'll certainly take a peek!

 

[The Dukester]

See, now I went with a $3,000 plasma (50") and have a $700 electric screen that drops in front of it matched with a $2,000 projector.

So, for the same $5-6K I not only have a low-profile, on wall killer display, but I also have the 106" diagonal screen for night time movies with my family in the comfort of our family room. News, soap operas, sit coms, regular TV all day long on the plasma. Then it's Master & Commander near/after dark and a real theater feel.

Neat idea, but can you really get a "killer" 50" plasma for 3k? I've been looking at new TVs for a few months. All the good plasmas I've seen go for $4-5k around here. If I could get one for 3 or less, I would definately consider this option. Any new projectors coming out that would fall in the $2k range that are better than last years?
Thanks!
Dukester

 

[BMXTRIX]

Did I say killer? Okay, my plasma actually is pretty poor, but I got it over a year ago where 50" was no less than $3K anywhere. Now, sites like www.bestbuyplasma.com - and others, have 50" models from Panny and Samsung for right near the $3K mark. Research will help with that determination, and I use my surround system for 100% of my audio needs with a good controlling remote so one touch gets things going for any family member.

The projectors that will likely be the years top sellers?

Panasonic AE900
Sanyo Z4

Plus I expect some more standouts from Epson and perhaps others.

The specs on those two projectors are at www.projectorcentral.com where you will see that HD LCD displays really are beginning to take viewing to a whole new level. My 2+ year old Panny PT-L300U projector is still giving me a great image and when I bought it I did A-B comparisons with it up against $15K Runco units as well as others. It was not as good, for sure, but it was a far cry from much worse. The newer model LCD units (AE700/Z3) I have compared to my projector and those show a significant improvement. I would consider them similar, if not better, than the $15K Runco projectors from just a couple of years ago.

Simple terms: Yes, you can get very good projectors designed for home theater use specifically, for about $2,000.

 

[westcott]

This is no longer true if you have the budget for a good processor
And many display devises are now incorporating good processing in their products Infocus FP's use Faroudja F-2300 and 2310 processors They are not perfect but I now find viewing SD on my 110" screen with my 7210 from 14 feet back more than acceptable with a decent signal. Garbage signal will always be Garbage no matter what display device you have.

All 480i satellite signals are garbage compared to good 480p dvd or HD satellite. Even with a good video processor, you can only fake some much signal and when it approaches front projector screen sizes, many find it difficult to watch.

I would go out on a limb and say that 32" is about as big as I would care to go with a SD satellite signal on any type of screen.

 

[RLA]

All 480i satellite signals are garbage compared to good 480p dvd or HD satellite. Even with a good video processor, you can only fake some much signal and when it approaches front projector screen sizes, many find it difficult to watch.

Hello
Many SD broadcasts can look just as good if not better than 480p DVD when the display device is calibrated and the signal processed regardless of the screen size. One only needs to look at channels like Discovery to see this. I have had many clients with big display devices think they were watching HD when they were watching SD in full mode. DVD can look like garbage, as well even at 480p poor source is poor source.

I will agree that watching network broadcast on
A very large screen can be painful at times but who would want to burn up their bulb time on a front projection system to do so. Many that own large FP systems also have smaller monitors to view such broad casts. Screen size should be based on seated viewing distances. For more information see this link
http://www.smpte.org/