I hope someone can help me -- I've spent days researching for the purchase of a new television for our living room. We moved into this house about 5 months ago, and have been using a 27" LCD since then. This was meant as a temporary situation -- we sit about 13.5 feet from the screen.

There are several issues here that make the decision difficult. First, the house was pre-wired for 7.1 audio, and already had the satellite dish installed and wired. All of this wiring terminates in a small built-in 'entertainment center', which has conduit in the wall ending over the fireplace. Above the fireplace, the wall is recessed 3-4 inches where a television would go. The point is, the TV is meant to go over the fireplace, and I don't see how I could put it anywhere else. FYI - we live in Texas, so the fireplace will not get used much (if at all).

My #1 concern is the vertical viewing angle. I've thought that maybe I could tilt the screen a little.... The base of the TV will be 13 inches above eye level. But I think that the 13.5 foot viewing distance will help -- the viewing angle from normal eye level on the couch to the top of the TV is 30 degrees for a Samsung 61 inch, and 35 degrees for a Samsung 72 inch. I know DLPs lose picture quality at large angles, but I don't know if this is too much. I have tried testing this in person in stores, but it is hard to duplicate the distance and angle. I will probably try again soon.

Also, I don't know if having a large television at that height will be uncomfortable to watch. The one we have now doesn't seem to bother us, but a larger TV might be different. But, this problem I will have no matter what kind of television I end up with.

Another problem is that the mantle over the fireplace is only 14 1/2 inches deep. One solution to this I have come up with is that I could cut a piece of wood in the exact shape as the base of the television, paint it to match, and bolt it down to the mantle. I have no idea if this will look good.... The slim Samsung DLPs are about the right size, but I've read that DLPs need ventilation behind them -- and I don't want it sticking out 3-4 inches.

I would love to use front projection, but we have 7 ft tall windows all over our living room and kitchen which, even with the blinds closed, make that part of the house very bright. Plus, our front and back doors are glass (and have windows over them as well). The living room is so bright in the daytime, even with all blinds closed, that we never use the lights.

Finally, because of the distance (> 13 ft), I want to get a fairly large television. The biggest LCD I would consider (due to price) is a 52 inch Bravia. But I'm afraid at that distance, I will be missing out on detail. After the purchase, I plan on getting HD satellite and (eventually) BluRay.

So, I'm looking for advice from anyone who has experience with any of these issues.

Quick answer....don't bother with a DLP in this situation. Plasma would be my bet in this case if you have to have it over the fireplace.

I agree that plasma would work much better since it solves your vertical viewing angle problem and a flat panel would fit much better than RPTV.

But still a large screen up that high can present a problem. I wouldn't like a 50-58" screen up that high.

Better give this a lot of thought before buying. Are you sure the 27" looks ok up there? Then think how much higher the top of a larger screen will be. Over the fireplace can present lots of headaches even if you never light it up.

Thanks for the responses.

After going back to the store and looking at the DLPs, I think I'm going to forget about them. The picture fades too much if you move even slightly off center. I'll just keep looking at LCDs and plasmas.

Anyway, if I put it over the fireplace and I can't tolerate it there, that will motivate me to rewire the room.

Remember that LCD has dimming problems off angle too. That's why we recommended plasma which is basically immune to this problem.