[gate1975mlm]

I was thinking about getting a 46" 1080P LCD. We seat about 13 feet away from the tv. Would 46" be too small?

 

[ted08721]

I sit about the same distance with a 46 inch set ( wife said set had to fit in armoire)

It's ok, but just ok

more or less it sucks ,but it's ok not ideal. If I had a choice I would have gone for a 56 inch set. Many here will tell you to go alot larger 60/70 inch set. I plan on adding a 46 inch set in spare room and will be sitting about 9 feet away. If I were you. I would get at least a 52 inch set.

 

[eric102]

Go bigger if you can afford it. I'm at 8 ft. from a 46 and it seems about right.


On my 50 I'm at 12 ft. and I'm thinking a 65 would be nice

. When I first got the 50 it seemed huge, but they shrink as you get used to them.

 

[9000rpm]

Westinghouse has a pdf on their website that you can print off and tape to your wall. The diagonal distance is 44". I'm sitting 9.5 ft away and the printout is significantly short of being 'cinematic'. And as is noted above, the impact of size seems to diminish after awhile. I think I need at least 57"-65". At 13 feet a 46" would feel like a portable you take to the football game.

 

[krupps58]

Well I sit about 8-9 feet away and got a 40". I was worried it might be too big but now I feel I should have got the 46" model. So I guess what I'm saying is save up a little more money for a few months and get the size you need right away.

 

[Bob58]

Here's a pretty good chart that shows seating distances vs size of screen and screen resolution.

Personally, I have a 40" 768p Sony and I sit between 9 and 12 feet due to my room layout.


For me, a 1080p set would be completely wasted because I wouldn't be able to notice the benefits of the increased resolution. (Nevermind the fact that since I don't have an HD DVD player, there would be no 1080p sources for me to view anyway)


On the other hand, on some of my lesser quality SD channels, I can enjoy the picture more fom 12 feet than from 9.


You should balance everything and get the best compromise that fits you.

 

[gate1975mlm]

Well I could always get a 52" maybe but anything bigger then that would be to big and too much money.


For the last 13 years I have watched a 35' CRT from about 13 feet back. So I always thought going from 35" to 46" would not be a problem

This is very upsetting.

 

[Bob58]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gate1975mlm /forum/post/0


Well I could always get a 52" maybe but anything bigger then that would be to big and too much money.


For the last 13 years I have watched a 35' CRT from about 13 feet back. So I always thought going from 35" to 46" would not be a problem

This is very upsetting.

You certainly can watch a 46" flat panel from 13'. On a quality source it'll look really really good.


You just won't see as much eye popping detail on an HD source sitting 13 feet away as you would sitting closer.


To me, the real thing to consider is how much of your daily programming is HD. Sure, as time goes by, more and more content will be broadcast in HD but how much of that material will be sourced in HD?


If you really want to be disappointed, buy a high resolution panel and then try watching a marginal to poor quality SD channel (like many cable channels are) from an HD sitting distance.


Buying an HD is a, obviously, large expense. It also comes with trade-offs. The best advice I can give you is take an honest look at what you really want out of your prospective purchase. Weigh those against the real world realites of available HD content, how much you're willing to spend and how you'll be able to view the set.


Don't get too caught up in the latest technology hype. Like computers, you cannot future-proof an HD tv right now. In 6 months to a year, there will be higher performing sets at half the price you paid. There's no way around that.


Personally, I think you could possibly be happy with a quality 46" 720p/768p set at that distance.


They may not be this TV generation's Porsche, but they have their useful place, cost hundreds to thousands less than their 1080p counterparts, and I'm really happy with mine.

 

[gate1975mlm]

Update it will be 10 feet away as I will be able to move the TV up a little.

 

[irkuck]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gate1975mlm /forum/post/0


Well I could always get a 52" maybe but anything bigger then that would be to big and too much money.

For the last 13 years I have watched a 35' CRT from about 13 feet back. So I always thought going from 35" to 46" would not be a problem

This is very upsetting.

You have to change way of thinking if you really want to watch HD sucking its pixels to the max.

This requires viewing distance in the order of 3-4 picture heights.


On the other hand, if you do not mind much about HD, you will be still watching lots of SD, and in particular bad quality SD channels, then go for smaller display size.

 

[Fish Chris]

My viewing distance is 8 1/2 ft. I tossed back and forth between a 40" and a 46" LCD. I finally ended up going with the 46", 1080p JVC LT 46FN97, and thank God ! Right away I could see that it wasn't even a little bit too big. A 40" would have surely been too small. After having it for more than two months now, as Eric102 mentioned above, it has seemingly shrunk, to where I really believe that a 52" (maybe even a little big bigger than that ?) would be okay.


My only concern is, should I ever move to a place with a longer viewing distance, I can't imagine how huge my flat panel would have to be to please me....... or should I say, "how huge my wallet would have to be, to buy such a flat panel" !?!? Doh !


Peace,

Fish


PS, IMPO;


10ft, at least 52"


13ft, at least 60", but 65" would probably be better.


16 ft, at least 80"

 

[MitsuDude]

We have a 46" 1080p that we watch from 10-11 feet away, and the PQ is breathtaking.