[NatGun]

so im looking into buying my first HD tv. most of what i will be watching is standard 4:3 cable TV. is there an easy way to tell how big a 4:3 image will be on a 16x9 tv? im thinking that to get a decent size 4:3 image im gonna need to go upwards of 50" on a 16:9tv.

 

[Old Fogey]

If you find the math a little daunting, this site will calculate display dimensions and compare 4x3 to 16x9 screen sizes for you:
http://www.cavecreations.com/tv2.cgi

 

[NatGun]

thank you so much.

 

[oxothuk]

Quote:

Originally posted by NatGun so im looking into buying my first HD tv. most of what i will be watching is standard 4:3 cable TV. is there an easy way to tell how big a 4:3 image will be on a 16x9 tv? im thinking that to get a decent size 4:3 image im gonna need to go upwards of 50" on a 16:9tv.

A quick rule of thumb is that a 16:9 TV needs to be 20% larger (diagonal size) to have the same sized image for 4:3 material. Thus a 16:9 TV with 42" diagonal has the same image size for 4:3 material as as a 4:3 set with 35" diagonal.