[The Gonif]

Hey everyone,


There are a lot of questions on here about screen size, but I'm wondering more about the aesthetics of a large HDTV in a small room. I just brought home a 46" HDTV and set it up. It looks acceptably large in the room, and my wife is tolerating it, although she'd prefer a smaller TV.


However, now that I've had a chance to use it, I'm seriously wondering if I made a mistake and should have gone with the 52". The 46 looks fine for 16:9 content, but the picture sure does shrink vertically when playing a 2.35:1 DVD -- I honestly had no idea that letterboxing still existed with widescreen TVs.


So the bottom line is that I'd love to get the 52" screen, but even I can acknowledge that the form factor will just overwhelm the room. After several conversations with my wife, she finally agreed that I should get the 52" if that's what I really want, but she's not exactly happy about it. We currently live in a modestly-sized condo; the sofa is 9-10 feet from the TV. Getting the larger TV will make it pretty much the tallest thing in the room... it'll obstruct the over-the-counter view from the kitchen to the sofa, because it will be taller than the kitchen counter. However, when we move to a bigger house, it might be perfect, who knows?


How did you all work the give-and-take between what "fits" in the room without drawing too much attention to itself and what yields the awesomest picture that you've dreamed about for most of your adult life?

I assume you married guys must have had similar issues, and that you single guys probably think the trade-off is a no-brainer.


Thanks for your advice!

 

[westa6969]

There are many different form factors even in LCD. Example would be an Olevia which is rather bulky and twice the weight of many LCD's.


Aim for a thin form factor that has semi hidden speakers. Also, give yourselves a week or so to get used to the size and then guess what? You'll crave bigger yet! I feel the new Sony/Samsungs have improved form factors over previous models and with great PQ.


Often the thin form factors like the Toshiba 550 can cost more also so doing a balancing act can be important. Find a quality panel that does not look bulky if you LOVE the PQ which should be the first and most important factor in your equation.


In the next 1-2 years you'll see much thinner panels debuting but who wants to wait? If you love what's on the panel and it's a quality panel the enjoyment should far outweigh that factor but I actually do not understand anyone thinking an LCD is bulky as someone that had to upgrade from a 60" SXRD because the wife hated RPTV form factor - she loves the flat panel and my 57" is 5.5" thick whereas next years version will become about one third that bulk but my WoW factor and PQ far outweighs any thinking it's bulky ever!


Wife approval factor can be a ***** at times but she loves the 57" flat panel because her reference point was the RPTV and because the experience is better than the actual movie theater now with Blu-Ray, HD DVD and HD Channels and SS system. Someday I'll jump to the 65-70" and she'll love it as it'll be much thinner than my current panel and the fact she doesn't pay for my hobby - she gets the rewards without paying.

 

[The Gonif]

Thanks for the reply. We currently have the Samsung 46" LCD, and it's only a few inches thick, so it's not bulky in that dimension. What's bulky is just the sheer size of the screen, as viewed from directly in front of it. The 46" is passable aesthetically, but the 52" would tower over everything. When you walk in the front door, you'd see the backside of that huge, black rectangle; likewise when standing in the kitchen looking over the kitchen counter at the living room.


According to the distance guide, a 52" screen is what we should have to visually discern 1080p. But the sheer size of that sized screen makes it seem somewhat out of place in the smallish room. And that's where my indecision comes in: do you sacrifice aesthetics or movie-watching quality?