TV size and watching distance...?

[Tha Freak]

I’m starting to look for a larger TV and move to HD…

I’m looking for a 50’’ to 55’’ TV

I was wondering what is the IDEAL viewing distance for 50’’ and 55’’ ??

Does this IDEAL viewing distance changes from a ACL, Plasma or DLP set ?

[aud19]

Try this link

http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html

[Tha Freak]

WOW !! thanks!!

are the "older" Sony's SXRD (ie model KDS50A2000) overall second best after the newer Sony XBR serie ??

...meaning that a lot of people (including you my friend aud19 :B ) where saying that beside everything, the SXRD where the one to get, and after, there where all the other brands...

Now, is there some other brands with the same quality within the price range ??

Are SXRD Lcos screen ?

and is the contrast ratio important ?? I saw Sharp Aquos with 10000:1 ratio what does it mean ??

A saleman told me today that there is no way to get truHD (1080P) for now and it won't be available until 5-10 years??? I almost fell off the chair !!! I was under the impression that HD-DVD and Bluray where 1080P ??

Who's wrong ?

Thanks!!

[Hdale85]

Well the Sharp Aquas 1080p is the best LCD from what I've been hearing and man oh man does it have a sweet picture If I had an extra 1000 bucks I'd be going with the 52" 1080p Aquas. But instead I'm getting a 720p FPTV...

Oh and Blu Ray deffinately outputs 1080p and the new XA2 hd dvd player outputs 1080p as well!!! So tell that salesman he's a moron Not to mention HD cable is outputed at 1080i which looks much better on a 1080p set I would say.

[Shawn Parr]

When looking at LCD's try to find out the panel's native contrast ratio. When you see numbers like 10000:1 that is usually a dynamic contrast ratio where the TV does processing to make 'more contrast in dark areas.' I'm not exactly sure how this works, but I think it is adjusting brightness/contrast/gamma when the overall picture gets dark, and a lot of people that do their own calibration usually disable this feature when possible. As a matter of fact there has been some dissension on other forums that newer Samsung's do not allow you to fully disable DNIe and it is making some upset.

Also, supposedly the inexpensive Aquos (the 40 series) is not actually made by Sharp, but rather by Orion and some feel it is vastly inferior to the other models. I have not personally compared them, however whenever I have seen a 40 series in a store it has always been one of the worst looking sets there. It is really hard to compare in a store though due to the lighting, poor video distribution, and bad out of the box setups on TVs though.

I checked out that calculator link also, and I think it is interesting. According to that I should have a 50" television for where I sit in my room. I currently have a 25", and am thinking of getting either a 32" or 37". I am having trouble imagining a 50" in my living room.

[aud19]

When looking at LCD's try to find out the panel's native contrast ratio. When you see numbers like 10000:1 that is usually a dynamic contrast ratio

Too true.

Almost more important than any contrast numbers though is how and where you plan to use the display. Ie: dark, dedicated theatre room for movie/HD viewing or bright living room to watch daytime sports? From there you have to look at things like whether the looks of a flat panel are more important to you (or your spouse : ) than the lokos of the actual PQ, whether a RPTV (like the Sony SXRD (yes it's a type of LCOS)) would be acceptable or perhaps something like a projector for movies/HD and a small LCD for daytime viewing would be a better option?

[Shawn Parr]

Yeah, definitely consider the ambient light of the room. My wife's mom has a friend in Omaha that when we visited them a few years back I noticed a large (50 - 60") Samsung DLP RP set in their living room full of windows.

I asked Judy how she felt about not being able to see the TV at all during daylight - she shot me a look and yelled "tell me about it!"

Unfortunately for me in many parts of Louisiana, especially where I'm living, there are no basements. That coupled with the wife not letting me close off a room means no RP for me. Oh well, I'm pretty happy with what I have seen from some LCDs, especially the Philips, and now I'm investigating some of the Aquos sets.

[Ovation]

The close seating distance is recommended for 1080p resolution displays. If you plan to sit twice as far away from the screen or plan on a smaller size screen, then a 720/768p display should be more than sufficient.