What is Your HDTV "Number" -- Read Instructions

[W2R]

Some day I want to join those who chose "9 or above"!! Wow. Can you imagine? It must be like you are right there and could reach out and touch the actors. I am all for large size when it comes to TV's, though I am not used to sitting much closer to a TV.

Right now I have a 42" Hitachi plasma TV which I watch from 11-12 feet away (depending on if I am leaning forward a little with a pillow behind my back, or not), so I selected "4".

 

[TromboneAl]

the group that absolutely cannot stand the 'stretched' picture

I'm sure that I couldn't accept that either. I went to my sister's house, and she complained that on her HDTV, that she'd had for months, things seemed a little distorted. I showed her that she could choose to have bands on the side, and suggested that in the future she read the manual.

We can't get any signals over the air here.

Good advice here, thanks. Maybe we should get something we can return if it is too small/large (e.g. Costco). Or maybe I'll cut up a cardboard box and draw something on it to help decide.

 

[Nords]

Also, if you don't have an HDTV, sit this one out.

I thought this was going to be a poll about "How cheap will an HDTV have to be for you to cave in and buy one?"

Spouse's 32" CRT started misbehaving about eight months ago so we scurried out to pick up a $50 Craigslist replacement. The first TV sensed its replacement waiting on the livingroom ready circle and decided to straighten out (literally) so now we have two 32" CRTs. I figure she's good until 2020.

One low-cost solution is to get a 32 inch HDTV, and put it up high.

Another low-cost solution would be to build a custom-designed table or cabinet that incorporates the TV and the contents of the entertainment center. Spouse is still more attached to her 1980s MDF wall units than to any of them newfangled HDTVs...

I guess the only number that counts is the one you & Lena measure at the HDTV showroom. You'd think that they'd have courtesy tape measures and recliners available for customer testing.

 

[MichaelB]

programming?

If you’re watching high definition programming you’ll want a bigger screen, easily 42”

DVDs will also look great on a bigger screen, especially progressive scan and blue-ray.

If you’re watching regular SD material on a HD screen it’s gonna look lousy, and the bigger the screen the worse it will look. The low quality signal will stand out.

What matters the most are your viewing habits. My informal polling of friends and family members over the past half-decade shows that “less-good” programs in HD are always preferred over “better” program in SD.

With a 42" screen at 10’, the programming you really like, in HD, is gonna look fantastic...

 

[MasterBlaster]

My informal polling of friends and family members over the past half-decade shows that “less-good” programs in HD are always preferred over “better” program in SD.

Are you suggesting that HD marginal content is preferred over top-rated content on SD. I am not so sure that I agree.

 

[Orchidflower]

42" and sit about 8 feet away--just far enough to not have to wear my glasses and just far enough to not get a headache by being way too close = 5.25 in the poll.

My vision is 20/60 and, since I see pretty well without glasses close up, I try and not wear them any chance I get....but, I'm always forgetting I don't have them on, start the car, realize I don't have glasses on to drive, stop the car, go in the house...well, you get the idea.

 

[MichaelB]

Are you suggesting that HD marginal content is preferred over top-rated content on SD.

Uh... I said "less bad" vs "better". IOW, when the difference in program quality is not great the choice is always the HD content.

I am not so sure that I agree.

It's not their opinion, it's their preference.

SD programming is quite poor - lousy color definition. It was more than adequate for 17" tv sets 40 years ago. HD programming is not just higher resolution, it's also greater and more precise color definition. HD content is increasingly available - this should be considered before a choice is made.

 

[MasterBlaster]

A few points...

1) I believe that this distance to HD size oversimplifies the case.

Is it just as good to sit 5 feet from a 32 inch screen as to sit 10 feet from a 64 inch screen ? In my opinion - no.

Based on this single factor we could all buy a small HDTV and sit really close to get the best viewing experience. I don't believe that this is the same experience.

2) You can overdo the HD size thing. Imagine sitting in the front row of the movie theatre. it is somewhat uncomfortable for some people as they have to work to take in all of the picture. The same is true for too large HDTVs in your house.

3) MichaelB: Of course HD is preferred over SD considering all the issues.

 

[scrinch]

46" at 12 feet, so HDTV score of 3.8. When I bought the HDTV to replace the old 27" CRT, I thought it was enormous. Now I could see getting a 56" or 60". Not sure I would say that 3.8 is too low...but if I was going to change, it would be to a higher number, not lower.

 

[IBWino]

We have a 50" plasma we watch from abot 11.5 feet. My wife says it's big enough, so I went ahead and voted...

 

[Alan]

32", about 9' away in my favorite chair... guess that would round up to 4.

Exactly the same here. I'm happy enough with that.

In bedroom where DW watches TV, 20", about 6' away from her recliner, rounds down to 3. She's happy about that but I'm not telling her about this poll

 

[Rustic23]

we replaced a 36 inch crt with a 62 inch rear projection. It is in a fairly large room and we sit about 14 to 15 feet back. We have watched a lot of really bad TV in our life. Arm Forces TV in Germany came with multiple images, ghost and lots of snow. Once you get into a tv show most of that does not seem to make much difference, until you watch a really big HDTV.

 

[xyz]

Have had a 50" Plasma for about 2 years and watch it from about 8 feet. If you like sports you will be amazed how much more you can see with the High Def and the plasma.. I have a 32" LCD in my overhead in my RV and watch it from about 8 feet and the 32" is definitely acceptable. Bigger question is Plasma or LCD or LED. Personally I like my Plasma over the LCD but that is a personal preference.

 

[Steve O]

12' from a 65" DLP is working for me

I have it hooked to the computer for the monitor, gyroscopic mouse and wireless keyboard with media center...

I can post here and watch American Greed all at once while laying on the couch

 

[2good]

We have a 42" at 9 ft. which is pretty comfortable.
A couple years back a friend of mine bought a TV based on one of these "Online calculators". He choose a 32" HD LCD with a viewing distance of 8 ft. This TV seems tiny to me and he is in the process of upgrading to a bigger one.

 

[2good]

Another tought:
I was thinking about putting my 42" in the upstairs room for the kids to use with the Wii and upgrade to a 46".
I tried to see differences between 60Hz/120Hz/240Hz and between LCD and LED and all of these look similar to me when at the store.

 

[samclem]

I tried to see differences between 60Hz/120Hz/240Hz and between LCD and LED and all of these look similar to me when at the store.

The "LED TV" is really deliberately misleading labelling. The LED TVs are simply regular LCD TVs which use LEDs as the backlighting instead of florescent tubes. In some designs the LEDs are darkened in areas of a picture that are truly black, which helps produce deeper blacks than a regular LCD TV, but it's a relatively minor improvement in my opinion.

 

[WanderALot]

The "LED TV" is really deliberately misleading labelling. The LED TVs are simply regular LCD TVs which use LEDs as the backlighting instead of florescent tubes. In some designs the LEDs are darkened in areas of a picture that are truly black, which helps produce deeper blacks than a regular LCD TV, but it's a relatively minor improvement in my opinion.

I believe LED TVs use quite a bit less power don't they? Additionally, the ones that I have seen at the store seem to lighter as well.

Yours is 27", but those are 27 very robust inches.

 

[samclem]

I believe LED TVs use quite a bit less power don't they? Additionally, the ones that I have seen at the store seem to lighter as well.

I think the LCD TV's illuminated with LEDs use about 30% less power than the ones lit by CCFLs. The average large TV run for the average amount of time at the average electrical rates costs about $30 per year to run, so it the payback time for an LED -lit TV could be lengthy.

What I'd be concerned about is failure of the LEDs. Yes, each LED has an average life much longer than a CCFL. But, that's average life. There are a few CCFLs in each TV, and hundreds of LEDs in an "LED TV." As soon as even one of the many hundreds of LEDs in that TV burns out, there will be a permanent black spot on the screen. That's going to start happening well short of the average lifetime of the LEDs. IMO, these black spots will be very distracting. On the flip side, the CCFLs will gradually become less bright, and eventually one will fail. I would guess that failure of one of the handful of CCFL tubes is likely going to happen well after many of the LEDs have quit working in an LED TV.
None of this matters at all to the normal consumer who will replace the TV within 5 years.

 

[RonBoyd]

T-Al, it seems the poll has had its run. I am curious what you intended to get from it and if it accomplished its intended purpose. (I was prevented from participating and am just curious.)

 

[TromboneAl]

I'm thinking 42 inches for our 10 foot viewing distance. I had thought 32 but, you guys convinced me that 42 would be better. I have to admit that we watch TV almost every evening. But I'm going to keep an eye on Craigslist for a while. One disadvantage will be that with a new (clcosed caption capable) TV, DW is going to want to have the subtitles on.

 

[REWahoo]

One disadvantage will be that with a new (clcosed caption capable) TV, DW is going to want to have the subtitles on.

Even more reason to go with the 42"...

 

[Nords]

One disadvantage will be that with a new (clcosed caption capable) TV, DW is going to want to have the subtitles on.

Spouse watches TV with headphones & close-captioning. (She originally started the habit about 15 years ago when our kid was watching Barney videos in the other room.) It's quite pleasant to sit next to spouse and read a book while occasionally catching a line of dialogue. However entire shows will premiere, put on a few seasons, and take a bow without my ever hearing what the actors sound like.

On the extremely rare occasions that I hear an actor's voice, it almost never matches my expectations. (One exception: Suze Orman.) I heard Kelly Ripa for the first time ever this week and I'll never be able to watch her again without hearing that horrible sound in my ears...

Our kid enjoys switching her CC to Spanish and trying to keep up. Maybe you'll get more language options with a 42".