HOW TO... Choose the right size of TV

[admin_exported]

When it comes to TVs, one thing is for sure - size matters. For some, bigger is better, while others are horrified by the idea of being pinned to the sofa by an image so large you find yourself gazing at a movie character with a head five times the size of your own. So what, really, is the best way of deciding on the size of your new TV?[/Intro]

Thankfully, the way to decide the right size of set for you is very straightforward: all you need to consider is the dimensions of the room in which the set is going to go, and exactly where the TV is going to sit in relation to your favourite armchair.

Simply measure the distance from your much-loved couch potato spot – sorry, 'viewing position' – to the screen itself, then consult the diagram below to discover which size of flatscreen is right for you.



As you can see, a 42in set – or larger – will only be considered optimum if your viewing position is at least four metres from the screen. Sit closer than that, and even with the best sets you may spot picture flaws that compromise your viewing pleasure.

If your favourite comfy sofa spot is 3.5 to 4 metres from that lovely LCD or plasma panel, then a screen of between 36in and 42in will be ideal. a 2.5 to 3.5 viewing distance makes a screen of 28in to 32in the most desirable, while if you sit any closer than that, you should be looking at a maximum screen size of 26in.

Of course, once you've found the right size of set, there are other things you should do to optimise your TV's performance. First and foremost, try to get your screen at eye level. Many TV stands place the screen too low - but the modern trend for wall-mounting flatscreens over fireplaces can lead to quite the opposite effect.

In addition, a good kit rack won't just get the set at the right height - it'll also improve your picture quality. Second, to minimise reflections, avoid any direct light sources behind or above the screen.

Lastly, If you've spent big money on a new telly, be sure to spend a few hundred on a good aerial installation and some high-quality cable. Decent video cables are also essential buys. If you get all that lot right, you can be sure you've got a TV that isn't just a star in the showroom, but one that works brilliantly in your home.

 

[Clare Newsome]

If you really want a huge picture without the headaches, don't dismiss a projector - much kinder on the eyes (and the wallet). You're also not stuck with a massive TV in your room - with a fold-up/drop-down screen you only have to get all the gubbins out when you're ready for some seriously large-screen event TV/movies.
Want to watch small-screen stuff like the news? Try your laptop or a small LCD TV.

 

[Anonymous]

That John Lewis guy ,well Ive got 46" and sit 8 feet away and do not get head aches and if source good say riched and judy(dont laugh) picture really good as good as my 32" sony crt though pic size 2.3 times bigger?

Just thinking maybe there being returned because of default setup are so garish and totally bewildering that if I kept default settings I would have aching head and feel nauseus, how these companys spend millions developing these technical marvels,then at crucial point what the user sees crap it up .

May be if JL had a techie get proper setting for each telly in their range,and when delivered they set them up correctly.My partners parents in their mid 80s recently bought 32" hitachi from JL and that picture was attrocius.

 

[D.J.KRIME]

Like MORRIG I too have a screen that if you go by the screen size to distance chart is too big for my room. I have a 50"" Samsung Plasma and my lounge is 3.5m long by 3m wide and I never get head aches etc and I view a mixture of programs from normal Sky to DVD and Hd games via my HDMI equiped XBOX360 Elite.

Now I am sure that if you leave the set on its "out of the box" picture settings you may end up with a sore noggin but anyone who invests in a large screen or personally anyone who wants there tv set up correctly needs to invest in the DIGITAL VIDEO ESSENTIALS dvd as not only will it help you correct those ott factory settings but also your surround system. Why spend £1500 on a screen and skimp on £15 for a decent disc to help you set it all up???

 

[Anonymous]

The summary of the supertest of 37"s on page 32 of the August What HI FI sound and vision says that "if you can't sit at least 2.5m from a screen ...you should consider something smaller". The message below says you should be 3.5-4m from the screen for a 36-42in. Which is correct?

 

[Clare Newsome]

Hi there

There's no 'right' or wrong, just suggestions. I sit far too close to an 80in projector screen at home, but that's my choice as a movie nut in a small flat!

Yes, if you have a 36in+ set you should ideally sit 3.5m away, or more for larger sets, but that's just not going to work for everyone. Hence the use of the words 'at least' 2.5 in the Supertest.

 

[Anonymous]

When deciding on the size of a TV, I think you should consider the kind of material you are going to watch.

In my experience most material shot for theatre you can watch pleasantly on quite (to ridiculously) large screens, while material shot for television or 'pan & scan' DVDs can be a lesser experience.

When watching the news through my projector (128"), I find my focus uneasily moving between the news readers left and right eye.

 

[Anonymous]

My experience is to consider the type of display and the predominant use.

For cinema use (i.e. watching movies and big screen sport) the simple equation is to be 1.5 to 2.5 times the screen width away from the screen. So sit at least 9ft away from a 6ft wide projector screen. This is purely the comfort factor of looking at a big screen so close (i.e too close and you will be moving your head around etc).

For TV use you can add your personal preference, which is what somebody has made up in the original post on this thread. Here the case is that you don't want the TV to be all in your face! Anybody here watched eastenders on a large projection screen?? It looks ridiculous. Everything is all all dramatic closeups because most eastenders viewers are watching on smaller TVs.

So discomfort on account of the material being watched needs to be considered.

Finally the artefact issue, which with DVD and HD is much a less concern. Now on the one hand you don't want to be nose to nose with a poorly mastered DVD, but on the other hand there is a tolerance to how much artefacting you can ignore... I watch plenty of 60s and 70s movies for example, and simply have to put up with dust pops and noisy transfers. With sport (not with HD now but with non-HD sport, esp live) there is going to be a lot of risk of artefacting. But it's sport! I'm not watching it to be critical of the image quality, I'm watching it to see who wins!

I think what I'm trying to say is there cannot be a hard and fast rule when it comes to flat screens or RPTVs (I do think the 1.5-2.5 rule should ALWAYS be applied to projection though). You should consider your own circumstances, your own viewing habits, and make a decision this way. Perhaps go see some demos and try different viewing distances if you are unsure.

P.S. quick side-point on AUDIO. In a 5.1 system the ITU speaker layout suggest (accurately) that the left and right speakers should be 30 degrees off-axis to the centre. When the viewing distance fits within the 1.5-2.5 rule, this puts the speakers quite close to the edges of the image. As you move farther away, the speakers according to ITU should also be farther out. HOWEVER panning effects would be very unnatural if the speakers are too far either side of the screen. Again you have to reach your own compromise here, obviously sitting 1.5 width away from a 32" LCD would be quite ridiculous (would put you about 3ft away!) but another consideration nonetheless.

 

[Anonymous]

Hello to D.J.Krime,

Just read your reply to choosing the right size tv. I'm currently in the market for a large screen plasma/lcd and will want the best out of it whichever one I go for. I'm interested in this Digital Video Essentials dvd you mentioned. Where can I obtain one please?

Regards,

Maverick68

 

[Andrew Everard]

Here.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Andrew,

Details please?

Thanks,

Maverick68

 

[D.J.KRIME]

The differnce you will see in you screen after using this disc is well worth the £15

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers for that.

So do you have the order details please?

 

[D.J.KRIME]

I got my copy from axelmusic.com but I know you can get it also from amazon and play, just shop around for the best price. It will take a few hours to work your way through the disk but it will help you setup your tv and surround correctly even if you might feel a little silly using the filter glasses supplied.

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="maverick68"]
Cheers for that.

So do you have the order details please?

[/quote]

Click the link and it'll take you straight through to buy it from Amazon.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Clare

we are currently in the middle of doing up our kitchen, the room measures 6.4m x 5m we would like to have a couple of TVs so we can view TV or DVD, whilst i am cooking and rest of family are in the room, we have worked out we need 2 because of viewing positions,

TV1 will be 4.5m away from sitting position and will be wall mounted above base kitchen units with only 1m wide piece of wall to put it on.

TV2 will be 3.6m from viewing position (mainly standing).plenty of wall space to put ithis one on.

We would like the ability to be able to watch different TV stations and or DVD`S + also use them as a monitor for PC use.

What if any system is availiable to enable us to do this. We currently use a bose ipod dock to listen to music, but are considering a surround sound system, would need to be small speakers, the DVD player would need to have good music playing ability. Budget is around £5000 -£7000.

Could you recommend any equipment that would be relevant. I would prefer not to have huge runs of cables.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Technical issues aside - does any one know where to get one of those wooden bench stands featured on the picture at the top of the first page of this thread?

Wood like to get hold of one?

 

[Anonymous]

im currently in the market for a new lcd tv and was all prepared to plump for the sony kdl40x2000, then i was emailed a newsletter from panasonic stating they are bringing out the tx37lzd70. so i have decided to hang fire and see how they are rated, the problem being that nobody seems to have a clue! could you shed any light for me? thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Hi i just recieved my th42-px70 and i sit about 2m from it without no problems so far.Ihave also ordered the DIGITAL VIDEO ESSENTIALS DVD from ASDA for £12.43 including delivery.

 

[Anonymous]

"De gustibus non est disputandum" and that means "there is not to be discussion regarding tastes"

My friend bought 65" TV and installed it in a very small room...not good...what to say...

 

[Jamboman]

On the subject of the correct size of screen, those clever people at THX have calculated a viewing angle of 40 degrees as appropriate, or if you want divide the width of your screen by 0.728 to get the optimum distance. For my PDP-LX508 which is 122cm this gives a viewing distance of 168cm. This sounds awfully close, but who am I to argue with these boffins. I would imagine that this is for cinema usage and not eastenders though.

 

[Anonymous]

im 12 feet away from my 60 in plasma and its just right

 

[Anonymous]

In relation to size of television, the what hi fi oftens quotes a minimum distance you should be from the set.

Assuming the minimum changes quite signicantly depending on whether your viewing HD or non HD, I guess you have to decide whether you will watch more HD than none HD to decide which distance is better.

Given that we will be with non HD content for some time I would have thought we should be looking at sets with the min distance specified for non HD.

I'm tempted by a 46 rather than say 40 or 42 when I'm in my living room however I'm only 2 - 2.5 metres away and concerned that this is too close

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="MattAdamson"]
In relation to size of television, the what hi fi oftens quotes a minimum distance you should be from the set.

Assuming the minimum changes quite signicantly depending on whether your viewing HD or non HD, I guess you have to decide whether you will watch more HD than none HD to decide which distance is better.

Given that we will be with non HD content for some time I would have thought we should be looking at sets with the min distance specified for non HD.

I'm tempted by a 46 rather than say 40 or 42 when I'm in my living room however I'm only 2 - 2.5 metres away and concerned that this is too close

[/quote]

I think a 46" with SD at 2-2.5 would be too close.

R

 

[Anonymous]

What people need to consider is that all these big displays look great on the shop floor ( God to think I nearly ended up with a 50inc TV to begin with) but when you get it home and view for long periods of time it then dawns on you...Oh! Oh! what have I done!

I can't see the point in having your nose pressed up against a screen in order to be able to see the picture and it can't be comfortable despite what most would have you believe. You need to be able to focus on the whole screen not just part of it otherwise you're forever trying to chase moving objects with your eyes and head as a result of which such cavorting might well earn you first prize for Disco dancing withough even having to leave your seat.

A bigger screen also generates a lot of brightness in a room which can also affect the eyes. Those of us who still have eyes and can still see would be well advised to adopt more sensible viewing distances unless of course you're blessed with 20ft long rooms which I dare say most aren't.

I'm not knocking 42inch and above TV's. I have a Samsung 42 Inch which I'm now selling to downsize to a 37inch one quite simply because I got too excited about having a big TV only then to realise I've been an idiot and should have gone with my head in the first place for a smaller display. Remember one thing-It's not the 30 minutes or so you sepnd in a shop that should make your mind up on which size TV to buy. You need to also consider prolonged viewing periods as this is when you end up knowing whether or not you've made the right decision