Selling my 42 inch TV -From 9ft proves too Close For Comfort

[Anonymous]

You deserve applause and sympathy in equal measures for your honesty and predicament. Only your neighbour and (possibly) Panasonic will come out of this with smiley faces. At least you have highlighted an area which can be easily overlooked when we are all trying to buy the best possible screen within a certain budget - too much concentration on specs and not enough on the basics.

It's a bit like 'sofa syndrome' - you know, you go to the showroom and choose the 3 piece of your dreams, only to find that, when it it arrives, you are left with 6 sq ft of floor to tread on and the door can't shut. Even big tvs can look very manageable in a large showroom. Unless you intend to watch a lot of movies, I've always felt that 3 x screen size is about right for viewing distance. Its a very general rule of thumb but it seems to cover most bases.

I know, like me, you are a fan of plasma panels. I wonder if subconsciously you went up to 42" just to give yourself more choice? It will be interesting to see whether you end up with a really good LCD telly rather than the Panny plasma.

Whatever you decide, happy hunting Tallyho!

 

[Anonymous]

I think that you will regret 'downsizing'. I know of many people who settled on a smaller size and then, after several weeks, regret not buying a larger set. I had deliberrated for months to decide on either a 50" or a 58/60", before settling on the Pioneer LX608 which I have just installed this weekend. We also only sit about nine foot away and the panel is at the correct height, in a 14" x 15" dedicated TV room and have to say that despite my concerns prior to buying, this is not too big for the distance. Sky HD looks fantatstic and even Freeview is very good. I have not connected up the other sources yet.

I came across several good guides regarding veiwing distances and image resolution etc. that you and others may find useful: These different opinions are quite different to this magazines.

http://www.burnyourbonus.info/hdtv-faq/faq3.html

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

Screen si...pdf (9.9 KB)

Perhap you might benefit with a higher resolution screen at a lower height. Good luck with the new screen.

 

[Anonymous]

Appreciate your response as indeed I do everyone elses.

As for those who think I need to wear spectacles I've got news for them, thanks to Specsavers I already do.

The problem I find, and yes maybe it is more relevant to me than anyone else is the fact that while I love my TV the picture just swamps you and the whole room is lit up like Chevy Chase's house in Christmas Vacation even with the brightness set to 40.

Nothing wrong with my vision as long I wear my spectacles which of course I do. Watch SKY News and the Presenters shoulders almost touch each side of the screen even when on Auto -I mean that's not normal-Who's got shoulders that big apart from Joan Collins? Don't forget a lot of TV is being shot in 16.9 too.

I may perservere with it but quite honestly I can see myself ending up with a more respectable 37inch TV.

If I do hang on to my 42inch TV I might just end up winning my street's Disco competition form purely just sitting in my chair

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Tallyho"]
If I do hang on to my 42inch TV I might just end up winning my street's Disco competition form purely just sitting in my chair

[/quote]

And with the money 'saved' you can buy a PS3, Singstar and Guitar Hero III. No screen is too large for those two (and GT5 in 2 mths) !!