52" tv

[madmax1]

How far away do you have to sit from a 52" DLP tv. I havent biught it yet but thinking of it? Plus is it worth getting the HDMI for $500 more? What else should i look for in a t.v?? thanks for any input.

[toenail]

That's a bit of a vaugue question. For example, Toshiba states at least 10' away, while HD enthusiasts will say 6-8 feet in order to see all the detail available and occupy your field of vision. That distance wouldn't work too well for SD images though.

My personal observations are that for everyday (a mix of analog SD, DVD, HD etc) about 10 feet is a good compromise.

[jocko_nc]

It is not so much the distance as it is the elevation. 8 feet, 10 feet, no problem. The only thing I cannot do anymore with my 52 inch DLP is lay on the floor in front of it. That is about 5 feet and well below, the picture gets dark at that angle. I can, however, see from across the room in the kitchen, which kicks butt.

The furniture on which you put a DLP makes a big difference. Most of what is available is too high, IMO. 31 inches is way too much. Keep that DLP low.

Did I mention that baseball in HD is a wonderful experience?

jocko

[edtyct]

Far enough back not to see the intrinsic imperfections and the picture elements. The minimum for a high def display is usually around three times the screen height.

I missed your question about HDMI. I'm reluctant to tell people what a feature might be worth to them, but $500 extra for an input seems excessive. What's the rationale for that number--an older set vs. a new one? As the input of choice for the foreseeable future in consumer audio/video, HDMI is certainly an asset, especially with copy protection still lurking in the background. And with fixed-pixel displays like DLP, a digital feed via HDMI avoids a lot of possibly noisy circuitry that component inputs involve. In the majority of current sets with it, HDMI's video lives up to its potential as superior to analog (in microdisplays), whereas early DVI's promise was not so assured. HDMI audio is another story--not that it sounds inferior, just that it doesn't yet have many adequate receiving devices, or proper implementation (on, say, STBs) from its sources.

Ed