Help me decide what size TV to get

[mediahound]

How do I choose what size TV I should get? I sit about 7.5-8 feet away
from my current TV and am leaning towards a new 55" rear projection LCOS
Sony SXRD unit.

I want to recreate the cinema experience (mostly watch movies, no
sports) the best I can without it being so big that I see pixels and
grain and get a headache all the time, what is the ideal size for me?

At first I thought the bigger was better and was leaning towards the
60", but now I just don't know. Will the 60 seem too big? The viewing distance calculator at

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

shows (at 7.5 feet viewing distance) a 32 degree viewing angle with a 60" and a 29 degree viewing angle with a 55".

Should I just go for the 60"? I don't want to regret my purchase.

[elapsed]

Ideal set size for 1080p @ 7.5 feet is 56". Here are a couple more articles to read, which also include THX and SMPTE recommendations and calculator:

http://www.carltonbale.com/blog/2006/11/1080p-does-matter/
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/tips/1137/maxing-out-resolution.html

Quite honestly, both the 55" and 60" sets are excellent choices for your viewing distance. You will be very happy with either.

[mediahound]

These charts seem to imply that at 7.5 feet I could go with the 60" and still be within the SMPTE spec and close to the THX spec.

But I wonder if the 60" will feel too close/big?





Ideal set size for 1080p @ 7.5 feet is 56". Here are a couple more articles to read, which also include THX and SMPTE recommendations and calculator:

http://www.carltonbale.com/blog/2006/11/1080p-does-matter/
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/tips/1137/maxing-out-resolution.html

Quite honestly, both the 55" and 60" sets are excellent choices for your viewing distance. You will be very happy with either.

[BillyB]

I'm not familiar with that set but if it's true 1080P one of the advantages of that resolution is being able to sit closer to the screen and still have a good image(when you're feeding it a 1080P signal, not 720P or lower).The picture quality is so critical when you go with a display that large and I have heard good things about that Sony technology.As others have said you're in the right range as anything 50 to 60" should be great assuming the image is a good one.Good luck with your purchase.

[mediahound]

I'm confident 1080p on the 60" would be fine but I'm worried about lower formats like 720p and such. Would I get eye strain or soemthing watching those on the 60" TV from 8ft?




I'm not familiar with that set but if it's true 1080P one of the advantages of that resolution is being able to sit closer to the screen and still have a good image(when you're feeding it a 1080P signal, not 720P or lower).The picture quality is so critical when you go with a display that large and I have heard good things about that Sony technology.As others have said you're in the right range as anything 50 to 60" should be great assuming the image is a good one.Good luck with your purchase.

[musicman1999]

A television thats too big?????????????????

[BillyB]

[QUOTE=mediahound]I'm confident 1080p on the 60" would be fine but I'm worried about lower formats like 720p and such. Would I get eye strain or soemthing watching those on the 60" TV from 8ft?[/QUOTE

For what's it worth I'm buying the Pansaonic 720P 50" plasma in about 2 weeks.My viewing distance is 9' and I'm confident the 50" is adequate.I spent a lot of time at the stores sitting the 9' distance from the sets to help me decide.In this range it became immediately clear that the 42" sets were too small for my taste.My budget really can't handle the 58" so the 50" became a no-brainer.From the correct viewing distance the theory is that the human eye can barely tell the difference between a 720P image and a 1080P image.That being said it's even more relative to the overall picture quality of your particular display than just being about the numbers.I would hope you've spent some time in the stores looking at the very set you like from your specific viewing distance.Bring a tape in case they don't have one.The problem I have with 1080P is that like most cutting edge formats availability is an issue.Unless I'm wrong a blue-ray DVD player(and maybe an HD DVD player as they are different)are the only true 1080P sources.The rest of the time you're using the 1080P display you're really not tapping into it's capability which to me means it's not the best bang for the buck right now.The price issue really comes into play more with the 1080P LCD's(plasmas aren't true 1080P yet)as I believe the Sony you're looking at doesn't crush you for the 1080P technology.How it handles lower resolutions is the dilemma you're trying to solve so make sure when you view it in the store they're showing it with the same signal the 720P displays are recieving.The stores like to cheat and feed these 1080P displays with Blue-ray without telling you so you're not comparing apples to apples when comparing it to the other displays.Just learned that at CC as the Sony XBR3 LCD had a stunning picture but they were feeding it a 1080P signal.How it would compare when viewing a lower resolution is anybodys guess.My opinion for what it's worth would be to go with the one size down from the 60"(not sure what size you said that was for the Sony you like)at 7.5' viewing distance.The 60" might be overpowering at that distance.Hope I've been of some help as I just went through this whole process and had to educate myself.I'm an audiophile who is just getting into the home theatre hobby.

[Duds]

I cant imagine sitting 7.5-8 feet away from a 60 inch tv. thats way too big in my opinion. I sit about that far away from my 51" RPTV right now, and cant wait to get a 42 inch.

i guess i am probably alone in my thinking though. lol

[mediahound]

I pretty much agree with what you are saying. It's true that no broadcasts are 1080p yet and it will probably be a long time before they are. I do watch 1080p though, via the OPPO 981 upconverting DVD player which outputs 1080p well. I also plan on getting a HD-DVD or Blueray player at some point fairly soon.




[QUOTE=mediahound]I'm confident 1080p on the 60" would be fine but I'm worried about lower formats like 720p and such. Would I get eye strain or soemthing watching those on the 60" TV from 8ft?[/QUOTE

For what's it worth I'm buying the Pansaonic 720P 50" plasma in about 2 weeks.My viewing distance is 9' and I'm confident the 50" is adequate.I spent a lot of time at the stores sitting the 9' distance from the sets to help me decide.In this range it became immediately clear that the 42" sets were too small for my taste.My budget really can't handle the 58" so the 50" became a no-brainer.From the correct viewing distance the theory is that the human eye can barely tell the difference between a 720P image and a 1080P image.That being said it's even more relative to the overall picture quality of your particular display than just being about the numbers.I would hope you've spent some time in the stores looking at the very set you like from your specific viewing distance.Bring a tape in case they don't have one.The problem I have with 1080P is that like most cutting edge formats availability is an issue.Unless I'm wrong a blue-ray DVD player(and maybe an HD DVD player as they are different)are the only true 1080P sources.The rest of the time you're using the 1080P display you're really not tapping into it's capability which to me means it's not the best bang for the buck right now.The price issue really comes into play more with the 1080P LCD's(plasmas aren't true 1080P yet)as I believe the Sony you're looking at doesn't crush you for the 1080P technology.How it handles lower resolutions is the dilemma you're trying to solve so make sure when you view it in the store they're showing it with the same signal the 720P displays are recieving.The stores like to cheat and feed these 1080P displays with Blue-ray without telling you so you're not comparing apples to apples when comparing it to the other displays.Just learned that at CC as the Sony XBR3 LCD had a stunning picture but they were feeding it a 1080P signal.How it would compare when viewing a lower resolution is anybodys guess.My opinion for what it's worth would be to go with the one size down from the 60"(not sure what size you said that was for the Sony you like)at 7.5' viewing distance.The 60" might be overpowering at that distance.Hope I've been of some help as I just went through this whole process and had to educate myself.I'm an audiophile who is just getting into the home theatre hobby.

[edtyct]

The limiting factor in resolution is the native resolution of the display, not of the source or the medium. Even if the Oppo upconverts 480p to 1080p, you won't get a 1080p pixel count at the end point unless you have a 1080p display. In fact, a 1080p display scales every inferior resolution to 1080p by itself automatically (if not beaten to the punch by a processor or upconverting DVD player); it has no choice (unless it has a 1:1 pixel option, which can show lower pixel counts in the center of the screen, leaving the rest blank). Don't confuse this scaling of SD sources with true HD resolution, but do keep in mind that the great bulk of programming is 1080i. Turning it into 1080p is a distinct improvement, eliminating interlacing flicker. Scaling 480i into 1080p could also improve on scaling it to 720p, since the gaps between pixels become harder to see and thus less liable to showing flaws, even if the processing is only so-so. But these really become complicated issues. As BillyB says, what goes into making a good TV is much more than this numbers game.

Pioneer has a 50" 1080p plasma that is truly remarkable. Hitachi, I hear, has a 42" plasma in the works that's touted as 1080p, though it uses the ALiS process, which may not strike everyone as true 1080p.

Though the eye can't resolve the advantage of 1080p over 720p at a relatively short distance, given the size of the screen, the nice thing about LCoS technology (Sony's SXRD and JVC's DiLA) is that the picture elements are just about invisible, making close seating a little easier on the eyes, as well as on the willing suspension of disbelief.

[BillyB]

The limiting factor in resolution is the native resolution of the display, not of the source or the medium. Even if the Oppo upconverts 480p to 1080p, you won't get a 1080p pixel count at the end point unless you have a 1080p display. In fact, a 1080p display scales every inferior resolution to 1080p by itself automatically (if not beaten to the punch by a processor or upconverting DVD player); it has no choice (unless it has a 1:1 pixel option, which can show lower pixel counts in the center of the screen, leaving the rest blank). Don't confuse this scaling of SD sources with true HD resolution, but do keep in mind that the great bulk of programming is 1080i. Turning it into 1080p is a distinct improvement, eliminating interlacing flicker. Scaling 480i into 1080p could also improve on scaling it to 720p, since the gaps between pixels become harder to see and thus less liable to showing flaws, even if the processing is only so-so. But these really become complicated issues. As BillyB says, what goes into making a good TV is much more than this numbers game.

Pioneer has a 50" 1080p plasma that is truly remarkable. Hitachi, I hear, has a 42" plasma in the works that's touted as 1080p, though it uses the ALiS process, which may not strike everyone as true 1080p.

Though the eye can't resolve the advantage of 1080p over 720p at a relatively short distance, given the size of the screen, the nice thing about LCoS technology (Sony's SXRD and JVC's DiLA) is that the picture elements are just about invisible, making close seating a little easier on the eyes, as well as on the willing suspension of disbelief.

Nice to hear about that Pioneer.I heard the 1080P plasmas would be available some time in 2007 but hadn't heard anyone had released one yet.Pioneer 720P plasmas are superb so I can just imagine what the 1080P looks like.I can't afford the Pioneer (especially the elite series) but it was the only set I liked a lot more than the Panasonic I'm buying.I didn't realize that a 1080P set automatically converts lower resolution signals to 1080 with it's own upconversion technology.I guess that means a 720P plasma does the same with the lower resolution digital cable signal.

[elapsed]

The Pioneer Elite PRO-FHD1 1080p plasma has been out for a while now, absolutely breathtaking picture, among the best of any sets I have ever auditionned.

Panasonic, Fujitsu and Hitachi will all be releasing 1080p plasma's this year. The Fujitsu Aviamo has been getting rave reviews at CEDIA last year and CES this week. The 37" model will retail for $4,999, while the 65" model will retail for $17,999. No announcement yet on pricing for the 50" model.

[mediahound]

I took a look at the Pioneer Elite 1080p 50" plasma, it's very nice, but streets at $7,000 and not quite big enough for me.

The only other 1080p displays that come close in quality are the Sony SXRD LCOS ones. And they are much less money albeit not quite flat panel.

[mediahound]

My opinion for what it's worth would be to go with the one size down from the 60"(not sure what size you said that was for the Sony you like)at 7.5' viewing distance..


That would be the 55" Sony SXRD, what I'm leaning towards. I think the 60" would be a bit too big.

[BillyB]

[QUOTE=mediahound]That would be the 55" Sony SXRD, what I'm leaning towards. I think the 60" would be a bit too big.[/QUOT

Sounds good.If depth isn't an issue that sounds like the best value for a big 1080P set.Sony dropped the plasmas and is focusing on their LCD's and the SXRD series you are looking at.I have seen both the Bravia and higher end XBR LCD's and like them both.Haven't seen your set but hear good things about the technology it uses.I just saw a Sony Bravia 46" LCD for the same 2K I can get the Panasonic 50" plasma for and it has really got me thinking hard.The screen is only 4" smaller and I like the Display even if it isn't the newest XBR3 1080P.I'm just concerned because it's going in my kids playroom and if they damage the LCD I'll have a heart attack.Unless they've changed I've heard these screens can get dead pixels if their pressed too hard and my kids are little and will be tempted to do that.This issue along with overall value is what pushed me to the 720P plasma which has a true glass screen just like a conventional CRT set.Enjoy

[AVMASTER]

not to confuse things even more but there is another choice you should take a look at b-4 jumping on the Sony;
JVC model # HD56FH97
I could go into all the techno-babble but as with any display device, you need to see it for yourself, let us know what you think

[blackraven]

This may seem like a dumb question, but can an upcoverting DVD player up convert a standard definition TV signal? My feeling is that it cant?

Thanks,
Larry

[aevans]

DLP has almost no visable pixels.. you may want to look into that.

I found a lot of good technical info at http://www.projectorcentral.com while I know you are not looking for a projector, the comparison of lcd and dlp technology may be of interest.

[edtyct]

This may seem like a dumb question, but can an upcoverting DVD player up convert a standard definition TV signal? My feeling is that it cant?

Thanks,
Larry

That's exactly what they're meant to do, but this upconversion doesn't turn SD into true HD. It simply manufactures data from that already provided in the original DVD signal to activate all of the pixels on a digital HD display. If the DVD player upconvert, the display itself would have to do so. Often the DVD player does the job better than the display. You have no way of knowing until you run tests or watch carefully.

[BillyB]

That's exactly what they're meant to do, but this upconversion doesn't turn SD into true HD. It simply manufactures data from that already provided in the original DVD signal to activate all of the pixels on a digital HD display. If the DVD player upconvert, the display itself would have to do so. Often the DVD player does the job better than the display. You have no way of knowing until you run tests or watch carefully.

I could be wrong but I think the question was in regard to feeding your incoming SD signal(cable or satellite) through your upconverting DVD player on to your HD display as opposed to DVD playback.I would think that would be impossible as the DVD player isn't going to have video in jacks to recieve the SD signal unless I'm mistaken.I have one but never looked for that.

[blackraven]

BillyB's got it!

[edtyct]

I see now. DVD players don't have video inputs because the only media that they can process are DVDs. TV broadcasting is beyond them because they have neither ATSC or QAM tuners to accept it.