Choosing the right size of HDTV
Digital Home Canada has a nice little article about how to choose an HDTV of the appropriate screen size. They factor in things like the size of your room, where you’re going to place your HDTV, how much space you have in that place, and how far you’ll be sitting away.
I gotta be honest here - I didn’t really consider any of those things when I bought my HDTV. It’s a rear-projection HDTV that takes up a lot of space, which is made worse by the fact that I can’t push it against the wall because there are some shelves in the way that I don’t want to remove. (If only they were a foot shorter!)
When I went shopping for an HDTV, I considered things like technology (was it DLP, LCD, CRT, etc) and features (did it have an DVI/HDCP port, PIP, enough inputs, etc) and picture quality. Then I took a look at the price to see if it was within budget. Then I made sure I got the biggest dang HDTV I could afford that met all my requirements.
So I ended up with the 57″ Hitachi 57T500 CRT rear-projection HDTV. It’s a great set and I’ve been enjoying movies, games, and television ever since. I’ve never thought that it was too big or too small. I never thought that I’m sitting too close or too far. I never thought about how it fit the room. (Though personally I think it looks great.) So for me it’s been a pretty good experience buying my HDTV on a wing and a prayer, so to speak.
How did you decide what size HDTV to get?
Check out our new sister blog on Home Theater, HTBlog.net
July 14th, 2006 at 10:44 am
I took a tape measure in my living room and measured the distance between my couch and the wall. Then I went to Tweeter and measured the same distance from their wall of Plasmas. I then grabed a viewing chair and shifted down the wall until I found the size that looked just right. I didn’t want a TV too big for the room, but I didn’t want to have to squint either. I ended up with a 50-inch Panasonic plasma bought that same day. They delivered it, set it up and it was just the right size.
July 14th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
I bought the biggest one (65″) on the floor, without measuring anything. It was an impulse purchase. I am fine with the large screen, but everyone who visited my tiny apartment were intimidated by the size (in a bad way.)
Now I bought a house, and it fits perfectly. Thou I am looking for a 70″+…..