Better to pick a size that you will be comfortable with
Marc Saltzman
Sun
Samsung LN40A750
“Bigger is better” is a common mantra in the HDTV world but your eyes and your wallet might lead you to a different conclusion before you make that decision to buy.
Movie fans, in particular, dream of a complete home theatre experience by replicating the enormous screen (and surround sound) of the local multiplex. But even if you have the cash to blow on a 60-inch plasma, it might not be ideal for the room you’re mounting it in. Yes, there is such as thing as too big.
The optimal size of the television depends on the distance of the viewer from the screen.
With standard-definition televisions, the industry-accepted formula was to sit back about three times the diagonal length of the screen — therefore a viewer should be about six feet away from a 27-inch TV for comfortable viewing.
“This had to do with visible scan lines on older TVs, so it was recommended to sit farther back to avoid noticing them” says Andrew Thompson, marketing manager for consumer electronics at Sharp Electronics Canada.
“But with HDTV, and more specifically 1080p content [such as Blu-ray discs], we’re talking absolutely impeccable quality, so can sit as close as you want without noticing any imperfections. You basically want your field of vision to be consumed, by the playing field for sports, for example, so you feel as if you’re at the event.”
Andy Walker, producer of Butterscotch.com, a technology website featuring instructional videos and downloads, suggests sitting back 1.5 to 2.5 times the diagonal size of the HDTV screen. Therefore, for a 50-inch panel you’ll want to sit between six and 10 feet away.
“But be aware the larger the panel, the grainier the picture will be when you watch standard-definition content,” cautions Walker. “I Love Lucy might look bad on a 70-inch television. . . . If you’re going to buy big, you’re going to want to watch high-definition television, especially 1080p content.”
Walker says those who buy a new TV often suffer from “buyer’s remorse,” a post-purchase regret for not picking up a larger size.
Sharp’s Thompson agrees: “We conduct surveys about twice a year and we often find ‘buyer’s remorse’ among TV shoppers.
“Consumers should remember LCD and plasma televisions are much thinner than bulky CRT TVs; therefore you could be sitting back farther from the screen compared to tube TVs.”
To avoid buyer’s remorse, Walker says, “Get yourself regular holiday wrapping paper and cut out the size panel you want to buy, such as 50-inches, then stick it to the wall where the television will go. Live with it for a week and you’ll know whether or not this size works for you.
“If you’re watching HDTV programming, then bigger is indeed better, if your budget allows and your room can handle it” concludes Walker.
“What I like to discuss with clients is if they are going to show up at the movie theatre early and have full range of choice of where to sit, where would they sit?” explains Daniel Panke, merchandiser and custom installation manager for Sony Style stores. “Most people have a preference — be it front, middle or back — and this translates into how far from your TV you want to be.”
Once you’ve narrowed down your desired size, based on budget and room setup, consider one of these recommended big-screen beauties.
42-inch: Sony Bravia KDL-42V4100 LCD HDTV ($1,599.99; sonystyle.ca)
Decorated in a piano black gloss finish, this 42-inch Sony Bravia offers a full 1080p (1,920 x 1,080 resolution) picture with Sony exclusives such as the XMB (Cross Media Bar) to navigate through connected sources, ACE (Advanced Contrast Enhancer) to help with darker scenes and DMeX_ functionality (allowing you to attach optional extenders, such as online connectivity).
46-inch: Samsung LN46A750 LCD HDTV ($2,499.99; samsung.ca)
Samsung’s 1080p television includes 120Hz technology, which helps smooth out motion by essentially doubling a film’s frame rate from 60 to 120 frames per second, not to mention fast four-millisecond response times.
50-inch: Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ80 plasma HDTV ($2,199.99; panasonic.ca)
Many home theatre enthusiasts prefer plasma for its accurate colour reproduction, exceptional contrast (for deep blacks) and motion measured in microseconds rather than milliseconds. This 50-inch 1080p panel with anti-glare screen guard (ideal for bright rooms) offers many bells and whistles such as a SD memory card reader (for photo slide show), video game mode and simulated surround sound.
55-inch: Sony Bravia KDL-55XBR8 LCD HDTV ($6,999.99; sonystyle.ca)
Sony’s top-of-the-line 1080p LCD incorporate Sony’s “Triluminos‘ three-colour LED (light-emitting diode) backlighting for a greater colour range (by aligning individual clusters of red, blue and green LEDs opposed to traditional white LED backlights), better contrast (aided by Advanced Contrast Enhancer PRO local dimming technology) and more efficient power consumption.
60-inch: Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO-151FD plasma HDTV ($6,999.99; pioneerelectronics.ca)
This award-winning 60-inch 1080p plasma is nothing short of stunning, with a panel that gives incredible depth, rich colours and customizable user settings (for those that want it) with the ISFccc calibration feature for both day-time and nighttime viewing.
65-inch: Sharp Aquos 65-Inch SE94 1080p LCD HDTV ($7,499.99; sharp.ca)
Big enough for you? This 65-inch 1080p monster not only looks incredible with enhanced colour, contrast and motion technologies (including 120Hz frame-rate conversion) but includes Sharp’s Aquos Net functionality to give viewers instant on-demand web-based content (as well as live, real-time customer support).