Does size matter?

[Pigskincoach]

Between now and Christmas my wife and i will purchase our first flat screen. The room is 18 x 18, the wall to put the plasma on is 103 inches wide so plenty of room for whatever size we want to hang. We have decided on the Oppo Blu Ray and a Onkyo HTiB 9100. I am having trouble with the decision on the plasma.

I have decided on a Panasonic but, I can get a 65s1 or a 58v10 for about the same amount of money. It comes down to PQ i guess and was hoping to hear from some of you who had a similar decision and what made the difference in either the bigger panel or a smaller panel and a few upgrades. One thing that keeps stumping me is the flexibility in adjusting the 58 yourself vs not having as much flexibility in the S1, but then, it is a 25% larger screen as someone on this forum pointed out to me. Thanks for the feedback.

[Drew664]

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/ass...alk2_large.jpg

If your [combination of screen size and] seating distance is less than the recommended distance, you're sitting too close. That is, a TV of that format and size can't provide all the detail your eye is capable of seeing at that distance, and the picture will look "softer".

If your screen-size/distance is more than recommended distance, your eyes will be saturated with detail before you reach the resolution limit of an image in that format. Which mean a TV can produce more detail than you can actually make out at that distance, and you have to move closer to see more details.


For DVD (480p) source (red line), recommended sitting distance to see full resolution for each screen size is..

20 inch TV= 7 feet
26 inch TV= 9 feet
30 inch TV= 10.5 feet
34 inch TV= 12 feet
40 inch TV= 14 feet
50 inch TV= 17.5 feet
60 inch TV= 21 feet.

For 720P HD sources (dark green line), recommended sitting distance is..

20 inch TV= 4 feet
26 inch TV= 5 feet
30 inch TV= 6 feet
34 inch TV= 6.7 feet
40 inch TV= 8 feet
50 inch TV= 10 feet
60 inch TV= 12 feet

For 1080i HD sources (lite green line), the recommended sitting distance is..

20 inch TV= 2.8 feet
26 inch TV= 3.5 feet
30 inch TV= 4 feet
34 inch TV= 4.5 feet
40 inch TV= 5.3 feet
50 inch TV= 6.5 feet
60 inch TV= 8 feet

That is copy and pasted from a sticky here on BluRay.com (thanks Beta). Even with what the above states, there is something to be said about immersion of a larger TV screen. How far back would your seating be?

[sarge1976]

I would go with the 58" V10 over the 65" S1, I have heard from plenty of folks on how good the V10's PQ is.

[jibucha]

Hello

In a heartbeat, the V10 Series 58-inch, not even consideration of the S1-Series 65-inch, especially being larger, which would make the picture quality differences that much more obvious.

And; it is personal preference regarding size; not picture quality and distance issues as commonly presented.

And; it is more significant in this regard, that the quality of the different series is far more important than size.

Thank You

[DIY_HD]

Drew664 is right on. The reason is simple. All 1080p HDTV sets display the exact same number of pixels (picture elements, or dots of light). If you spread those dots over a larger area, they appear less sharp unless you are sitting farther away. That's why a DVD looks great, and appears sharp like a BD, if you are standing far away. But the closer you get, the worse it looks.

Your question is a very important one. You really need to get a set that will look good from the primary viewing location as indicated on the chart above. So, does size matter? I guess you will have to ask my wife.

[Pauliesr]

That's what he said...

[moviefan]

You stated room size, but not viewing distance which is the critical measurement.
In my dedicated space, the viewing distance is 8' in an 18' room, using a 60" plasma.
If you can arrange the seating to allow any viewing distance, you have the flexibility to work with any size large screen. I would recommend the largest, hi quality, 1060P set you can afford.
Also critical is the ability to locate the surround speakers properly. I have a 7.1 system that uses a combination of wall and ceiling mounts.
Proper planning is the most important thing now ... paper and pencil are more important than hammer and saw! Good luck!

[No-So-Blu]

Most people buy an HDTV that is too small, so they miss out on the experience that HDTV is designed for. The interpretation of the Sound and Vision chart above, still puts you too far away to get the best experience, I my opinion. If memory serves me, the point of the chart was that you needed to be inside the various lines to get the benefit of the various recommendations and resolutions.

The whole issue with screen size and sitting distance, has to do with view angle, the large the better. My advise to you is go bigger and sit closer.

Read this pdf from THX, is a good backgrounder. If you need a view distance calculator use the one on the bottom of this link.

Cheers

[My_Two_Cents]

Better picture >>> Size

The V10 picture quality will far exceede that of the S1, and you will also get true 4:4 24p playback on the V10 (standard 3:2 on the S1). If the advantages of the V10 were only minor, I'd say go big, but in this case I would not. I sit 11' from my 58" plasma, and I certainly do not complain about the 'small' size.

[Travis]

Some can't handle too much. The bigger it gets the harder it is to deal with. When the inches get out there too far it just gets to be a mess. All the flaws come into view and it is hard to get the whole picture. Have you ever sat in the first row at a theater. There has to be a reasonable space between you and the screen. The bigger it is the further back you gotta go. We have a small one, and my wife and I are happy. I'd like a bigger one, but she says we can't afford it.

[connect42]

Originally Posted by Travis

Some can't handle too much. The bigger it gets the harder it is to deal with. When the inches get out there too far it just gets to be a mess...The bigger it is the further back you gotta go. We have a small one, and my wife and I are happy.

Are we still talking about TV size?



Sorry. I couldn't help it.

[Travis]

Originally Posted by connect42

Are we still talking about TV size?



Sorry. I couldn't help it.

Of course we are talking about TVs, what else could it be?

With a thread titled "Does size matter?" it could only be about a screen, or a pair of speakers, right? Can't think of a single other thing, or pair of things, that my wife and I enjoy together that we'd be concerned about the size.

[Grand Bob]

There is now a 65" V10. And as for screen size, as a post at AVSforum stated, "no one wishes they had bought a smaller TV".

[sarge1976]

Originally Posted by connect42

Are we still talking about TV size?



Sorry. I couldn't help it.

[DIY_HD]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

There is now a 65" V10. And as for screen size, as a post at AVSforum stated, "no one wishes they had bought a smaller TV".

Yeah well, if you had a 65" body part, you probably wouldn't say that. Bigger isn't always better.

As I implied in an earlier post, taking 1080p resolution and spreading it over a 50-foot screen wouldn't be desirable. While it is generally true that many people sit 15 feet away from their 32" HDTV set and get the mistaken notion that it isn't better than DVD resolution, getting a 73" HDTV for a room that is 6-feet deep probably isn't a good idea either.

I agree with you that most of the time people get an HDTV that is smaller than they really need, due to financial considerations, but that isn't always the case. So if they tell you size doesn't matter, they are probably too small, too big or are blind.

[Pigskincoach]

Let me thank each and every one of you for your responses so far.I have taken your advice and I measured from the wall for the plasma to where the seating would be optimal for me to hang the Hitb surrounds and i can hang them between 7-11 feet from the panel wall. So my seating will be about 8-9 feet from the plasma. ( can be adjusted to as little as 7 and as deep as 11) and still be aligned with the surrounds.

All speakers will be wall mounted, with the exception of the sub ( obviously). At 8-9 feet will the 65s1 or the 58 v10 be the right choice? The 65v10] is out of my price range.....I need to get the whole deal for around $4000. Panel, Htib, Oppo, and accessories upgraded wiring for the Htib, mounts for it all, Harmony remote and the remote booster. We have an excel sheet for everything we need so we are very close on the money, is 58 good for 8-9 feet or should i go with a stepped down 65s1? Again thanks for all of your input, it has helped immensely.

P.S. To Sarge 1976, the Defensive Line Coach for the 49ers is a friend of mine. We coached together at Catawba College from 2000-2004. His name is Jim Tomsula

[gamebred]

In a perfect world we could all have electric sliding couches on motorized wheels that could be adjusted depending on the resolution of the material being diplayed and have it on a universal remote.

All BS aside, I agree with everyone else. If it were me, I'd scoop up the 58" V10 with no regrets.

[fuwa]

Originally Posted by No-So-Blu

Most people buy an HDTV that is too small, so they miss out on the experience that HDTV is designed for. The interpretation of the Sound and Vision chart above, still puts you too far away to get the best experience, I my opinion. If memory serves me, the point of the chart was that you needed to be inside the various lines to get the benefit of the various recommendations and resolutions.

The whole issue with screen size and sitting distance, has to do with view angle, the large the better. My advise to you is go bigger and sit closer.

Read this pdf from THX, is a good backgrounder. If you need a view distance calculator use the one on the bottom of this link.

Cheers

Thanks. This is a very good link, the best I have seen so far for viewing/size determination as it presents 3 standards.

I have a 50" and I am considering going to a 60" that is on sale, although still very expensive.

The thing with the THX calculator is that I would need a 92" TV, and I have a small room!

Front projection appears to make more sense if you want the THX recommended distances; trouble is that you have to buy an expensive screen and replace expensive bulbs, along with logistics issues.

[jc480]

Size >> All

Most of the larger plasmas are made by good companies.

If I had a choice between a 50" Kuro and a 58" Panasonic...I'll take the 58" Panasonic everyday.

The picture quality is still DAMN GOOD and you will not regret having that big ass screen...whereas if you have that 50" you'll foreverwonder what that picture would look like on a bigger tube.

[skamp]

58 V10. I watch my 58 800u at 11ft,Perfect!