Perfect size tv for den?

[slackerinabox]

The distance from our couch to the back wall's about 9 feet, some calculators recommend 50", some recommend 60. If I want a certain wow factor (my last tvs 7 years old, i don't upgrade often) but I don't want to have to look left and right to watch tv, what size should I go with?

The tv's probably going to be a Samsung 1080p/120/3d set with local dimmed LED or a panasonic 1080p/3d plasma, haven't made a final decision yet.

 

[NutBucket]

9'? At least 60" IMHO. I'm at 9' and 65". No panning necessary.

 

[Kadarin]

I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN65ES...rds=samsung+tv

Love it.

 

[slackerinabox]

I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN65ES...rds=samsung+tv

Love it.

nearly double my budget but I'd like to lick that near-zero bezel screen. NICE!

 

[NutBucket]

Ok, so what's the budget?

 

[slackerinabox]

Ok, so what's the budget?

I'd say up to $1,800 realistically. At that point I'm nearing $2,000 after taxes and all.

I'm kinda obsessing over this tv - started debating plasma vs lcd and finally settled on either a panasonic plasma or a samsung local dimming led lcd. Now I'm going crazy about screen size. My dad for example has a far too big for his room tv that's sorta ridiculous - you can see pixels and you have to turn your head like a tennis match to watch things. But I still want impressively immersive and larger than life (and can't wait to see harold and kumar in 3d). With the couch (hasn't been delivered yet) in place I think the viewing distance is more like 8 feet, and 65" seems too big for that (and is out of my budget, unless I go lesser brand and lose the 3d), and my prior 50 too small.. 55 seemed adequate until I did more reading, with suggestions ranging from 42 up to 70, which seems severely overkill.

 

[Drako]

Go with the plasma if you have control of outdoor light and want better 3D viewing. A 50 or 55 inch set will be great for 9' distance.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the latest mid to upper range Panasonic or Samsung TVs, whether Plasma or LCD. We have DirecTV, and our two Samsung TVs have RVU built in which work with our DirecTV DVR. There are a number of things about the Samsung Smart TVs that make them attractive beyond image quality.

 

[PrincessFrosty]

It's entirely preference, there's various attempts at standards for certain ideal viewing angles and such like, but it's all down to personal preference. If you want "wow" factor just go as big as possible.

I have a 125" projector screen at about 10-11ft and it's the most amazing screen to watch movies and play games on, none of the people who watch stuff on it have mentioned problems with size.

 

[BurnItDwn]

It's entirely preference, there's various attempts at standards for certain ideal viewing angles and such like, but it's all down to personal preference. If you want "wow" factor just go as big as possible.

I have a 125" projector screen at about 10-11ft and it's the most amazing screen to watch movies and play games on, none of the people who watch stuff on it have mentioned problems with size.

Oooohohhh nice!!!

I'm at 106" projector screen at about 8 feet. I love it! The room is only 10 feet wide and there's a soffit along one side for the HVAC ... so I am unable to go even 1 inch wider in my setup ...


Anyhow, I would go the biggest that I could afford for the den.

 

[mkmitch]

55" plasma at 9 ft would be my choice. I just purchases a 51" Samsung plasma for a tad over $800 and am very satisfied even though I am 10' away. A 55 would have crowded the corner it sets in. The model I bought is a 2013 1080 3D smart TV (5500 series). Only thing it lacks is that goofy motion control. If your room is overly bright I would go with an LED.

 

[Pacfanweb]

 

[poofyhairguy]

http://www.abt.com/product/67592/Pan...T60&adtype=pla

 

[Fingolfin269]

Do you plan to do much console gaming? If not then the Panasonic ST60 series is what you want to look at. Easily the best value set out there right now.

Pricing is starting to move a bit though so could be worth monitoring prices on amazon for a couple of weeks. The 60" VT series was sitting just below 2k a couple of days ago but is now back up in the 2.5 range.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

For TV at least 60". For movies/projector at least 100-120". Anything 50" or below is going to be damn small.

 

[slackerinabox]

For TV at least 60". For movies/projector at least 100-120". Anything 50" or below is going to be damn small.

Thanks for the pointers (everyone), remeasured after putting the tv stand and couch in place, viewable distance is more like 7.5-8 feet, which means the 60" lcd-led I ordered will be just about perfect.. Maybe even a hair too big

 

[NutBucket]

Trust me, not too big. I wanted to upgrade our 65" DLP to a 73" Laservue when those went on clearance but decided against it as it wasn't the smartest use of money. Same viewing distance you've got too. Would have been glorious!

 

[slackerinabox]

Trust me, not too big. I wanted to upgrade our 65" DLP to a 73" Laservue when those went on clearance but decided against it as it wasn't the smartest use of money. Same viewing distance you've got too. Would have been glorious!

You're right, "too big" is a nonsensical term Would have loved a 65" but the price difference was substantial ($1,800ish vs $2,500).

 

[NutBucket]

I was drooling at an 80" Sharp the other day. But at that size 1080p is just inadequate. Bring on the the 4K!

 

[JackBurton]

I was drooling at an 80" Sharp the other day. But at that size 1080p is just inadequate. Bring on the the 4K!

Here you go man. 84" of pure 4K goodness.

 

[slackerinabox]

I was drooling at an 80" Sharp the other day. But at that size 1080p is just inadequate. Bring on the the 4K!

I've noticed that. My father in law's 70"+ vizio's massive and beautiful, but you really can see pixel/compression artifacts/ etc.

 

[adnank77]

Go bigger screen .. and stick to Plasma if budget becomes a show-stopper ..

 

[Koing]

I've never bought the too big tv for your room...f0ck that. I'll get the biggest I can afford within reason

My house my rules.

The 50" is going strong after 5yrs. I'd love a 65" 4k tv in a couple of years when they drop to cheaper prices and more content is out
Koing

 

[tential]

I did 70 at that range. According to the chart posted in this thread, that's the correct size to truly notice the FULL benefits of 1080p. I love it. My friends have 55 or 50 in the same size room (it's all dorm rooms) and definitely the size I purchased is the most immersive. Any larger, would be too hard to actually watch (head panning?).

But it all depends on budget as well.

I've noticed that. My father in law's 70"+ vizio's massive and beautiful, but you really can see pixel/compression artifacts/ etc.

Hardly. Content that is ACTUALLY 1080p looks good. A lot of content isn't 1080p, or is severely compressed 1080p. PC Gaming? Amazing. Xbox 360 or PS3? Forget it as they are both 720p or even less. TV? Depends as a lot of TV channels are 720p. Some are 1080i though. So the problem really is there is actually a LACK of 1080p content. Surprising considering it's 2013. But yes, we lack 1080p content. So even though 4k is coming out, 4K won't really be anything for another 8 years. Maybe movie wise but that is it.

 

[NutBucket]

Correction, it is also compression of the signal. Cable/Satellite providers are the worst with this. OTA is noticeably higher quality than either of the aforementioned. That said, blu-ray is still the cat's meow when it comes to PQ. But even that varies based on which blu-ray. Some are just much better done than others.

 

[slackerinabox]

I did 70 at that range. According to the chart posted in this thread, that's the correct size to truly notice the FULL benefits of 1080p. I love it. My friends have 55 or 50 in the same size room (it's all dorm rooms) and definitely the size I purchased is the most immersive. Any larger, would be too hard to actually watch (head panning?).

But it all depends on budget as well.



Hardly. Content that is ACTUALLY 1080p looks good. A lot of content isn't 1080p, or is severely compressed 1080p. PC Gaming? Amazing. Xbox 360 or PS3? Forget it as they are both 720p or even less. TV? Depends as a lot of TV channels are 720p. Some are 1080i though. So the problem really is there is actually a LACK of 1080p content. Surprising considering it's 2013. But yes, we lack 1080p content. So even though 4k is coming out, 4K won't really be anything for another 8 years. Maybe movie wise but that is it.

Yeah, I'm noticing that on my new tv - our fios dvr doesn't look all that great anymore - pixels, compression, etc. are far more noticeable on our newly bigger set since fios is broadcasting at 1080i. Bluray is jawdropping though