Probably a really stupid question about resolution for televisions.

[ManBearPig]

So...lets say we have a 40" HDTV and a 52" HDTV, and both have a maximum resolution of 1080P.

Wouldnt the smaller tv technically look better since it has the same resolution in a smaller space (higher PPI like people like to say nowadays)?

Im sure this is a really dumb question but ive been thinking about it lol. thanks!

 

[Tiamat]

There certainly are optimal viewing distances based on the screen at 1080P (or any fixed resolution for that matter). Check out this great chart as a rule of thumb!

http://hd.engadget.com/2006/12/09/1080p-charted-viewing-distance-to-screen-size/

For example, a 40" screen at 1080P is optimally 5-8' away from the viewer's eyes,

The 52" would be optimally 6-10' away from viewer's eyes.

In short PPI is only one metric among many such as optimal viewing angle - the angle of your vision that the TV takes up, contrast, color uniformity, brightness, pixel switching speed, backlight bleeding, etc.

 

[smitbret]

Better is a subjective term. Like Tiamat said, contrast and color settings will make more difference than size at normal viewing angles. I have seen some 50" 720p plasmas that look "better" than many 1080p plasmas.

The smaller set will, undoubtedly, look sharper and cleaner than the larger tv, given the same viewing distance.

 

[alcoholbob]

Calibration can do wonders for TVs.