Viewing distance is between 9' and 10'

[RKS]

I do some gaming and view cable-HD stations but mostly it's HD kids movies. We have had a 32" LCD for about 1.5 years but is too small. The old LCD also has some issues so I will be returning/repairing and moving it.

I have gone to a b&m and viewed both 42" and 46" tvs and sometimes the size 'seems' about the same. I guess I have to go back and do some more comparisons but with the "always get the biggest you can afford" argument aside, has anyone made a similar decision?

 

[TheStuck]

I have a 40" LCD in my bedroom at a similar viewing distance (I even started with a 32" TV and returned it same day as I thought it was too small.) I think the size is fine for TV.

So a 42" I would imagine would be good enough. The 46" maybe a bit better for a theater type experience. You wont need 1080P at those sizes either.

 

[newnameman]

I would go even bigger, but get the 46". http://i249.photobucket.com/al...8/resolution_chart.jpg

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: newnameman
I would go even bigger, but get the 46". http://i249.photobucket.com/al...8/resolution_chart.jpg

I agree. I sit 9 feet from a 50", and it seems perfect.

 

[yuppiejr]

Wow kids + gaming = LCD for sure - avoid plasma due to the high probability of screen burn with the gaming/kid combo.

In my experience a 42" set is fine at that viewing distance for the content you mentioned - if you watch a lot of movies that tend to be in the 2.39 : 1 ("scope") versus 1.85 : 1 (16:9 - HD standard, "flat") aspect ratio you are going to lose a chunk of screen to black bars. This is where I regret buying a smaller set since a significant portion of my viewing is movies. In your case with video games, broadcast HD and kids movies you are really not going to have the same issue so 42" is fine.

I don't buy the "720p versus 1080p doesn't matter under 50 inches" argument after watching a clear demo of two 42" Panasonic Plasmas side by side displaying the same Blu-Ray source content at 10'. No matter how good the built-in scaler is, and Panasonic's are top of the heap in mass retail channel options, there is obvious degradation of picture quality, motion blur, etc.. that occur that don't take a trained eye to spot. It's up to the end user to decide if this loss of detail and processing anomalies are worth an ever shrinking difference in price since it's not like we're all doing side by side demos in our living rooms... but with the minimal difference in price between 720p and 1080p models and a majority of HD content coming out in a 1920x 1080 resolution I'd go for the option that requires less processing between the source and what I see on the screen.

 

[flxnimprtmscl]

I've never had a 42" but I do have a 46" that I sit 9' away from and I know I wouldn't want anything smaller. *shrugs*

 

[RKS]

I am going with the 46". I wanted to stay around $1000 and will raise that a little to get the Samsung LN46A550. I can get the 500 for a little cheaper, is there is a big difference (besides the extra HDMI connector)?