What size LCD would be best for my bedroom?

[Blayze]

The room is 13 by 12, and the viewing distance is around 4 to a little over 8 foot depending on where I sit in the room. I've currently got a 27 inch 4:3 CRT. At the closest distance its ok, but sitting back in the room it looks small. Right now viewing regular TV is ok at the maximum viewing distance, but I tend to sit as close as possible to watch DVDs (Widescreen is small on the set.)

The TV will be used for DVDs, Blu-rays (eventually), HD and SD material though the cable company, and the Nintendo Wii.

I was thinking about getting a 37 inch LCD, but with 42 inch models not much more would it be worth it? I'm afraid the 42 inch might be to large as a bedroom set. Also at this distance/size should I worry if the LCD is 720p or 1080p?

 

[dwell]

Eight feet is about as far as you want to go with 40/42". Keep in mind most LCDs come in 40" or 46". 42" is not very common for LCD (but is for plasma).

Obligatory viewing distance calculator

TV Calculator

 

[Blayze]

Thanks... so basically I should go for a 40ish inch set and forget about a 37 even if some SD material is viewed?

Also around 40"/42" is there a noticable difference in a 720p/1080i LCD and a 1080p LCD? And if so is it worth the price difference to get a 1080p set?

 

[spacejamz]

my personal opinion is that if you hang it on the wall, go with the bigger screen, but if you leave it on a stand, go with something smaller...

not sure why, but having it up on the wall does make the TV seem just a bit smaller probably because it is not surrouded by anything...

 

[dwell]

Originally posted by: Blayze
Thanks... so basically I should go for a 40ish inch set and forget about a 37 even if some SD material is viewed?

Also around 40"/42" is there a noticable difference in a 720p/1080i LCD and a 1080p LCD? And if so is it worth the price difference to get a 1080p set?

At eight feet the difference between 720p and 1080p on that size set is not very noticeable. You can probably save a lot of money by going 720p, but most 2007/2008 LCDs are already 1080p so you might be sacrificing some overall quality by going with a lower-end model.

Just do the research before you buy. CNET, avsforum, here. All good resources.

 

[yuppiejr]

Sounds like a 40-47" LCD will be the right fit for your space, if you do a lot of off-axis viewing (not sitting directly in front/center of the set) I'd spend some time walking around in front of the TV's you evaluate to see how they do when you are not front and center. I thought the difference between a 720p and 1080p 42" set at 8-10 feet was plainly obvious (watching an HD-DVD outputting 1080i) in A/B comparison but in your case off-angle response may actually be more important. I'm a plasma fan but from a "cost per inch" standpoint and some possible IR/burn-in issues if you game for long periods of time probably make it unsuitable for your application.

Good luck!

 

[LS21]

37" minimum for me, but i woudl go to 42"+

 

[spidey07]

50"+ 42 is too small. 1080p only.