What size TV?

[boomhower]

Assuming my house purchase goes through I am going to be in need of a new TV. The two I am looking at right now is a 55" Vizio LCD($900) and 73" Mitsu DLP($1200). Depending on final furniture position viewing length will be 10'-12'. I have an older Vizio and have been very happy with it. Everything I have read up on the Mitsu's has been glowing reviews other than glare. The Mitsu just sounds huge. $1200 is the absolute max price. No plasma's.

 

[fralexandr]

either one should be fine for 10'-12'
I would go with the DLP if possible.
the mistu DLPs are great when positioned at the right height. There was a display room at one of the best buys I went to, and to me the mistu DLP was second only to the Panasonic VT in epic awesome prettiness

you're not going to be wall mounting right?
DLPs aren't wall mountable. they're not as thin, and HEAVY. You'll almost definitely need help moving it around due to its size and weight.

does your room have any exposed windows? do you have curtains/blinds/window covers/black construction paper & tape of some kind to put over them? that would remove any issues with glare
DLPs also look washed out in bright ambient lighting, thus the need to cover windows and stuff if the windows are exposed to direct sunlight.

the price of DLP bulbs is kind of high though, but they don't need to be replaced too often.

 

[alcoholbob]

Mitsubishi will send you a free bulb under warranty.

 

[boomhower]

There are a lot of windows in the room but we will be putting up heat blocking curtains which also blocks out the light. The only ambient light for the most part will come from the back door in the kitchen so it shouldn't be much.

No wall mounting. We have a three piece entertainment(similar) center but will probably be just using the center section due to space.

I want the DLP but the wife thinks it will be to big for the space.

 

[alcoholbob]

Too big for the space? That's what...

No such thing as too big when it comes to a TV

 

[NutBucket]

DLP all the way. At 10' you should be right in its sweet spot. We have a 65" and the couch is about 8' away. Definitely be careful about viewing height. Ours is on a stand that's maybe 20" tall. I would say its about perfect.

Also, Mitsu DLP bulbs are $100 direct from Mitsu. Can't beat that price with a stick! And really, the TV doesn't weigh that much for its size. Should be about 100 lbs.

 

[gorb]

What's wrong with plasma? :/ I'd recommend a Panasonic P55ST30.

The Mitsubishi DLPs are great too of course. Huge screens for reasonable money

 

[NutBucket]

20" more screen for the same money with excellent PQ? If the depth isn't an issue (which it really isn't for the majority of people), DLP all the way!

I just love how people spend big bucks on flat panels just to sit them on a rather large piece of furniture. So tell, what does the thickness matter?

 

[alent1234]

i have a 42" panny and like it. i know people with 55" and 60" TV's and don't plan on buying anything that big. i like my better PQ on the smaller screen

 

[NutBucket]

View distance is key. Obviously I wouldn't sit 4' away from a 60" screen...but I would hate to sit 10' away from a 42" screen. At that distance even SD is tolerable.

 

[boomhower]

What's wrong with plasma? :/ I'd recommend a Panasonic P55ST30.

The Mitsubishi DLPs are great too of course. Huge screens for reasonable money

I have a plasma now and the darn thing is like a furnace the way it radiates heat. It's older so they may have changed but I hate the darn thing, so much so I'm giving it to my father in law.

 

[fralexandr]

newer plasmas don't really radiate heat. my 2-3 year old panasonic runs perfectly fine
our family room setup is a 50" 720p at ~ 7-8ft and we could definitely go bigger
at first it may seem ridiculously big, but over time it won't!

my mom originally wanted a 32" for the family room and thought 50" would be ridiculous... but when it came time to replace her bedroom TV a year ago, she wanted a 40-42"

GO BIGGER

also if you don't have some, you'll have to find a way to convince the wife to get a receiver and some speakers

 

[boomhower]

newer plasmas don't really radiate heat. my 2-3 year old panasonic runs perfectly fine
our family room setup is a 50" 720p at ~ 7-8ft and we could definitely go bigger
at first it may seem ridiculously big, but over time it won't!

my mom originally wanted a 32" for the family room and thought 50" would be ridiculous... but when it came time to replace her bedroom TV a year ago, she wanted a 40-42"

GO BIGGER

also if you don't have some, you'll have to find a way to convince the wife to get a receiver and some speakers

We've been using a Sony soundbar and while far from ideal it works well enough. The way the room is going to be set-up rear speakers won't work well. At some point I will upgrade to a better soundbar but don't see going to separates, I really like the simplicity. The high end Yamaha's really make me excited.

The TV stand we have now is 32" high. To tall for the DLP?

Here is what we are thinking right now. The thing on the right is a fireplace while seriously makes organizing this room hard. It's not going to be using often if at all. It is to scale and the measurements are accurate. The TV currently there is scaled to a 55" and a 74" would only be about 5" wider on each side.

 

[fralexandr]

wow that TV stand is high, it's about table height :S
at a stand height of 32", and accounting for a mistubishi TV stand height of ~9" the center of a 73" TV would be ~58" off the ground

I'm 5'11 and sitting in a computer chair my eyes are about 50" off the ground
The optimal stand height for me (assuming i'm not slouched or lying on the couch) would be ~ 8" lower (24" stand)
i tend to slouch or recline when sitting though so a lower stand would be better
that said 8" over a distance of 10 feet is probably barely noticeable

typically dlps have about 40 degree vertical viewing angle
if my math is correct, if going by viewing angle, 10 tan (20 deg) = 3.63ft = 43" your eyes should be within 43" from the top and bottom of the display respectively... which should still be okay (unless you're watching from the ground) since the tv + stand should be 76" high and a 16:9 73" screen should be 35.6" of vertical viewing

so, having a 32" stand would help for taller people watching from a standing height (behind the couch) and not effect people sitting I guess

the closest seat to the TV will probably have horizontal off angle viewing on the DLP, but be ok on the VIZIO
2.5/6 ~= tan (23 deg) == 67 degrees off center

If you do see a need to buy a new TV stand you don't necessarily have to buy a "TV stand", we're currently using a long rectangular sturdy coffee table like thing someone left on the side of the road that's 15", so it doesn't have to be an actual "TV stand"
before we rearranged the living room we were using a 26" TV stand (currently used for storing games and movies) and were sitting ~10 feet from the TV

 

[boomhower]

A new stand isn't completely out of the question. As it is we can't use the side piers of the entertainment center due to lack of room with the love seat. A stand for the DLP is only $200 from Amazon. I'm going to try and get the wife to BB thus weekend to look at one, I'd like to see it myself as well to get a feel for the actual size.

 

[boomhower]

Well went and looked at some TVs. While they didn't have the DLP I used a 70" LCD for comparison and it's the clear winner. If I had the budget I think I would go for the 82" model. Well that's decided, now just waiting on the bank to close on the house it'll go in.