Would a few extra inches help?

[Newfie]

I just bought a Samsung 1080P 37" UN37EH5000FXZC for my bedroom and I am curious if I should go bigger.

I typically watch the TV from about 10' away and sometimes it can hard to see text on the screen. I REALLY like this TV and the quality is great! I could pick up a 39" version of this TV for ~$120 more, but I highly doubt it will be worth the extra 2".

This is my first big screen purchase so forgive my ignorance. I feel like I have 4 options:

1) Keep the 37" TV (It was a great deal!)
2) Go for the 39" for ~$120 more
3) Get a 720P TV that's ~40-42'' in size
4) Wait for a better deal

My budget is preferably in the $450 dollar range ($500 if it's a good deal).
*Note that I live in Canada*

Thanks!

 

[Fardringle]

Would a few extra inches help?

Probably, but you'd have to ask her.. 😉


In reality, 2 inches doesn't seem like much at all, and at 10 feet away you probably won't really notice it. This diagram shows the physical size difference between a 37" and 39" TV:
http://www.displaywars.com/37-inch-16x9-vs-39-inch-16x9

This is a comparison between 37" and 42":
http://www.displaywars.com/37-inch-16x9-vs-42-inch-16x9

It would definitely make a more noticeable difference in size, but you do lose the 1080p resolution. However, the optimal viewing distance chart says that the difference between 720 and 1080p isn't even noticeable at 10 feet for a screen smaller than about 52 inches.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-t...tell-the-difference-between-hdtv-resolutions/

 

[Newfie]

Probably, but you'd have to ask her.. 😉


In reality, 2 inches doesn't seem like much at all, and at 10 feet away you probably won't really notice it. This diagram shows the physical size difference between a 37" and 39" TV:
http://www.displaywars.com/37-inch-16x9-vs-39-inch-16x9

This is a comparison between 37" and 42":
http://www.displaywars.com/37-inch-16x9-vs-42-inch-16x9

It would definitely make a more noticeable difference in size, but you do lose the 1080p resolution. However, the optimal viewing distance chart says that the difference between 720 and 1080p isn't even noticeable at 10 feet for a screen smaller than about 52 inches.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-t...tell-the-difference-between-hdtv-resolutions/

My original title was "Would a few inches help in the bedroom?", but I felt like I was pushing it XD.

I did not realize how ineffective the extra resolution in 1080p could be. Thanks for telling me that...It'll probably broaden my search

 

[Pacfanweb]

At 10 feet, I'd go with a 50".

You can find 50" Plasmas on Amazon for 500 or slightly less.

 

[alcoholbob]

I like this thread title. xD

 

[purbeast0]

37" to 39" won't make much of a difference at all. i usually have a hard time knowing if i'm looking at a 21" or 23" monitor from a few feet away. i doubt you will notice the difference at 10' away.

and please ... please don't call a 37" tv a "big screen" ever again. 😛

 

[Kadarin]

I just bought a 50 for my bedroom; I watch from 10' away or so and it's just about perfect.

 

[NutBucket]

For casual viewing I wouldn't really care. But at 10' I agree that 50" is probably the smallest I would go. How about a plasma? You maybe be able to find a low-end 720p panel in your price range.

 

[Fallen Kell]

I did not realize how ineffective the extra resolution in 1080p could be. Thanks for telling me that...It'll probably broaden my search

Yes, primarily, higher resolution means you can get closer to the screen and not lose picture quality. But in today's age, I would not recommend a TV that isn't 1080p native anymore. The TV's that do 720p now are done either for size issues (i.e. under 32"), or cost savings. However, the cost savings is very small now for the actual panel. The real cost savings are on the rest of the electronics in the TV. Important things like low latency image processing, proper image processing, proper format cadence, etc... All things that drastically affect the performance of the TV.

 

[Newfie]

Thank you all for the information! I'll keep searching and try to get something that's a minimum of 42-44", though I keep seeing 50" on this thread.

I'll update if I land something!

 

[Meghan54]

I've got a 42" Panasonic plasma in my "office" which sits about 6.5' at most from me and I wish I'd gotten a larger screen. Buy the largest, decent one you can afford.