34" CRT viewing 7' awaw - too small?

Kenneth Harden · 10-08-2004, 05:30 PM

I am trying to decide what TV to get. I will be sitting 7' away looking strait at it (not off at an angle)

This would be mostly for DVD watching (80%) and the other part would be The Simpson's, King of the Hill, Malcolm in the Middle, etc.

Should I think about going to a larger set?

I have a 27" round tube TV and it is pathetically too small when I am watching widescreen movies.

RichG · 10-09-2004, 04:09 AM

A larger screen will make a huge improvement in your DVD viewing experience. At 7 feet you might want to consider a Panasonic 47X54 or Sony 46WT520 RPTV.

John Roger · 10-09-2004, 04:17 AM

Large screen TVs are highly recomended if you watch lot of DVDs.But small screen TVs do tend to look better when you watch normal TV programes.

Have a look at RPTVs, see if you like the picture.If you want to stay with direct view going widescreen is a good idea.

Kenneth Harden · 10-09-2004, 12:21 PM

So I assume you are saying the 34" is going to be on the small side

How about this guy:

Link:

I work there and can get it for a pretty darn good price. This display has always looked stunning (compared to the other CRT projo's)

My only concern is video games. If I turn it off torch mode (properly calibrated for a small room), will I be fine? I am not the sort of person that has video games up for 72 hour marathons, but usually an hour or two at the most. If my settings are toned down, is there even an issue?

Thanks, PLEASE keep the feedback coming!

Stephen Hopkins · 10-09-2004, 12:28 PM

34" should be adequate, but at 7" you could probably go as large as 42". I think 47" would be too large at 7'. I usually say be 2" away for every 1" of screen size, and at 7' away 42" is exactly 2:1. If you plan on doing mainly SDTV viewing you may want to stick with the 34" since the larger screen will show alot more of the flaws of the SD signal. I have a 32" 4:3 (30" 16:9 area) set in my bedroom and view from 8'. It doesn't seem inadequate but a 34" or even a 42" set would give viewing more impact and still be within the limits of good PQ.

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Scott Goldsmith · 10-09-2004, 12:45 PM

I was needing this same kind of question answered!!! I have a 65" Mits, and by your calcuation Stephen, 10.8' is how far I should be away from the TV, so lets call it 11', do you think if I were closer than 10' it would be too close and cause fatigue or show too many imperfections? Thanks for the help!!!

Kenneth Harden · 10-09-2004, 01:06 PM

Whats up Scott? Haven't seen you round these parts!

Stephen Hopkins · 10-09-2004, 01:06 PM

It's alot of personal prefference. Where do you sit in the movie theater? If you set in the front 1/3 of the theater you would probably like sitting closer than 2:1, if you sit in the middle 1/3 you would probably like right at 2:1. If you sit in the back 1/3 you would probably like farther than 2:1. I sit in the middle and 2:1 works very well for me. How much SDTV you watch should also play in to your decision. The more SD you watch, the farther you'll likely want to be to keep acceptable PQ.

Scott Goldsmith · 10-09-2004, 01:19 PM

What's up Ken, I usually spend time in the subwoofer section

Stephen - I usually sit in the middle like you. I tend to watch more movies than regular TV, but I did get a HDTV box from my cable company this go around, so I will have some channels (the ones I mostly watch anyways

) in HD, so I don't have to worry about PQ so much. I never really got bothered with PQ before anyways from TV, just want to get that WOW factor from viewing, and where ever I have to sit to get it is what I will do

Kenneth Harden · 10-09-2004, 01:51 PM

Well, let me answer your question:

Mostly movies. I would invest in the Toshiba DVD player with HDMI out, so DVD's would look stunning. I think I could sit 1:1 and they would look great

For SD viewing, I would actually be more like 12' away (in bed or at my computer (like I am now!)

For DVD viewing, thats when I would be 7' away, in a chair in the middle of the room.

I'm living at home (going to college) and I do not have a sat/cable system. Just some (few hours a week, sometimes NONE in a week) OTA shows on Fox. Everything else will be DVD or PS2.

BURN IN - any comment, will light usage be no problem if properly calibrated?