will a 42 inch tv be big enough (1 Viewer)

This will be my first jump into the world of HD. I was set on a DLP because of the cost per sq. Inch. The problem is in BB they looked very good but they only show them with a dvd playing no tv signal. At Costco with a tv signal and the LCD's and Plasmas looked much better. My tv will be above the fireplace on a shelf so it will be about 44 inches off the ground. I currently have a 32 inch JVC IART that looks fine until I turn to the local stations that are broadcast in digital. Them they are letter boxed so the picture gets relatively small. My seating position is about 10 to 11 feet away so Most of the charts recommend 46 to 50 inch. I am most concerned about clarity more than size. I don't want a crappy sd picture. I am guessing that a 42 inch would look a good bit bigger than my 32 but I am just wondering if it will be big enough. I know this is subjective but I am looking for comments from those that sit a similar distance away to see if they are happy with the 42 screen size? Thanks,

Greg

Hi Greg, here are the recommended viewing distances for 720p sets:

37": 7.5 feet
40": 8 feet
42": 8.5 feet
46": 9 feet
50": 10 feet
52": 10.5 feet

At 10 to 11 feet I would probably recommend purchasing a 50" LCoS set such as a Sony SXRD or JVC D-ILA.

And I would recommend the Panasonic TH-50 PX60U plasma. Killer picture with HD, DVD, and SD TV, as tested by Consumer Reports. None of the microdisplays, DLP, LCoS, LCD, came even close to the performance of the Panny plasma. Of course, if you are going to be using that fireplace, all bets are off.

Panasonic 50" TH-50PX60U Plasma: $2,999 (Best Buy)
JVC 56" HD56FN97 LCoS: $2,599 (Best Buy)

The JVC 56" set is ideal for 11 feet viewing distance for 720p, plus this set offers the additional benefit of full 1080p resolution for the future, and costs signficantly less than the plasma. I would audition both this set and the Panny. Of course you can find both sets much cheaper online.

Also, not to counter Arthur, but you'll be hard pressed to find many fixed panel HDTV displays that are killer for viewing SD content. With LCoS you will not need to worry about burn-in when setting your aspect ratio to 4:3 for SD.

AG

Can you mount the JVC over a fireplace?

Good point.

I wouldn't mount it. I have a gas fireplace wich is low and then as it is in the corner it is a big triangular shelf. the shelf is about 68 inches wide and 34 inches deep. The fireplace radiates heat out from the glass and it has a vent that directs the heat down, but at the level of the tv it is pretty much room temperature. Do you think this would pose any problems for a Plasma? At most it is 3 to 4 degrees warmer so It would probably never be over 75. I went to CC today and noticed that the Samsung 1080P DLP is on sale for $1799 down from 2499 last week ($1615 open box). I don't know of any advantageso the 1080P over the 720P at this point other than it would be better for Blu-Ray which I will purchase when it comes down to $ 300. My guess is that will happen in a couple of years. I do like the plasma but my budget is around $2100 including the extend warranty so I am looking at 1700 to 1800 if I go plasma. The guy at CC was showing me the 42 inch plasma which looked great and I could get for 1699. The consensus seems to be that it would be to small for my seating. (11.5 to 12 feet away). Still, the picture was nice.

FWIW, just a thought about mounting over the fireplace. I was thinking the same thing - free up some floor space, one focal point area for TV and fireplace, sexy up to date look, etc. A salesperson told me to go home and look at the picture we have hanging over our fireplace for an hour. It didn't take long for me to realize how un-natural it would be looking up at the TV all the time. My neck and upper shoulders started to feel it after about 20 minutes. I much prefer a straight shot. And then there's the heat issue.

I have had my 32 inch jvc above the fireplace for about 6 months. it bothered me at first but I have gotten used to it. The heat has been a non issue. it is higher up than i like but my wife was pushig me for 2 years. I lay back in the recliner most of the time so it is not bad. I have somewhat narrowed it down to the sony kdf 50 or the samsung 50 dlp. I am tempted to get a 42 plasma and try it out. I know at 12 feet away most feel it would be too small. Seems odd because my 32 inch seems fine exept when I am watching letter box on the digital local channels. Is there anyone that has a 42 inch plasma with a viewing distance of 12 feet or so. What are your thoughts?


Greg

I have a 42" plasma that I view at 7 1/2 feet....slightly above line of sight. If/when it dies I will be getting a 50" unit. I would have purchased the 50" display initially, but at the time, that was an additional $5K that I didn't want to spend. IIRC, a 50" display has 40% more viewing area than a 42" unit.

Since you'll be mounting your display pretty high, you might want to check the off angle viewing traits of the DLP/Lcos technologies. Sit on the floor and look up at the display and see if it works for you. Off angle viewing was important to me and is one reason for choosing plasma.

Good hunting,

Mort

HD broadcasts also look much better on 1080p set. As for PQ it's hard to go wrong with 1080p Samsung DLP but it might be too big for mounting it above a fireplace?

If HD isn't going to be in the picture then I would save the money and get EDTV plasma if you're sticking with 42". I'd personally go as big as you can and get 1080p.

I am kicking myself. They had the samsung 1080P for 1615 open box at cc this weekend.(1799 for the others) It is now back up over 2300. I noticed the viewing angle is not as good with a rplcd or dlp. My fireplace shelf is huge I could accomodate up to a 60 inch if I wanted too. The only place that the viewing angle would effect is if I sat directly on the floor or the loveseat which is against the back wall. No one has ever watched tv from there, or the floor for that matter since they are hardwood floors. I don't know if they are just adjusted differently but the Plasmas seem more vibrant than the dlp RPLCD. do most find this to be the case. My first thought is get the sony lcd 50 inch and see how I like it. I am in Richmond so we only have about 40 Circuit Cities around here. My other thought was the Vizio 50 inch Plasma. Anyone have any thoughts on those. WIth a 10% off card and upgrade to HD I could get it for 1610. THe sony for 1350. I have compared the samsung and the sony and I just seem to like the sony better. I got within 2 feet and could see the SDE but from 11 to 12 feet I couldn't tell. Anyone know if this is a big problem. The Sony seems to be highly rated.

Most interested to see if it is worth getting the Plasma if space is not an issue,

Greg