viewing distance for 47" projection (1 Viewer)

[Rob Pickle]

I just bought the Panasonic PT47WX42 and really love it. I guess i have a bit of buyers remorse because i'm wondering if i should have went with the 53" Panny instead. Although the image is a lot bigger than my old 27" Panasonic its still not as immersive as i would have liked. I sit about 10 ft from the TV, is this too far for a TV this size? Just curious as to what other peoples viewing distances are from this and the 53" Panny?

Thanks for your advice,
Rob

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

Rule of thumb ... for HD material ... 1 to 3 times image height to see all the detail there is to see.

For SD material ... 4 to 6 times image height.

Regards

 

[Tod_J]

I just got the 53" Panny and sit about 8' screen-to-eye. Personally I'm glad I did not go with the 47" although others may be bothered watching DirecTV. I think it looks pretty good and wanted to "max out" for DVD's...

 

[Jeff Pounds]

I also sit about 8' from my Panny 53WX42... I find it to be an immersive experience on DVDs... although DISH Network can look kind of crappy from that distance and screen size. (Depends on the channel).
Rob, I was exactly in your boat... I was thinking of getting the 47, but the 53 was only a couple of hundred dolllars more, and I just thought if I'm spending 1500-2000 on a TV, I'd rather just put in a couple hundred more and get an extra 4 inches.
If you are still in your 30-day time frame, you might think about upgrading to the 53, espcially since you are 10 feet from the display. You might as well be completly happy with your purchase.
It's all about if that extra $200 is worth it to get that extra 4 inches...
Good luck!

 

[Dylan Savage]

I sit about 5.5-6ft from my PT47WX49.

 

[Rob Pickle]

Unfortunately i don't think i can exchange the TV. I got a deal on it through a friend so it wouldn't look good if i changed my mind now.
The one thing i should mention is that the TV is in my living room. Its not in a designated home theater space. I was partly concerned that the 53" would be too overpowering in the space. Where the first thing you notice was the TV. The 47 blends in nicely and is a lot bigger than my old 27" CRT but by the sounds of everyones response it looks like i should have went with the 53. :frowning:

 

[Rich Chiavaroli]

Rob Pickle -
When you sit down and watch a movie, do you like it? Do you get a big grin on your face? If so, then don't worry about the 6 extra inches. You've got a TV that's muh bigger than what you used to have, you're enjoying it and you got a good deal on it.
Forget about the "what if's" and enjoy what you've got Being worried that you should have gotten a bigger set because someone else says you should have really has nothing to do with your enjoyment of the TV.

 

[Jan Strnad]

Personally, I don't find any RPTVs "immersive." I enjoy the larger picture (compared to a direct view set) tremendously, but nothing short of a dedicated home theater room with a front projector has yet "immersed" me. I don't have the room or budget for a dedicated theater room, but my RPTV provides a lot of satisfaction nonetheless.

Jan

 

[Jeff Pounds]

Rob,
Exactly what Rich said... I didn't mean to imply that you ABSOLUTLY should have purchased the 53.
I know that the 47 has to be MUCH better then your old 27 and I completly understand the living room issue.
I'm dealing with the same thing.
When my wife saw the 53 in our living room, she was like... "oh.... it looks.... nice."

 

[Kyle W]

I struggled with the Panny 53" vs. 47" issue too, and ultimately went with the 47" due mainly to budget (wife said keep it under $1500 or else). With the TV in the corner of my oblong gameroom I had a viewing distance of about 10', which was very watchable but not quite as impressive as I wanted. So rather than just live with my choice, I moved the TV out of the corner and centered along the wall across from my couch to where I could get about an 8' viewing distance, and it looks huge now! I don't know how fixed your living room setup is, but you might try playing with placement.
Of course, I had to get into the attic and do a new cable drop, and now my surround speaker pre-wires will never see the light of day, but with a 5x8 throw rug hiding the surround wires, and a new spot in the corner for the fake ficus tree, my HT on a budget setup is phenomenal!

 

[Rob Pickle]

You're probably right Rich. I am actually really happy with the TV. I've had a surround sound system for a few years now but my CRT never really did the sound justice. With the now bigger screen and the surround system watching a movie is quite the experience.

Thanks for the suggestion Kyle, with regards to moving the TV. I've actually tried doing this but the way i have things set now is probably how its going to have to stay.

Thanks for everyones advice...feeling a bit better about the purchase now.