76cm or 86cm CRT HDTV

[bagman50]

Hi there
Opinions plse......my "tv room" is an area 3.6m wide by 4.6m long.
The tv will sit on the 3.6m wall
Which should I go for, the 76 or 86cm ??
I believe a rule of thumb is double the screen size to arrive at the viewing distance, so in theory I can go for the 86cm. Just wondering if it will over power the room and viewing will be affected

Appreciate all advice

cheers

[nsu]

When it comes to TV, the size really matters. The bigger, the better.

My projector screen is 3m wide. Seats are around 5 meters away, seem just right. Any closer, I think I might need HD resolution, but only if I am bored and start to look for the pixels.

A larger TV will never over power the room. It only gives better impression in what ever way you see it.

With 86cm CRT TV, you probably won't be able to pick the difference between HD and SD, especially at that distance. Also keep in mind, CRT HD TV may not be the real HD TV. Some claim to be HD TV, but all they do is accepting HD signals. eg. 1080i capable.

[scalpel]

Originally Posted by bagman50

Which should I go for, the 76 or 86cm ??
I believe a rule of thumb is double the screen size to arrive at the viewing distance, so in theory I can go for the 86cm.

Here is a link for calculating ideal viewing distances.


My vote would be 86cm minimum. The 16:9 screens result in a picture that is not very high, so a 86cm screen displays a picture not much higher than a 4:3 68cm one. You can see the HD picture quality of a 76cm (eg panasonic 200a) but obviously, the bigger screen shows this up better.

Weight, Cost and Size need to be taken into consideration (86cm HD CRT is about 80-90kg!)

J

[nsu]

Originally Posted by scalpel

Here is a link for calculating ideal viewing distances.


My vote would be 86cm minimum. The 16:9 screens result in a picture that is not very high, so a 86cm screen displays a picture not much higher than a 4:3 68cm one. You can see the HD picture quality of a 76cm (eg panasonic 200a) but obviously, the bigger screen shows this up better.

Weight, Cost and Size need to be taken into consideration (86cm HD CRT is about 80-90kg!)

J

I agree the viewing angle should be put into consideration as the calculator does, but the maximum distance is based on how far you can sit away before you miss the very fine details. It does not put into consideration of how close you sit towards the TV before you notice the pixels or the colour shifting etc. It however does mention that people will be comfortable sit within half of the calculated distance.

You can tell the difference of the HD and a SD 76cm TV, but it will only be noticeable within a very close range. Using that calculator based on visual acuity, for the 76cm HD TV, the maximum distance is 1.2m. And 1.3m for the 86cm HD TV. It is hardly practical and also concludes that there is no much point buying a 86cm HD TV if you are going to sit a few meters away.

[scalpel]

Totally agree, and could not have put it better myself.

[bagman50]

Many thanks for all yur advice guys. Appreciated.
Have ended up getting the Sony KVHR36M31. From various reviews and comments on this and other forums it sounds like a very good HDTV.
The price also helped....$3595.
My viewing distance will end up somewhere between 2.5m and 3m. From yur comments that shud be ok ??

Once again, many thanks for taking the time to respond

cheers
Bagman

[coffeebean]

Definately go for the 86cm version.

Earlier this year I purchased a 76cm Panasonic which I love to death but I now really wish I'd gone for the larger size.

Main reason is watching 4:3 material is smaller on my new tv than it was on my old 68cm tv.

Widescreen is fine of course but as we know theres still a lot of old stuff still worth watching.