Help ! ! Tv Size recommendation

[puneet]

I am reading the forum from many days and found it very useful. :clapping: As a result,I am forced to register on the site.
I am going to buy a TV by the end of this year.
Let me tell you my sitting arrangement.The room is rectangular in shape .As per sofa sittings,The maximum distance for TV viewing is 16.5 feet and minimum is 8.5 feet.
Due to my budget problem,I was thinking to buy 32" TV.But,I want theatre like experience and dont want to repent after buying the TV.So,please tell me the optimum size for my living room.
Also,tell me the difference(pros and cons) between plasma,led and lcd.
Please help me guys

 

[indiglo]

for a 16.5+'room,a 32"incher would look real punny...& morever if u have theatre like experience,only a BIG sized PLASMA tv would do,Nothing Else!
the detailed class would b/mayb taken up by prankey sir for all intricacies of difference between lcd/led-lcd & plasma tvs.....so stay tuned!

 

[jatinmalhotra]

Do not go for less than 50 inch, For that sizes and more, Plasmas are less costly.

YOu can endlessly debate over LCD / Plasma issue, To a user that can take care of issues like Burn in and Image retention Plasmas are best.

let me tell it in simple terms.

1. you can't leave anything paused on a plasma for more than 10 Mins, Either use screen saver options in Blu-ray / Media player .
2. Dont watch a 4:3 program on a plasma for first 100 Hrs.

If you do these 2 things you will be having a good TV with less cost than LCD / LED.

My opinion reject LED choose b/w a Plasma and LCD.

 

[puneet]

@Indigio
Thanks for the reply.
But 32 inch will be viewed from 8.5 feet distance also.
After reading few posts,I came to know that plasma is not good as compared to LED and some how LCD also(because of burning issue).Also,plasma is not good for gaming purposes. Is above information wrong?
Are there any chances of decrease in rates of TV till the end of this year??
I had read Prankey posts.He is a good advisor.
He is a dealer of tv's or some user like me?
You have not mentioned about the optimum size for theatre experience . Please,suggest the size also.
I am very confused.
Please help ! ! !

 

[indiglo]

^^ dear friend/bhai puneet, what i'm saying is with complete authenticity of my own viewing experience....i daily/whenever i watch my 51"tv(51d550),i mostly(95%) watch it from 6-7 feet distance only...there is also a second tier viewing place in the room@15-16 ft(my tv room is about 20-22ft long),but i hardly view from there. From the 6-7 ft distance,all i can say is, my viewing pleasure for a theatre-like experience is Best optimised there..Hd & particularly FHD viewing from this close sitting is really Regal! So,as like jatin says & many others will similarly opine & from what we can understand ur true wants are, of getting a Tv for Movie like experience,...just get a BIG tv like 50-51"tv(ex-Samsung ps 51"d550 pla) & sit tight near the tv to get the closest experience of a movie [email protected]"tv is NOT just the correct concept to even start with in this concept level.Remember,the rule of thumb here is "Bigger the Better"!!! & since ur purchase date is quite far off & also since it will be a "One-time-Big-Purchase"for which u even dont want to regret latter, going for Big Tv(50 inch+) is the Only order of things...just select ur tv( for ur info-51 psd550 plasma is the best VFM Big size tv in the world atm) & increase/stretch ur budget further to fit in the tv.Hence Look No further for ur own personal Budget Movie Theatre!

Now the next part, plasma NOT good enough?....wow....which Tv/Tech Pundit said that?
ok, as far I.R is concerned,yes there might b some retention ,particularly in the first 100-200 hrs,but that too if u only watch videos in high contrast modes only.The hot phosphors are not that mature at the early stages of tv life & if u have a constant pic/channel logo/news tickers running across the screen(for a long time)...there might b some temporary ir formation from time 2 time,...but this is really least of botheration because as soon as u change channels with different video content,these temporary ir is just washed out automatically very soon..& even if u see traces of them ,u can easily use the scroll-bar which will get all even the worst traces eliminated within a minute or two! This is all mostly a concern about early plasma tv life, but after a solid 500/1000 hours of good calibrated tv viewing...the plasma tv with its settled matured phosphors can get u the best picture possible on any tv ! Understand that phospor based plasma tv pq is undeniably many times better than lcds with backlight (or pseudo led-lcd with led edge light)...whatever u consider,gray-scale appropriateness or colour reproduction(18 bit TRUE colour in Plasma tv),fast motion display,...plasma tv is way way better.Do know that the Global top tv honour roll every year mostly consists of Plasma tv's .Also,Now if u have grown all ur years with the goodness of CRT picture[phosphor based](with great picture depth,appropriate brightness/contrast & accurate colours)...u will find the plasma tv pq[phosphor based] very similar to crt's or that which might even excel them(with additional Big TV FHD awesomeness & superb black levels)...if P.Q is your Sole criteria,u will Never get satisfied with anything less than a Plasma tv!.
If Not the Perfect tv(still there is Not one produced yet),but for me,the issue of lcd/led(e.l) t.v vs plasma t.v is quite apparent...as i have recently purchased a 32"Sony cx420 (2011 model) lcd tv for my bedroom b4getting the 51"d550 plasma & know what i'm speaking about..also in recent past,i had been an ex owner of a 40"samsung lcd(40c530) tv,but later on returned the tv on substantial grounds, the core being P.Q..u can follow my samsung lcd thread in details here >> http://www.hifivision.com/televisio...i-get-guaranteed-samsung-spva-sq01-panel.html . From this ,u can get some ideas,what plethora of problems lcd/led-lcds(e.l) can come up with!.Every tv tech(crt/lcd/led-lcd/plasma) has its ups & downs...& nothing is perfect or absoluteif u game like crazy like for 10-12 hrs a day from day1,better get a lcd/led tv...u only pickup a tv which have the propositions which u value the most!

* tv prices do decrease throughout the year..the major tumbles are during diwali & another post new year uptil March-April when New models are introduced & old models r swapped out!

& lol,...for the last part abt prankey, why dont u ask prankey himself?..dealer or not? lol
Afaik,& i do believe he is just a regular member like us. & has the correct knowledge & perspectives of things..& is currently undertaking a yeomen project of making the best vfm tv(51"psd550 pdp) available to all members of hfv throughout india at the absolute India best rates!

I hope after all this, some of ur confusion has cleared up !
&u got some help!

till then,when u buy,...
t.c

 

[sarge_in]

For that distance, the biggest plasma you can afford, as long as u don't have reflections due to windows/doors behind your seating position.

 

[puneet]

Thanks for your help.
I called up my friend.He used to sell Tvs before.
He suggested that I would be comfortable with 42 inch tv.
Due to my gaming purpose,reflection issue,Photo editing on screen;he warned me to not to buy plasma.

 

[theironhorse]

for 16 feet.. nutin less than 50' wud do.. also if the min is 8.5 feet.. 50 wud do just fine if you watch HD movies ....


but the far end.. even 50' might look small if you watch pure 1080p..

50' is a must..

 

[theironhorse]

Thanks for your help.
I called up my friend.He used to sell Tvs before.
He suggested that I would be comfortable with 42 inch tv.
Due to my gaming purpose,reflection issue,Photo editing on screen;he warned me to not to buy plasma.

why would your friend not suggest you plasma for gaming ?

photo editing yes till the burn-in period you shouldn't keep static images but after some usage it should do fine...

even lcd's will have reflection.. but again you can opt for a matt screen.

but does not help much. i have a matt lcd screen but if the behind door is open i still have to close it to get the proper view..

 

[jsanand]

Puneet, here is a very small calculation which may be of some help:

In such a big room, if you have a 29 inch CRT then you get an image which is of - 17.4 inches in height, in a true 4:3 signal format. 4:3 is what most SD content, i.e. regular channels broadcast today.

Now, if you buy a 32 incher - the TV will certainly be bigger, but only in terms of width, it will be roughly 28 inches wide as compared to 23 inches width on a 29 inch CRT,but the height is where you will loose - a 32 inch, 16:9 (that is aspect ratio in which LCD, Plasma and LED get shipped) will have a height of 15.6 inches - A LOSS of 1.7 inches in comparison to a 29 inch CRT.

You loose on height in comparison to what one was getting in a 29 inch CRT as well as the image looks stretched for SD. So for the key members in the house, who spent most time on Zee, Star and Sony the experience has deteriorated and not enhanced as they see their programmes being shrunk in height and stretched in length.

Even if you have a 21 inch or 25 inch CRT - a basic 42 inch TV is what gives you a REAL visual experience upgrade and not a 32 inch TV.

As for LCD/LED/Plasma, check your pocket and also audition the TVs in a showroom which meets your viewing conditions - a road side showroom with lots of sun shine getting in, if you have a brightly lit room or a multi-brand showroom in a mall, if your room has controlled lighting.

 

[jsanand]

To Add - personally, I would ride with the iron horse and get no less than a 50 incher for the room you have described.

 

[zeeya]

For your room size a 42 incher fits in perfectly, because there is min & max viewing distance also to be considered while choosing a TV. A 50inch TV watched from a close distance causes the images edges to appear blurry, if you move a bit far it will be perfect.
Go for 42" FullHD LCD TV you'll not regret.

 

[harty]

I use a FHD 50" plasma (LG 50PK550) with a viewing distance of 8 feet. I've friends who have LCD, LEDs of 32" to 42". And all of them concur that 50" and that too a plasma is required if you want a realistic movie experience.
- IR on plasma : A problem only during burn-in. After that, works like a charm. Permanent burn-in could possibly happen with a static image for ~1 hour, not less than that.
- Reflection - Is there on LCD/LED too, unless you get a matt screen. But a matt screen has a coating to reduce reflection, which in turn washes out the colours and vividness of the HD picture. The best way is to get some curtains to prevent excessive sunlight. Mine is one of the more reflective plasmas, and believe me when I say that reflection ceases to matter with use of curtains and once you're actually watching the scene instead of looking for reflection.
- LCD/LEDs do not match plasmas for motion reproduction. Even the best LEDs have some motion-blur (my friend who owns an LED vouches for it, he's a soccer fan). It's zero with plasma.

I'd suggest go for plasma, 50" or more, unless you absolutely want to have long-duration static image viewing on the tv, in which case you could have burn-in and you're better off with a LCD/LED

 

[dillihifi]

@ harty

Would love to hear regarding the performance of the LG plasma you own

 

[just4kix]

You said you want a good TV and not repent later. But anything less than 50" and I guarantee that you will repent.

As everybody says, nothing less than 50" for the some semblence of a theatre like experience for the size of your room (even 8' viewing distance). LCD/LED come in sizes of 40-42", 46". The 46" LED will be costlier than 50" plasma by at least about 20k if not more.

If you have a budget constraint, you can go for the Panasonic 50X30 which is an HD-Ready (720p) model. It retails around 45-48k. The next bet is Pana 50U30 at 66k. Then you have the Samsung 51D550 for about 66-70k. Pana 50V20 (the best of the lot) is being phased out and you can get a good deal at around 80k.

 

[vishalp]

For 8 to 10 feet distance a 40 " or a 42" should be good, specially with so many channels still in non HD as of today. Any bigger TV will have issues with non HD and non HD content will be too blurry and may harm your eyes.

Always remember, the viewing distance for HD content is around 40% of the optimal viewing distance for a NTSC/PAL DVD quality content.
So while a 50" Tv may be good for a distance of 8 feet for HD, to view the non HD content on the same TV, you have to back minimum 20 feet.

About LED Vs Plasma. There is no choice, LED is the present and the future. The motion blurring in LED is a thing of the past. Today's LEDs come with much better refresh rates and for sure can match plasma any day. Energy efficiency, room heating, longer life and sharpness of picture score much higher in case of LEDs.

 

[harty]

@dillihifi
Let me know if you want to know about any specifics. In general, am more than happy with my plasma, after using for > 1 year now. Haven't had any IR problems. Reflection is not a concern if you use curtains, or at night. Picture clarity and reproduction is good. Usability is good too. Am sure it will last me another 4-5 years, if not more. And to think of it, I had got it last year June at 61.5K from ezone. It's really turned out to be a steal.

@vishalp,
I daily watch SD contect, including ESPN, Star sports, Ten Action, etc, and it's much better that what my friends gets on his 37" Sony LCD. Also, it's not at all painful to watch at 8 feet. I think how SD content looks has a lot to do with the feed and the STB, rather than the TV itself.
I think saying that LED is future and plasmas are past, is going a bit too far. Browse to any reputed AV forums, and you will find experts in the field recommending both LEDs and plasma in equal measure. What matters is that you buy a good TV whether LED for plasma. Also, going by brand is not good enough now, since even well-reputed branch seem to mess up every now and then in their desire to innovate. So, the best option is to look up reviews what any model that you like, and go with it.
I agree that the newer high-end LEDs have reduced the effect of motion-blur to quite an extent, but due to the technology itself, where the crystals have to rotate to reproduce a particular coloured pixel, there will be a delay. Whether it's observed by naked eye or not, is a totally diffferent matter. Also, the real 200MHz switching is available only in the top end LEDs, which won't cost you <80K for a 40" model. Any cheaper, and there would have been compromises. So at a given price point, a plasma would beat a LED for size and picture both.
Power consumption, yes, LEDs are much more friendlier than plasmas in this regard, but the newer plasmas are not power-hogs as well. My monthly bill has barely gone up by around 75-80 Rs after I switched from my CRT to plasma. Also, there's no room-heating. Most issues that you mention were true for plasmas of 2008 and earlier, but after that, they made significant advances and the latest ones are amazing for the price they come at.
I'd suggest avsforum for anyone to research on plasmas, LEDs and LCDs. They have quite a few informative posts there. And not to mention quite a few posts here on hifivision as well.

 

[harty]

Also, most DTH providers are slowly but surely moving to HD. Within the next year or so, most of the content would be availabe in HD. In that case, one wouldn't want to buy a TV for watching today's SD content.
I was skeptical about the same issue of SD content on 50" TV, but when I actually saw SD content on it, it looked quite good. To judge SD content picture on larger screens, I'd suggest you watch a DVD on in, instead of a DTH feed. DVD would put out 480p, which is ideally what your DTH should put out as well. So if DVD looks great and DTH feed doesn't, that just means that the DTH provider is not giving you appropriate content.
For me, SD content on Dishtv works exceedingly well.

 

[raghumailbox]

Plasmas are less costly.

Nice catchword.

 

[toocoolamar]

i say u can never go wrong with a big tv. u cant regret it being too big.. so go for as big a tv ur budget can afford.