55" or 60"?

[Modular]

I'm trying to determine if 60" is too big for the room that I'm in. There are thousands of opinions on the web about this topic, but I thought I'd ask at the only place that matters - AT!

So the room is pretty square, there wont be any crazy viewing angles. We will be sitting 14' away at the furthest and about 10' at the closest. The TV will be at about a 50°angle from the sofas.

We did the tape test (mocked up tape to get an idea of the size) and it looked pretty good. If it matters, I'm going to be buying the Panasonic tc-p60st50.

Thanks for any input!

 

[Durvelle27]

55" would be great for that viewing distance

 

[Matt1970]

I usually sit around 7 feet from my 55" and I don't feel I am too close. I think 10 feet from a 60" will be fine so in my opinion go with the bigger if you can.

 

[JackBurton]

60" no question about it. If you get the 55", you'll always have "I should have got the 60"" in the back on your mind.

 

[RockinZ28]

60" minimum for those distances. Could go to 70" and be fine.

If you go by the viewing distance calculators, 10.5' is ideal for an 80" 1080p. Anything that's not 1080p will look like complete crap.

I have a 58" at ~10ft, could have definitely gone bigger. Course the price jump was immense at the time.

 

[Modular]

So should I try and convince the wife that we should go 65? We're more concerned with it looking ridiculous if it's too big for the room. I'm sure that a 60 will work well, but don't want it to be like - woah...TV you know?

 

[dagamer34]

So should I try and convince the wife that we should go 65? We're more concerned with it looking ridiculous if it's too big for the room. I'm sure that a 60 will work well, but don't want it to be like - woah...TV you know?

You need to start listing prices, because 5" for $1000 isn't worth it for most people.

 

[zerocool84]

60" no question about it. If you get the 55", you'll always have "I should have got the 60"" in the back on your mind.

This

Always go the largest you can.

 

[Modular]

You need to start listing prices, because 5" for $1000 isn't worth it for most people.

Good point. Price isn't a huge issue. My wife and I are still using a 32" CRT - so when we buy something like this, we do so with the long term in mind. I won't be upgrading this for at least 5 years unless something crazy comes along.

I've found the 60" for $1800 in a few spots and $2300 for the 65". That's quite a bit extra for 5" of real estate, I agree, but if it will be "worth" it, I'd be willing to jump all over it

 

[Viper GTS]

At those distances even a 65" is going to be marginal. I'm under 8' to my 65" & I seriously wish somebody would release a 75" plasma. Something like a 75VT50.

Viper GTS

 

[Modular]

At those distances even a 65" is going to be marginal. I'm under 8' to my 65" & I seriously wish somebody would release a 75" plasma.

Viper GTS

Damn, really? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This is a tech forum after all

 

[Viper GTS]

Damn, really? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This is a tech forum after all

I should caveat that a bit. I had a 61" 1080P DLP for 5.5 years with a similar viewing distance. Going to the 65VT50 really did not feel like much of an upgrade, particularly since it's against an apparently much larger wall and it looks tiny.

But I don't pretend to be normal, so YMMV.

But definitely 65" if you're going to be viewing no closer than 10'.

Viper GTS

 

[Modular]

Sweet, thanks.

What about the possibility of seeing pixelation with a screen that size? Wikipedia (the gold standard of all knowledge as we all know) says that THX recommends a 60" for viewing between 6 and 9 feet. So I would assume it's a non-issue, but figured I should ask anyway.

 

[Viper GTS]

THX is for viewing angles, it doesn't account for resolution.

This chart takes into account limits of normal human vision:

My vision is far less than ideal so I don't have to worry about such things.



Viper GTS

 

[Ronstang]

55" would be great for that viewing distance

That is about my same distances and I got the 55'' about 6 weeks ago and could not be happier. Now the bedroom in my new house on the other hand will have me 16 feet away from the TV so I may step up to the 60'' for that room.

 

[gar655]

I just got a 70". Seating distance is 9ft. I would have no problem using the 80" set at that distance (just didn't want to fork out double the price).

I could also see using a projector and a 90-100" screen from 9-10ft with no problem. Most people sit way too far from their screen.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Agree with the "go larger" sentiments. I'm sitting about 10' from a 50" right now, and it could be a 70 and be good to go at this distance. Maybe bigger.

Home Theater is about the immersive experience.....you want the screen to be as large as possible and be as close to it as you can without seeing the pixels.

Think of how big the screens are in a theater...what, 50-75' wide? And you're sitting what....30-40' from it?

Of course, they look like crap compared to a nice Plasma or LED, but still, it's about that huge screen.

 

[dookulooku]

Definitely go 60", unless you suffer from motion sickness from having a large TV.

I have a 55" and my viewing distance is under 8 feet, and I definitely could have gone with a 65".

Also, Amazon has the 65ST50 for $2100 with free shipping.

 

[NutBucket]

I'm in the 8-9' viewing range with a 65" set. Looks great to me. I can definitely pick out lower quality "HD" movie rips...but I'm not sure I would notice a huge difference with say 4K source/set either.

Oddly enough, a few days ago I was at a relative's house watching the Olypmics on their 55" Sony (near top of the line purchased last fall). I couldn't figure out why it looked so shitty until I realized it was the DirecTV HD feed. It looks great on my set due to OTA source. And that was at about 10' too. Food for thought.

 

[Naeeldar]

I'd say go 65 inches. I'll post a picture when I get home tonight of what it looks like but I have one and people when I talk about it say it's way to big but when they sit in my recliners thye love it. I have to measure I'm not sure of exact distance but I think it's about 9-10 feet. honestly it works but I would not have minded a 70 (had it fit) and had a plasma been in that size and not been crazy expensive.

 

[BurnItDwn]

At those distances I would go with 100+ inches and projection (if it is a light controlled environment in a dedicated theater room.)

If it's just for casual viewing, get the biggest TV in your price range.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

I worked at HiFi Buys and their rule of thumb was to sit one size and a half away from the screen. That said, you could easily go with a 60+" screen at your distance, and if you'll be sitting that 14 feet away you should maybe think about going bigger than the 60" honestly.

 

[Modular]

Thanks for all the input! I remeasured and we're at 12 feet furthest, 10 closest. I picked up the 60" and am going to use the $500 I "saved" over the 65 to pick up the Denon AVR 2113CI. Can't wait for it all to get here!

 

[Tegeril]

Go larger. I'm about 7-8' from a 55 (54.6, Toshiba 55SV670U) and wish Toshiba had made this model as a 60" tv as well.

 

[sdifox]

http://tv09.org/

14' away I would say 100"

I plugged in 100" on the calculator up there and it said optimal viewing distance (SMPTE based) is 13.55 feet