1080p < 50" ... Maybe Not The Best Choice?

[dk62]

The 1080 content is ubiquitous, does not matter if it is p or i. But it is true that for sets under 50" you will not see a difference. The higher resolution allows you to sit closer and/or have a bigger screen, but at normal viewing distances you will not see any difference for a set in your range (even a 50" set requires sitting at 5-6 feet to appreciate the difference between 768 and 1080 lines).

[RAMd®d]

More and more content will be 1080p.

And I *like* to sit close-ish to the screen, as I want it to occupy a good portion of my field of view. I like the feeling of immersion.

Some time ago, 25" CRTs were the Big Thing. "A 25" TV?! What a monster!" Yet everyone I new sat back 9-10'+ from it. Maybe they were afraid of the radiation.

Even today, when I go to the show with friends, they want to sit in the back quarte, while I move up, depending on the size of the screen. When I juuuuuust have to move my eyes a bit from left to right, I'm in The Zone.

So for me, at 46"+, I'll probably shop for 1080p. Who know, by the time I make the jump, it may be like trying to buy a new computer with a 30G/4200rpm HD.

[N-OS X-tasy!]

[quote dk62]The 1080 content is ubiquitous, does not matter if it is p or i. But it is true that for sets under 50" you will not see a difference. The higher resolution allows you to sit closer and/or have a bigger screen, but at normal viewing distances you will not see any difference for a set in your range (even a 50" set requires sitting at 5-6 feet to appreciate the difference between 768 and 1080 lines).
Therein lies the rub: "Normal" viewing distances for a given screen size tend to be closer for HDTV than for SDTV due to higher resolution. The shorter the viewing distance, the more important higher resolution becomes.

[dk62]

Guess should have been more precise and said "usual," not "normal." I sometimes manage to view my 61" TV from 5-6 feet, but my wife is strictly against major furniture rearrangements, so the couch mainly stays at 10'.

[Article Accelerator]

[quote N-OS X-tasy!]"Normal" viewing distances for a given screen size tend to be closer for HDTV than for SDTV due to higher resolution.
Bingo!

[Robo]

The sheer number of pixels in the screen in 1920x1080 vs. 13whatever x 768 makes it obvious which screen is better. On a same size screen, the pixels are much smaller. On my 37" 768 it was relatively easy to see individual pixels from my couch a few feet away. On my replacement 1080p you have to get really close to it to see them. There is not the huge price premium there once was. Once you see blu-ray it's hard to go back so you might as well have the option to have the best picture possible.