Nowadays, LCD TV’s come in all sizes. The size actually refers to the size of the screen and it influences your watching experience to a high extent. Why? Because each of these sizes has what is called optimal viewing distance and it matters if you can place the LCD in your living room in the right place for the best watching experience. First, take in your room: do you think it is large enough to accommodate a big screen? You do not need to make any guessing, we will help you with a thorough LCD guide on viewing distance, screen size and resolution. For instance, if you buy a small screen LCD, that has 1080p resolution, you will not get all that money can buy, but quite the contrary. On the other hand, large screen LCD’s are quite expensive and such a spending may not be in your price range. The bottom line is that, in case you can afford a screen that is fittest for your room, then you will get an extraordinary amount of detail, and, as a result, an awesome watching experience.
Appreciate the Distance
Once you have decided that you will buy a new LCD, you must take into account some aspects. One is the place for your acquisition and another the distance you will be sitting from it. If you plan to sit really close to your LCD, you will not need a very large screen, and a smaller one will do. On the other hand, 1080p models are pretty expensive, and, while they offer a great amount of detail for the optimal viewing distance, they may be out of your reach. Also, resolution is not exactly the most important aspect of an LCD HDTV, and picture quality acts as a priority. This means that even if you buy a smaller screen LCD, you will still have a wonderful watching experience. In order to take the best decision, you will have to visit the electronics store and see what they got and which model seems the most appropriate for your needs.
Your Favorite Programs Prevail
Technical aspects are not the only things that matter when it comes to optimal viewing distance and screen size. Also, what you intend to watch matters a great deal. For instance, you should know that standard definition television looks pretty bad on a very large screen (unless you sit very far away). Higher quality in screen size and resolution can be enjoyed to the fullest only when watching HDTV and Blu Ray discs. The new technology is catching on, but it will still be some time until it will become the regular norm. What we are trying to say here is that for someone that watches mainly SD content and regular DVDs, 1080p is not worth the extra money.
Basically, if you are going to watch Blu Ray movies a lot, and you can afford to buy a 1080p LCD HDTV that has the optimal size for your viewing distance, you should do that. However, if you watch mostly SDTV or DVD, 720p is enough and a smaller size will work just fine. On the other hand, if you can’t afford the optimal size you should seriously consider waiting and saving some money in order to buy an LCD TV that will give you the best experience. You should also consider switching to a HDTV provider if now you have SDTV. After all, you don’t want to buy an LCD HDTV just because it’s thinner.
Choosing Between Size and Quality
As a rule of thumb, larger models have higher prices and 1080p models are more expensive than 720p models. You might get into the situation where you have to choose between a larger screen with inferior picture quality and a smaller screen with better quality. This is a difficult decision to make, and you are the only person that can make this choice.
The Numbers
| Screen Size | Content Resolution | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080i/1080p 1080i TV broadcasts and 1080p Blu Ray Disk Movies |
720p 720p TV broadcasts – most sports channels |
480i/480p SDTV broadcasts and regular DVD movies |
|
| 32″ | 4.2 feet | 6.2 feet | 11.5 feet |
| 40″ | 5.2 feet | 7.8 feet | 14.3 feet |
| 42″ | 5.5 feet | 8.2 feet | 15 feet |
| 46″ | 6 feet | 9 feet | 16.5 feet |
| 50″ | 6.5 feet | 9.8 feet | 17.9 feet |
| 52″ | 6.8 feet | 10 feet | 18.6 feet |
| 55″ | 7.2 feet | 10.7 feet | 19.7 feet |
