# Proper TV size for room?



## sgtwarpig

The room size is 18 x 13. Viewing distance would be closest 8 ft farthest around 18 ft. 

Thanks


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
Welcome to HomeTheaterShack. The most important question I have in terms of Screen Size is how far away are the primary seating positions going to be. If your main position is 8 feet, you can get away with a much smaller Display, but if closer to 12-15 feet you will need a much bigger Display for the best HT experience.
Cheers,
JJ


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## sgtwarpig

The main seating postitions will be between 8ft and around 12ft I want to get one big enough to cover both seating positions I was told it better to get something too big then too small. I have read between 50 and 55 inches


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
I would actually recommend 60" or larger. Especially if the 12ft Seating Position is going to be a Primary one. What is the budget you are thinking for this?

THX recommends much larger than most people can possible accommodate or afford for the best HT experience. They recommend a 60" Display for no further than 8-9 feet away.
Here is THX's link:http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/hdtv-set-up/

With 3D Capable Panels about to hit the Market, it is actually a great time to get a 2D Panel if 3D is not something you are interested in. There are some great deals on 60-63" Plasma's right now.
Cheers,
JJ


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## Evan Reiley

Widthwise subtended angle formed at left & right screen edges at viewer's head for the largest image should be: 

30 degrees for standard definition 
35 degrees for high definintion from cable or satellite 
40 degrees for high definition from BluRay 

Screen should produce between 16 - 25 Foot Lambert of brightness. That is total (calibrated) projector lumens of light divided by the square footage of image area. Less than 16 looks dull. More than 25 causes visible flicker from frame rate. 

You should look upward no more than 15 deg. from a horizontal line to the height-center of video image. 

You should have clear sight lines over heads of multiple rows. 

Image should be located at least 8" down from the ceiling plane or it just looks lame (not a tech item here). 

For such a wide range of distances you could consider using a masking screen with mulitple stops and a zooming projector. But projector will be expensive for one that returns to motorized zooms! Then you can resize image based on what rows are populated. 

:yikes:


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
Evan, excellent info. However, I do not believe this is an application where a Front Projector is in the cards. My first impulse was to recommend a PJ, but it sounds like he is looking for a TV.
Cheers,
JJ


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## spartanstew

If you're looking for a TV (and not a projector), I wouldn't go smaller than the 82" Mits DLP.


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
That is a good call Spartan Stew. If people can get past the form factor and not being able to hang on the Wall, RPTV's offer unbeatable values in large screen sizes. I use one myself and could not be happier. I really wish Sony would have kept making SXRD RPTV's. I absolutely love mine.
Cheers,
JJ


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## sgtwarpig

Thanks for all the responses but I must admit most went right over my head. Actually I have a rectangular living room the seating is along the sides so actually there are no seats where they should be in the middle of the room for optimum home theatre sound. My main concern about going too big would be and I am sure I am wrong is that in the 8 foot range if the TV is too big would it be almost like sitting in the front rows of a theater? I was thinking of getting an LED just because its the newest and probably within my budget. Was thinking about spending somewhere in the area of 2000.00 for the TV and really would like to hang it on the wall. Its my understanding that DLP TVs are a type of projection TV and are on a pedestal. I am sure I will be barraged once again but please keep it in layman's terms I am on the low end of the home theater spectrum.

thanks


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## Ares

I will just offer you some scale here in term of size, the room that I use currently for HT is way smaller than yours 14'x7' and I have a 46" Toshiba lcd main seating is about 5'-6' feet away. Now if you are using a TV that can do 1080p the closer you can sit, for your room if it was me I would do 55"-65" screen for your room,also are you looking to buy online or locally?


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## lsiberian

I think you can decide your TV size by checking sizes at a store and seeing what works for you. Not all folks want huge displays. Plasma usually is better than LCD, but LCD is also cheaper in my experience so it really comes down to what you want. 

A Panasonic plasma or a Sony LCD is probably a good bet at 2000. There is a lot of debate, but really this TV will dwarf most TVs you ever owned. I suggest taking your budget down too. Remember technology is rising fast. No point in hunkering down on a display that will be passed up in a year or two.


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## Evan Reiley

So a TV display (recommend LCD 1920 x 1080P ... bang for buck) of image 60" wide x 28.4" tall would produce viewing angles: 

34.7 at 8' 
23.5 at 12'
17.8 at 16' 

So row one will look pretty good. The other 2 rows will look very anemic. 

I recommend going to a 72" x 40.5" if you can afford it. 

Important point here - once you are into that price range of TV, a projector and screen are not far off and will support much larger images. Also front projection (with an acoustically transparent screen) lets you put the center channel speaker where it belongs ... firing through center of screen. This is important for audio video illusion - talking head sound comes from talking head picture (not above or below significantly). 

While Plasma TV looks great it is in the upper tier of cost. LED is currently bleeding edge technology and has limited color accuracy. LCD has gotten better black levels in recent times and prices are within reach.


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## spartanstew

sgtwarpig said:


> and really would like to hang it on the wall.


Why?

What are you going to do with your AVR, cable box, blu ray player, etc?


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
Evan, I am totally with you about the merits of a PJ Setup. However, ambient light issues make PJ's difficult for many to accommodate. If the OP has a dedicated HT Room that can be made completely dark, then a PJ makes a great deal of sense. Especially your point about having the Center Channel at the same tweeter level as the Front Speakers.
Cheers,
JJ


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