Pixel Density

[damax452]

I am considering several HDTVs. I sit 8 feet from my TV. so I've narrowed my selection to 42-50 inch. My budget is about $2k, so I will most likely go with an LCD/DLP RPTV. If I go with a smaller (42") screen, will the image be crisper and seemingly more defined than a larger TV because of the pixel density? Almost all of the RPTVs have a res of 1280 x 720. So all that happens in the larger TVs is the image is blown up more. Does this lower the image quality?

One thing I noticed when I bought my last LCD computer monitor was that pixel density has a significant effect on how clear images are. Which is why I went with a 20" 1600x1200 screen. Is the same true for projection DLP and LCDs?

This might just be me trying to justify buying the smaller sized screen. I don't know. But the last thing I want is for me to bring home a new TV and have it end up being too small. Of course, I am currently rockin' a 10 yr old 27" tube. :D

[57U]

The smaller the screen, the sharper the image will appear if you stay the same distance from the screen and the screen has the same "resolution". This is simple physics. People buy bigger TVs for the "cinema-like" experience and for larger rooms, while typically staying roughly 2 times screen size from their TVs.

See the HDTV FAQ "How large an HDTV to buy" as well as the other FAQs.

[jco]

damax452,

Dont fall into the "if I buy a smaller screen it will look sharper, and I get to save money" trap. With HDTVs, especially really good ones, you want a BIG screen, the biggest you can fit or afford within reason. At 8 feet I would recommend a 48" screen as the absolute minimum, a 60" would still look great. If you buy a 42" its going to look tiny and you wont get the cinema experience.....You will regret it because its just too small at that distance...And dont forget, when you watch 4x3 material on a 16x9 screen, your image gets even smaller, so you need a bigger screen than 42" for sure IMHO.

[Ratman]

...when you watch 4x3 material on a 16x9 screen, your image gets even smaller.

Only diagonally. :cool:

[jco]

SMALLER AREA- thats a smaller image. Diagonal counts too. Bottom line is
that you dont want to get a 16x9 HDTV thats barely big enough or worse,
slightly to small because when you watch 4x3 you end up with an even smaller
image. very simple thing most people often overlook when buying their first
16x9 screen.

[Ratman]

The image is not smaller.

If you're used to watching a 27" 4:3 TV, moving to a 38" or 40" widescreen will still provide a larger 4:3 image than a 27".

[damax452]

Yea, I made a spreadsheet when I started looking into HDTVs where I enter screen size and it calculates horizontal and vertical size as well as pixel density, viewable area, and viewing distance.

A 27" 4:3 is 21.6" by 16.2"
A 42" 16:9 is 36.6" by 20.6" so its 4 inches taller and 15" wider than my current TV.

jco, thanks for your comments. I agree with you here, I am trying to get the best experience I can out of my home theater, within reason of course. I don't want to make a bad decision because I wanted to save some green.

I just don't want to fall into the "Oh no my TV is too big" trap. Though I'm not sure that one exists.

[57U]

Screen size calculator?

http://www.cavecreations.com/tv2.cgi