Is 55" too large?

[Brigadeer]

Some of you may have seen me leave a few posts here over the last week, as I am getting ready to purchase an HDTV. One of the things I had not thought of at all regarding big screen RP HDTV's, was the glare, and the possible pixelation if too close to the TV. Currently, I am having a house built, which is the same as the model home.

I had been looking at an 55" Mitsubishi, but after looking at the model home yesterday, I'm not so sure that 55" might not be too big.

The size of the TV itself is not the issue, there is plenty of wall space, and the depth of the TV should not be an issue. What may be an issue is how far the couch will appear from the TV. From the setup in the model home, which won't be that different from ours, the TV would be about 8-10 feet from the couch.

My question is two fold. From everyone's experience that reads this post, what would you say would be the optimal size HDTV from about 8-10 ft out. I wanted a 55", but my gut is telling me that I probably ought to scale down to a 50". Nevertheless, I would like to hear what everyone thinks.

Also, I am going to have a loveseat that will be running perpendicular to the TV, that is, when you are sitting in the loveseat, you will be watching the TV at a 45 degree angle. Is this a problem on most HDTV's? I have seen posts where people say that the light/angle make it impossible to see the TV set a times. I'm just curious is the size and any make of TV would help with this.

Thanks for any and all responses!

Eric

[57U]

55" from your distance is "pushing it" for SD images. It's fine for HD and DVD. Check out the FAQ section, 7th one down on the home page for the post "how large an HDTV to buy". There will likely be some light fall off from a 45 degree angle for anyone on the loveseat.

I'd suggest a 50-51".

[LeeS]

First I'm not disagreeing with 57U. What size TV are you upgrading from? I went from an old 52" RPTV to my 65" HD RPTV and didn't have a problem with the SD images at 11 feet. My kids who have 27-32" direct views have made some negative comments about the image I get from DISH. I view DVD's mostly, very little HD OTA at this time. So its about 2/3 DVD and 1/3 Dish SAT. I put up with the image quality because I know its going to get better in time. I had my last TV over 13 years :).

I have a couch that is 11 feet from the TV, measured from my eyes. And a love seat that is 90 degrees from couch (towards the TV, making a "L". The love seat which puts you closer than 11' and at an angle around 45 degrees is not the best viewing location. 45 or much over and my image quality really falls off. :(

Good Luck,
Lee

[Tom]

Our 51" is exactly 10' from our eyes.......... and I've noticed with HDTV broadcasts it doesn't fatigue you at all if you move even closer..............just an observation. :cool:

[wmayo]

I have a 55" Mits, and love it. To the point, I think you'll be just fine with your distance. I am less, and it is doing just fine. In fact, I wouldn't want to view HD any farther out. Go for it!