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Five Things to Consider Before Buying an HDTV

by Tom Samiljan on November 18, 2008 at 01:45 PM


2. Room and TV Size: Where Will This Thing Go?

Gone are the days when 13-inch TVs were the norm and 15-20-inches was considered big. Nowadays, your TV won't get the full advantage of crisp and clear HD images unless it's at least 32-inches or bigger. Though some of us would prefer to keep our televisions small -- and for those folks there are plenty of models in the 15-20-inch range that look nice on a kitchen counter or small bedroom -- others, including this writer, are of the bigger-is-better school of TV watching (we're talking to you, sports and action movie fans).

That said, you don't want to go so big that you can't see the whole screen, or that your eyes get irritated from light emitting out of the TV, or that you can actually see the pixels on the screen. (The good news, for that last problem, is that HDTV resolution, particularly of the 1080p variety, can be good enough for you to sit pretty close to the TV). Generally, you shouldn't sit much closer than 5 or7 feet from the screen, but check out this chart to calculate the ideal tv sizes for different distances.

Also, remember that you'll need a place to put this TV, so appropriately-sized furniture or strong wall mounts also need to be considered. In the case of DLP or CRT TVs, consider how big and bulky these things can be, so make sure you've got the space and that it will match well with your other furniture.


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