given that the viewing distance is 8.8-9 feet from the screen, what is better?


50in at 1080p vs 58in at 720p

or for approx $2000 more, 58in at 1080p?

mostly watch HD programming, DVD's (HD DVD's soon), and xbox 360

 

1080P FTW!

 

Definitely go 1080p, no question about it. And the 50" would be slightly more comfortable. I have a 56" JVC 1080p that's about 9' away, and it's just a bit too big. It's fine when you're watching movies, but if you have to read text all over the screen or something similar, your head will have to move to catch everything.

Something I learned after getting my TV is that "huge" in the store and "huge" in the family room are two completely separate things. You're doing the smart thing by checking first.

 

Given the choice, go 1080p. Specially with Xbox360 and HD-DVD. With HD, you get away with being able to have a shorter viewing distance vs. screen size because of the greater resolution.

 

You should be more concerned about overall picture quality rather than resolution.

Here's a good article explaining why contrast ratio, color saturation and color accuracy are more important than resolution, given your viewing distance.

http://www.carltonbale.com/2006/11/1080p-does-matter/

 

Although it looks like if you're going with a 58" screen, you should get 1080p.

 

Too big. I sit 9' away and my set is 46". 50" would seem gigantic and you'll lose all the benefits of 1080p. I wouldn't even consider 58".

 

thanks for the inputs guys!

the set i'm looking at is the panny TH-50PZ700U

http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-a...7.html?tag=sub

 

Are you planning on buying online or at a store? Because some of those online sites can be tricky -- like "Butterfly Photo" comes up on that CNET article, but they have really bad customer reviews:
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/ButterFly_Photo

 

i got a buddy who works at Video Only so I'll probably hit him up for the set.

 

58" is borderline. It's all about viewing angles, which means screen width vs distance back.

Closer than 2x and it starts getting uncomfortable. You have to learn to watch differently. Until then, it can be tiring.

3x is the usual breaking point where people start thinking their tv is too small.
at 9', 58" is about 2.1x back. 48" is 2.7x back.

I sit 2x back, and I'm fine, but I went to a sony store, where their demo couch
was exactly 2x back, and several people sat on the couch and said the tv
was too big.

I think 58" should be fine, but I'd try watching it in a store for 10 minutes, at the correct distance, first.

BTW, HD-DVD looks fantastic in 720P, but will probably make your eyes pop out at 1080P.

 

spoke to my friend at Video Only and he's recommending not going with a Panny and instead goin for a Hitachi 55in Directors Series.....anyone have any experience with them?

 

Let me ask you: What do YOU think of them? When spending this much money, take the time to look at these TVs yourself. Each brand has its strength and weaknesses, and each viewer values certain characteristics differently.

For instance, I think the Pioneer plasmas has the best picture, although I think the new Samsung LCDs have better color saturation, while I think Sharp LCDs have slightly better shadow detail than the Samsungs. But some people think Pioneer plasmas are a bit too soft.

I really recommend checking out these TVs yourself, because you're the one who has to live with it.