small tvs = wonderful picture quality

[rose14]

I tried hooking up a 19'' analog set to my HD reciever.I can use my yagi antenna to get ota HD signals. Even though they are down coverted with composite inputs ,the sd picture quality is fantastic. I guess this is the result of a smaller screen and a very clean sd signal . It almost looked HD like. This was my neighbors set ,it makes me want to go out and get a small crt. I hope this size would not be too small for my main living room set. Thanks for any feedback.

[Kevin Kuehn]

In my opinion most people tend to sit too close to too large of TV these days. You can always move in closer to a smaller set, but you can't get away from a monster sized set in a small room. I suppose some folks like to pretend they're actually in the ball game.

[radiotvnut]

For most of my growing up years, all we had was a 19" color TV and it served our purpose as a primary TV. We would have likely never gotten anything bigger had we not inherited my Uncle's 25" Zenith console after he passed away. I think the only reason a lot of people want a big TV is so that they can brag about how big their TV is.

[compucat]

I have noticed that SD content viewed on a 46" flat screen looks blurry. Old TV shows just don't have the resolution for such large screens. I still consider 25" to be "big screen". A 19 inch set is quite big enough for most livingrooms. My 21" Zenith roundie seems quite big in the 12' x 12' room where I have it. The new sets are around 60". The trend toward big is going too far to be practical.

[andy]

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[AiboPet]

I'm not real fond of anything beyond a 55" screen even for a "nice and big Samsung" set in my living room. It's not real fun when you end up "looking around" to see the picture...gets tiresome. I have a Viewsonic DLP projector and 110" Draper screen at either end of the "long" side of my front room. Putting something on that for fun is novel for like fifteen minutes...and then you realize WATCHING anything on it is like sitting in the VERY front row of a theater. No matter how good the resolution is, you still end up looking all around to watch anything.

[compucat]

I find I can be quite content watching on a screen of 10 inches or less depending on viewing distance.

[zenith2134]

This Quasar from '85 makes a highly pleasing picture connected to a Digitalstream ATSC receiver box ( The way i am currently using the tv). The inherent need to continually adjust picture formatting settings is the only downfall of the digital tv receiver set-up.

[ChrisW6ATV]

I love watching a big screen for movies and football games. BIG screen. 92-inch diagonal, eight feet away (or nine feet away if I lean back on the couch). At these distances, I can easily see the improvement in 1080i/1080p movies and TV stations (CBS, NBC) over the 720p ones (ABC, Fox).

If the "4K" displays and programs ever become the standard, I could see an equally-clear picture with a 180-inch screen nine feet away, if it would fit in this room (which is only 11x12 feet as it is).

[rose14]

Picture format changing could get old . I know Fox sports formats 16x9 and you lose some stats on the side. So does ESPN.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

If the "4K" displays and programs ever become the standard, I could see an equally-clear picture with a 180-inch screen nine feet away, if it would fit in this room (which is only 11x12 feet as it is).

Would one even fit through the door, or into a vehicle any smaller than a cube van? That would be the "Spruce Goose" of flat-panels.

[ChrisW6ATV]

A 180-inch screen would have to be projected, not a flat-panel set. Indeed, it would not fit through any door if it WAS a flat panel.

Originally Posted by Kevin Kuehn

I suppose some folks like to pretend they're actually in the ball game.

Basically, yes.

One of the best pictures I ever saw was on the 11-inch Panasonic set sold about 1980 or so. Yes, for its size, it looked "high definition".

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

A 180-inch screen would have to be projected, not a flat-panel set. Indeed, it would not fit through any door if it WAS a flat panel.

Chances are those who want flat-panels that big and have credit to burn will just build their houses around the things.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by compucat

I find I can be quite content watching on a screen of 10 inches or less depending on viewing distance.

I hate to tell you how many small screen color sets in my collection, from 4" to 13". Losing count.