Small Room, Big Telly..What's That All About?

@Janey1966 (24170)
Carlisle, England
September 8, 2010 7:49pm CST
When most people owned CRTs (we still have ours) we were told that we had to sit at least 6 feet away from the screen for maximum viewing enjoyment. Nowadays, with these new-fangled LED/Plasma televisions we are told the opposite. A big screen is definitely the way to go as we don't have to sit 6 feet away anymore; in fact, these new screens are designed so that we can all sit closer to them without eye-strain. Well, forgive me for being cynical about this but isn't that just a marketing gimmick to make us buy bigger tellys for our (usually) small rooms? Obviously, the bigger the telly the more you have to fork out for it. No doubt some households have had to place their huge screens onto a wall because they soon realise it's too big to go anywhere else. Who is to blame? The salespeople or the customers? I know a guy who had the biggest CRT I've ever seen in his tiny lounge. It totally dominated the room. If he has bought one of the latest creations the screen will be even bigger as the speakers are less conspicuous. Our telly, for example has two speaker thingys down each side, therefore making it look more bulky. In actual fact, the screen size is only 28". If we bought an LED it would be 32" and no bigger as it would have to go in the corner of the room anyway. I'm not "sold" on 3D telly either, even though Sky presenters keep banging on about how wonderful it is (well, they would wouldn't they) as I'd much prefer waiting for SuperHD than 3D thank you very much. Does all this new technology do your head in? Have you watched 3D telly? Is it true that the black specs only work for people who have - already, got perfect eyesight?
1 person likes this
9 responses
• United States
12 Sep 10
the media's probably to blame. bigger,better,buy buy buy! i still have an older 29'..and i intend to keep it til it breaks. the only reason i have one that big at all is so i can see it better. i know 2 people with the 52's,and it always seems there's something wrong with them. as for 3-d..if i was given one,i suppose i'd use it..but as far as buying..not something i really need.
1 person likes this
• United States
12 Sep 10
it seems the bigger they were,the more they overheated..the old style anyway.. yea,i don't think they push the smaller as much..you seem to have your choice of laptop dvd size,or big obnoxious monster you need 3 people to carry in LOL
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Sep 10
A telly engineer once told me that the smaller screens are better than the bigger ones and I think there is some truth in this. Both Mum's and the in-laws' tellys are 32" and they look great...no need for a bigger screen in my view. It is becoming more difficult to buy TVs that are less than 32" and 37" are quite popular too..wouldn't go bigger than that though!
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
13 Sep 10
@Kalyni2011 (3496)
• India
18 Jan 11
What you are speaking is right, the size of screen is getting bigger and bigger, but the back space is decreasing, the tv need less space, we have one 28 inch size, it is kept over a marble plate fixed on the wall, so the space below is also free, while sitiing in the cough, we can enjoy viewing.. thnxs for this post. kalyani
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@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
18 Jan 11
That's very interesting the point you make there. The new televisions are thinner aren't they so can be placed in corners, or even on walls without too much effort. I believe that the new screens are designed so people can sit closer to them than the old CRT models. Whether this is true or not I'm not sure. At one time 32" would be considered a very large screen, now it's pushing 55". I noticed on the Comet website (a place that sells such items) that they had more bigger screens to choose from as more people want to purchase them. Their houses aren't getting any bigger though lol. Thanks for keeping this discussion alive, it's much appreciated.
@derek_a (10874)
9 Sep 10
Well, we have a fairly big room and a few years ago we got a 32" LCD TV, when they had come down sufficiently in price. When we got it home it seemed huge in comparison to our old 22" CRT, but after seeing a friend's TV, is now seems small. He has a room half the size of ours and has a 50" or thereabouts. The room is really "all telly"- you really can't miss it when you go in there. Ours is HD, and to me, the picture is excellent. I am not really in any hurry to go for the 3D - they'll probably bring something else out anyway. I am more interested in what's happening on screen. I find that my eyes have adjusted to HD viewing and now it seems normal. I think with me, this would happen whatever sort of picture a set produced. _Derek
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
9 Sep 10
50" LOL. I can't begin to imagine what a telly that size would look like in here..hideous, probably! I reckon there will be a war between HD and 3D in future. SuperHD is coming but I've no idea what that is, I've just read snippets of info on it. 3D will be no good to people like me with duff vision. It's a shame I can't buy Mum a new HD box (she has a standard Sky+ box) as it would be interesting to see if there's any difference to the picture quality she has now..which is still ace...and HD. That's a long way off though because I received yet another rejection letter today..from Cumbrian Properties. I noticed that all 3 directors' names at the bottom of the letter had the same surname! This suggests to me that it's a family affair. No doubt, if any relatives of theirs are looking for work, into Cumbrian Properties they go!
@shaggin (71573)
• United States
6 Feb 11
I dont care for the huge tvs. Yes they are nice. It would be nice to have one but they cost a lot and I cannot afford it. when our tv broke I bought the cheapest television I could find. It is a flat screen high definition tv because that was all they were selling at wal-mart. I got it for $148 I believe it was. It is pretty small I want to say 19 inch but I cant remember. Oh well it doesnt matter to me. My kids are pretty much the only ones who use it.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
6 Feb 11
I think smaller screens look better, in actual fact. I know this is a different thing but I love my new 22" monitor that came with my PC. If it was bought seperately it would be about £150 but it works out cheaper with the tower unit. I have known people buy the biggest tvs just because they can afford to. Doesn't make them any better than the smaller models.
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
9 Sep 10
I always thought the big screen thing was a macho thing. Still, I like it a lot better than our old 19 incher... Nope, haven't watched 3D tv...
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
10 Sep 10
So, how big is it then?
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@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
10 Sep 10
60 inches
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Sep 10
Really? Wow, that's BIG!
9 Sep 10
I don’t care what anyone says, size does matter When I first got a job and was still living it a home I brought the biggest TV I could afford, which was a 32” CRT beast which dominated my bedroom. It weighed a blooming ton and I could barely lift the thing, but back then I was not only a movie geek but also a movie snob wanting the latest gizmos and gadgets. These days I actually have a 26” lcd TV which is more than enough for what I need as I’ve got passed the 5 minute wonder of having to have the latest gizmos & gadgets, plus I can’t afford it, lol. Having been brought up sitting a certain distance from the screen I still do even though I could now sit closer. I think that times have actually changed where now the TV is the focal point of a room, used for more than just watching TV but also playing multi player games and so size does seem to be a major buying component. In fact sales men most definitely don’t take into consideration of how a TV will look in the room when they sell it to you. 9 out of 10 are just more concerned on selling you the next model up from what you are interested in because it increases their commission. As for 3D TV, personally as it stands it’s going to be a novelty which will wear off, for the simple reason that people will not want to have to wear a set of glasses to watch something in 3D. When they eventually manage to develop the technology so that 3D can be viewed without glasses will be truly when it takes off. For now it is a gimmick which attracts those with more money than sense and who are gadget snobs. And yes those glasses are still not 100% effective with a proportion of the population not able to use them either for the reason that their eyesight is not in line with the glasses or for the fact that some people suffer fits and seizures from watching 3D.
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@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
9 Sep 10
Thanks for that! If memory serves LG have shown off their latest 3D creation where black glasses are dispensed with..which begs the question, why bring out TVs NOW where you have to wear glasses? I'm not convinced about 3D I have to say. For starters, both myself and John have to wear specs to watch telly as it is. Also, John takes tablets to prevent him from having fits so I'm glad you mentioned that about seizures, as salespeople certainly won't! Hubby has watched F1 in HD on his parents' Panasonic 32" and he said it was fabulous. However, not all races are shown in HD - either due to the technology not being available in that country or they put golf on the HD channel instead (which is what happened when F1 was at Silverstone)!
@GardenGerty (157027)
• United States
9 Sep 10
I do not know a thing about it really, except that certain of the new technology look weird unless viewed straight on. I do not watch enough television to make me a good target for all the new fangled malarky.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
9 Sep 10
The thing is I would definitely watch more telly if we upgraded as the sound on our telly isn't great because it's worn out lol. Whenever I visit Mum's house I watch more telly because there is no computer there but I do love her TV, it's very nice without being too flash. I don't think 3D will catch on and I think it's appalling that Sky have increased their subscription charges in order to pay for the technology that is costing them an arm and a leg to broadcast to a handful of people that are remotely interested in it. I only read about SuperHD the other day so why they've gone down the 3D route is beyond me. No doubt HD subscribers won't be too happy when SuperHD comes out either!
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
9 Sep 10
I don't have one of those flat screen things, in fact, my tv was free - can't beat that with a stick...
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
9 Sep 10
I once had a free colour portable TV that came with the bigger one and it had a better picture. Figure that one out!
@ybong007 (6643)
• Philippines
9 Sep 10
it's been a dream of mine to own a 32 inch LCD/LED tv or better. For me the bigger the better but sadly, it's not on the budget so i'm stuck with my 21 inch flat screen CRT TV.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
9 Sep 10
I know what you mean. If we compare our CRT to the upgraded tellys both my Mum and the in-laws have (not the sames makes but same size, 32") they're far superior and Mum hasn't even got an HD box yet, just the Sky+ one which she loves. Dad, on the other hand (who watches his own telly in the front room) he has a CRT that he's had for about 16 years and Mum wants it to break so she can "buy him another one!" He could get away with a much bigger telly as it could go in the middle of the room, up by the window as he sits near to the opposite wall. 50" would look daft but he could get away with 37" or 40", definitely!