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With wide-screen television sets showing DVD, Blu-ray or HDTV, you can sit as close as 1.5 times the screen's diagonal measurement and still not notice much of a loss in quality, while sitting... Read more [+]

With wide-screen television sets showing DVD, Blu-ray or HDTV, you can sit as close as 1.5 times the screen's diagonal measurement and still not notice much of a loss in quality, while sitting farther away than three times the screen size means you're likely to miss out on the immersive feel. Here's a rundown of minimum and maximum recommended viewing distances for wide-screen television sets.

16:9 TV diagonal screen size  
Min. viewing distance (in feet)  
Max. viewing distance (in feet)
42
5.3
10.5
47
5.9
11.8

Size and your room

Generally, 32-inch and smaller sets are great for bedrooms or guest rooms but too small for the main living room. Television sets with bigger screens are large enough for the whole family to enjoy and will probably be too much for most small bedrooms.

If you're mounting the set inside an entertainment center, be sure it fits in every dimension; also, leave an inch or two on all sides so that the TV has enough ventilation. If you're getting a bigger set, you may want to consider a dedicated stand; many TV makers sell matching stands that increase the aesthetic appeal of their hefty boxes.

For additional information on screen sizes, please see CNET's Ultimate Buying Guide

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LG 42LH20
  • Editors' rating: 3 stars
      Overall score: 6.3 (3.0 stars)
LG 42LH20 Reviewed on 11/23/2009

The Bottom Line: While its light shade of black won't win over bargain home theater sticklers, the LG H20 series' features and adjustability stand out among the entry-level crowd.

Specs: LCD TV, 42 in, 450, 30000:1, 1366 x 768, 16:9, Gloss black

Sony KDL-46VE5
  • Editors' rating: 3h stars
      Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
Sony KDL-46VE5 Reviewed on 11/06/2009

The Bottom Line: Sony's KDL-VE5 series of eco-friendly LCD TVs brings an innovative new power-saving feature to the party, along with respectable picture quality.

Specs: LCD TV, 46 in, 100000:1, 4500:1, 1920 x 1080, 16:9, Piano black

Sharp LC-46LE700UN
  • Editors' rating: 3 stars
      Overall score: 6.9 (3.0 stars)
  • User rating: 4h stars out of 4 reviews
Sharp LC-46LE700UN Reviewed on 10/16/2009

The Bottom Line: The Sharp LC-LE700UN's LED backlighting doesn't elevate its picture quality beyond the LCD norm, but does help make it the most efficient TV we've ever tested.

Specs: LCD TV, 46 in, 550 cd/m2, 1920 x 1080, 16:9, Black

Samsung UN46B8500
  • Editors' rating: 4 stars
      Overall score: 8.7 (4.0 stars)
Samsung UN46B8500 Reviewed on 10/06/2009

The Bottom Line: It costs a mint, but Samsung's local dimming, LED-based UNB8500 series delivers the best picture quality of any LCD we've tested.

Specs: LCD TV, 46 in, 1920 x 1080

Samsung UN46B8000
  • Editors' rating: 4 stars
      Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
  • User rating: 3h stars out of 10 reviews
Samsung UN46B8000 Reviewed on 09/25/2009

The Bottom Line: The expensive, stylish Samsung UNB8000 series has its share of picture quality drawbacks, but a firmware update helps, and the thin frames are worth serious bragging rights.

Specs: LCD TV, 46 in, 1920 x 1080, Black

Sony Bravia KDL-46W5100
  • Editors' rating: 3h stars
      Overall score: 7.6 (3.5 stars)
Sony Bravia KDL-46W5100 Reviewed on 09/08/2009

The Bottom Line: With a full suite of interactive features as well as solid picture quality, the Sony KDL-W5100 series might be worth the higher price to streaming video fans.

Specs: LCD TV, 46 in, 100000:1, 1920 x 1080, 16:9, Black

Toshiba 46SV670U
  • Editors' rating: 3h stars
      Overall score: 7.6 (3.5 stars)
Toshiba 46SV670U Reviewed on 08/27/2009

The Bottom Line: Albeit slightly less impressive than other LED-based LCDs with local dimming, the Toshiba SV670U also costs less and still gives great blacks.

Specs: LCD TV, 46 in, 2000000:1, 1920 x 1080

LG 42LH50
  • Editors' rating: 3h stars
      Overall score: 7.2 (3.5 stars)
LG 42LH50 Reviewed on 07/24/2009

The Bottom Line: While the picture quality of the LG LH50 series won't appeal to videophiles, its Netflix streaming and oodles of other interactive features will win over plenty of folks fed up with external boxes.

Specs: LCD TV, 42 in, 500, 1920 x 1080, 16:9, Glossy black

LG 47LH50
  • Editors' rating: 3h stars
      Overall score: 7.2 (3.5 stars)
  • User rating: 3 stars out of 5 reviews
LG 47LH50 Reviewed on 07/24/2009

The Bottom Line: While the picture quality of the LG LH50 series won't appeal to videophiles, its Netflix streaming and oodles of other interactive features will win over plenty of folks fed up with external boxes.

Specs: LCD TV, 47 in, 500, 1920 x 1080, 16:9, Glossy black

Philips 47PFL6704D
  • Editors' rating: 2h stars
      Overall score: 5.9 (2.5 stars)
Philips 47PFL6704D Reviewed on 07/21/2009

The Bottom Line: The Philips PFL6704D series falls short of the competition's performance, but it does have a cool design and relatively accurate color.

Specs: LCD TV, 47 in, 500, 50000:1, 1920 x 1080

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