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Wide-screen televisions showing high-resolution content and HDTV look better than regular sets, allowing you to sit closer and experience a more immersive, theaterlike picture.
With wi... Read more [+]
Wide-screen televisions showing high-resolution content and HDTV look better than regular sets, allowing you to sit closer and experience a more immersive, theaterlike picture.
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) | ||||
30 | 3.8 | 7.6 | ||||
34 | 4.3 | 8.5 | ||||
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
