What size TV screen should I get and how far away should I sit?
A common question when buying a new TV is "What size screen should I get given that I sit at distance X from the TV?" or alternatively, "What is the best distance to view a TV from if it has a screen size of Y?" This table answers the question but read more if you want a full explanaton.
| Table of Optimal Screen sizes | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| viewing distance |
normal vision (20/20) | good vision (20/15) | poor vision (20/30) | |||||||||||
| PAL | 720p | Full HD | PAL | 720p | Full HD | PAL | 720p | Full HD | ||||||
| 1 meters | 3 feet | < 13" | 13"-17" | 17"-25" | < 10" | 10"-13" | 13"-19" | < 20" | 20"-26" | 26"-38" | ||||
| 1.5 meters | 5 feet | < 20" | 20"-25" | 25"-37" | < 15" | 15"-19" | 19"-28" | < 30" | 30"-37" | 37"-56" | ||||
| 2 meters | 6.5 feet | < 27" | 27"-34" | 34"-50" | < 20" | 20"-25" | 25"-38" | < 40" | 40"-50" | 50"-76" | ||||
| 2.5 meters | 8 feet | < 34" | 34"-42" | 42"-63" | < 25" | 23"-32" | 32"-47" | < 50" | 46"-65" | 65"-94" | ||||
| 3 meters | 10 feet | < 40" | 40"-50" | 50"-76" | < 30" | 30"-38" | 38"-57" | < 60" | 60"-76" | 76"-103" | ||||
| 4 meters | 13 feet | < 54" | 54"-67" | 67"-101" | < 40" | 40"-50" | 50"-76" | < 80" | 80"-100" | 100"-152" | ||||
| 5 meters | 16 feet | < 67" | 67"-84" | 84"-126" | < 50" | 50"-63" | 63"-95" | < 100" | 100"-126" | 126"-190" | ||||
When is the best time to buy an HDTV?
HDTV technology has been improving so fast over the last few years that no time seems like a good time to buy one. The last thing you want is to buy state-of-the-art electronics only to read of a new advance being released a couple of weeks later. Of course there will always be a better model out soon but when is the best time of year to buy if you at least want to avoid an almost immediate obsolescence?