To think tvs with screens over 37" are naff naff naff?

[badtasteflump]

Unless it's in a room the size of a small cinema, that is...

As part of my job I see the insides of lots of peoples' houses. And it never ceases to amaze me how so many people seem determined to squeeze a ridiculously enormous tv screen into a small room. It doesn't seem to bother that they sometimes have to obscure half the window, or remove most of the other furniture from the room to fit it in (ok that's an exaggeration). Just cos something is available in an enormous size, doesn't mean you have to buy it.

When we were looking at tvs in John Lewis the other day, I overheard a saleswoman telling somebody that she would always recommend going no bigger than 37 inches in an average sized room. She'll probably get the sack if she keeps telling people that, but I wanted to kiss her.

If I ever try to watch one of these ridiculous tvs, they make me sea sick. Seriously.

Rant over

[WaitrosePigeon]

This thread is 3 years old ffs...

[Geronimooooo]

Ours is 56" but its the main sitting room focal point so...

[LividofLondon]

When I needed to replace my small old CRT TV recently I wasn't sure what size to get, so I did a bit of research. Found a website that you can use to calculate the ideal sized TV based on how far you'll be sitting from it. I also read many blogs and reviews and it was pretty common for people to say they wished they'd bought bigger rather than smaller, so I took note of that too. In the end I went for a 46" (I sit 10 feet away from it) and, although it seemed huge to begin with, I've never regretted it. It's certainly no status symbol for me (I'm not one for technology really), I just wanted something that would make the most of the films I love watching. TBH I do prefer to have TVs hidden as they aren't exactly decorative are they - my old one was in a lovely cabinet - but it was a trade off between discreet but a crap viewing experience, and something more in your face but brilliant to watch.

[GreenEggsAndNichts]

CandyCrushed hah I can imagine.

That reminds me, I believe that's how we ended up with the larger TV. We had an ancient old-fashioned box one up until last year, until the picture started going different colours in the corner. We were in the market for a new one, and DH declared if we were buying a new one, we might as well get one which is HD ready, etc etc. He wasn't sold on a big screen but I'd seen the at friends' houses and thought it was really nice.

I do get that people get very judgey about TV here, and if they see a massive one they assume we spend all our time watching it. No, if I have spare time, I'm plonked on the internet. Which isn't any better, really. :)

[theodorakisses]

naff=ok on MN
common=huge offence on MN

"we only have a 1" tv that is so old the programmes are in sepia and we only watch a milisecond of highly educational documentaries once a year" = "I wait until everyone is out and watch Jeremy Kyle and Big Brother but I am a snob who judges people for being common so as long as I keep it a secret it doesn't count"

[ceres]

we have a 42" tv. we think it is the perfect size for the room and, as it is flat screen, it doesn't dominate.

i don't like wallmounted tvs, particularly over the fireplace, so ours sits on a sideboard. although it is a far bigger screen than our last tv, which was a 28"widescreen, it takes up much less space and is therefore much less of a dominant feature in the room.

tbh i love my sitting room, complete with big tv, and if others think it is naff that is fine by me - i live here, they don't!

[Cocodale]

Our neighbour has one on there wall and its so big we can watch it from our living room.
It's far to big for the room on the other hand they have Sky and we don't so do get to see different programmes

[CandyCrushed]

poster GreenEggsAndNichts

Watching James Martin in Saturday Morning Kitchen in HD on our big TV is actually a bit scary

[JennyPiccolo]

We have a 32" telly. Our living room is vast. Nobody needs a bigger telly! I would probably get a projector thoughif I were to replace it.

[NetworkGuy]

"As soon as I have the spare money I am buying a nice small one and this is going on freecycle."

glitch - don't know what smaller size you would prefer, but far better to flog the horrid big one on Ebay or Gumtree and have cash for not just the TV, but some {shoes or chocolate or }

[GreenEggsAndNichts]

We have one very large TV in a 5 bed house. I have no idea why people care about the size of TVs. We also have lots of books. Definitely more books than TVs.

Films look much better on it than on a smaller TV. I never get to go to the cinema anymore, and this is a decent alternative. Other programmes are hit and miss. I wouldn't get a large TV if all I were watching were Saturday Morning Kitchen. It's fine for stuff like CSI, when I get a chance to watch it (very rarely).

Basically, we bought it for watching films. We don't need a load of TVs in the house so decided on just having one nice one. I don't understand why people pat themselves on the backs for having small TVs? Does that excuse the medium, then? Oh it's alright that we're watching pap, because it's really tiny pap. It's not large ostentatious pap. whew.

[CandyCrushed]

I am watching the Murray/Gasquet game on my crystal clear 48 inch full HD TV. I don't care if my TV is naff, naff naff because i think it is fab, fab fab

[HesterShaw]

Oh forgot sport. Fair play, rugby would be better on a bigger TV than we have :)

I didn't mean exactly Mastermind and EE. Just, you know....programmes.....

[cantspel]

HesterShaw dont watch Mastermind and Eastenders so i cant say but sport which we do watch a lot is 100% better on a large tv

[MrsKoala]

oh god i love tv (judge judy is my fave prog). as i said earlier the fact we have a small one is because we have a tiny house and my eyesight means i'd have to sit in the garden if it were any bigger. Also we do genuinely rarely have it on because DH is like an alien when it comes to the telly. If it is on he cannot look anywhere else, he cannot function. he literally stands in the middle of the room staring at it and asking me, 'who's that?' 'why is he doing that?' etc. it is like pulling my hair out one strand at a time.

(i remember telling some 'friends' i loved the tv and they openly sneered saying whay not listen to the radio instead - as if one medium was superior to the other. it's all entertainment fgs)

We have been judged/teased by our friends for having a small tv. it is certainly not seen as a MC status symbol here! but each to their own. Our friends also all have brown sofas and we get teased for our too colourful house - people ask for shades when they arrive - but we like it :)

We mainly listen to Jazz or Classical music because despite being in our 30's we just don't get todays music - i think i was born 100 years old.

Oh, and we have bookcases in each room...and 'original' art on the walls - no prints here

Does that make me one of the Snoberatti? i don't see how having the things i like, and then saying i have them, on a discussion about them, is putting others down tho? Or should i lie?

I do feel as tho i am opting out of society and not keeping up with the zeitgeist, but i just don't seem to 'get' much out of current cultural trends. I don't judge others that do. but it bewilders me (i cannot fathom facebook or twitter either, despite being frequently shown them). So sometimes it's just nice to share that with others who may be like me, instead of feeling like a social leper.

(Chris481 - we do sit about 4/5ft from the telly - so our screen seems just the right size for the optimum televisualisation experience)

[HesterShaw]

People with big TVs - this is a genuine, non-arsey, non-judgey question: do you think it makes you enjoy programmes more?

I understand for certain types of films and maybe nature documentaries, it will be good.

What about for things like Mastermind and Eastenders? Normal viewing?

[countrykitten]

Oh come on everyone play nicely! I for one have taken this thread with a pinch of salt and have had a giggle both reading posts and posting myself.

In reality - who actually cares? But that would be a very boring thread

[NotGoodNotBad]

We looked at those sites too - recommended 40" for us. But, that would have been far too big for the room. Got a 37, though 32 would have been fine I think.

Unless all you do in your living room is watch telly, yes people do have other things to consider.

[chris481]

The OP thinks a 37" TV is big. I've just looked it up on one of the many sites that give the correct size for a given viewing distance, and for HD programs a 37" screen is appropriate if your eyeballs are five feet from the screen surface.

As I said earlier, I really doubt anyone sits closer than eight feet from the TV, so all those with screens smaller the 50" have a set that's too small. Of course that's assuming they care about getting optimum picture quality, it sounds like most here have other priorities.

[Mrscupcake23]

Rubens I would love that but would the mumsnet snobs look down on that?

Why is reading books any different from watching tv?

[cantspel]

I would love it in my bathroom. A glass of something long and cool, a hot bubble bath, my packet of ciggies and some trashy tv sounds like heaven.

[Rubena]

Thank-you cantspel. I will be watching any and all reality tv on that little number when it finally gets installed

[Arisbottle]

I have a TV in my bathroom, I often watch the soaps on it while lying in the bath .