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

[piprabbit]

We have a 42inch TV - it takes up an awful lot less room then our old 32 inch CRT TV.

[GinAndSlimlinePlease]

YANBU. It assumes that everything in that room will focus around the tv. It's worse when it's left on whilst your having a conversation.

We have a small tv in a large room. DH wants to upgrade to a larger one. I'm mean and say no, not until we've got a washing machine and dishwasher that works! If the tv works, why replace it? !

[badtasteflump]

usual I would like one of those too - I saw a lovely one in an antique shop once - it was a 70's mustard yellow vinyl original with the popping telly and everything - but it cost thousands

Sometimes ridiculously naff means not naff at all IMO. But that doesn't apply to huge tvs

[Hulababy]

Each to their own.

Our TV is about 40-42 inch. We have a big living room. It doesn't look big for the room, or out of place. It would probably be too large for a smaller room I guess, but not here.

Having a larger screen does also, at least, mean that I can actually read anything that's on the screen too! No idea why it would make anyone feel sick to watch a larger screen tbh. Do you not have real issues when you go to the cinema or have to watch presentations on large screens?

It's most definitely not a status symbol here, lol! It's a TV, nothing more, nothing less.

Hate the big old TVs that took up so much room, had huge surrounds and a tiny picture.

We don't have ours on the wall. Very few people we know do tbh as it is a faff - wires need hiding behind walls, etc Ours stands on a nice black gloss unit we purchased last year when we re-did our living room. Unit cost a fortune but looks good and fits in with our more modern look.

I don't do old houses, original features, etc. Just not my taste at all.

[Poppet48]

My friend has a 50" TV in her tiny living room, It looks utterly ridiculous.

I cannot be any good for her DC's eyes either.

[freddiefrog]

We compromised on a 40 inch. DH wanted a massive jobbie but as he forgot his wallet on the day we went tv shopping, I refused to get my debit card out for anything bigger than 40

It took me ages to get used to how big the thing is, but it doesn't actually look too bad in our fairly large but odd shaped living room

Some friends of ours have an enormous tv in a tiny room, you have to sit so close to it you can't see the whole screen at once.

[MooMooSkit]

I hate big TV's. They hurt my eyes! My ex sil had a 50 inch in her teennny lounge and it hurt my eyes having to watch that! We have a decant size lounge though we sort of split it lounge one side, play and eating area other and have a 32inch and it's defintely big enough, I would never ever buy any bigger than that!

[MrsRajeshKoothrappali]

We have a 51". DP wanted it to watch films on. I wouldn't be without it now - I really enjoy having a large screen.

It's in a big lounge though, and still fits onto an average size corner unit.

[badtasteflump]

Hula it's not the big screen itself that makes me feel sick, it's how close I have to sit to it in a small room - a bit like if you get to the cinema late and have to sit right at the front, but worse.

[badtasteflump]

Hully you're evil.

[Hulababy]

Ah - not an issue here personally. I can see the whole screen from where I sit on the sofa. Never experienced the sickness at all.

Now 3D often makes me feel sick, but not a standard big tv.

[propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS]

Ours is 50 inch but the room is big. I like a big, fat TV. I hardly watch TV at all but when I do I like it to be the most glorious, all engulfing, technicolor, cinematic experience that money can buy.

[propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS]

Hully has a point. You can see the wing detail on each fly clearly.

[SunflowersSmile]

I was given a 43 inch tv recently and am slightly embarrassed by it as is too big really for our room. Would have preferred smaller one but would been seen as a right ungrateful cow if I said that.
So the cinema screen stays.....

[BarnYardCow]

57 inch suits us fine in our barn sized living room! Do agree they look naff in a small space though.

[Theicingontop]

I completely agree. Unless your living room is massive they look ridiculous, especially if on a stand. TVs tend to look bigger when they're not on the wall.

I have a 37" on a stand, standing in my bay window so it doesn't poke out into the room. Any bigger and I'd be losing light.

[chris481]

YABU and probably think this way because your taste is conditioned by a past in which screen size was limited by CRT technology.

What matters is not how the TV looks in the room (when it's off) but how the HD picture looks to the eye when it's on.The appropriate screen size has nothing to do with the room size, it depends on the viewing distance.

The way I have my living room furniture arranged, my viewing distance is about 8 feet, and at that distance a 50" or 55" screen is correct.

If I arranged my furniture differently I might have a viewing distance of 17 feet. At that distance a projector throwing a picture with a 120" diagonal would be the minimum required, however projectors are not suitable for everyday use in a living room.

Based on percentage of time used for each purpose, I believe there's no such thing as a living room in most households, it's a TV room that's occasionally used for other purposes. It should therefore be optimised for the TV viewing experience. Optimisation will mean seldom have a screen size of less than 50 inches, since very few people watch from less than 8 feet.

[Pigsmummy]

I hate it when you go to someone's house and the giant 50inch tv takes over the whoe room and is left on during the whole duration of the visit even though no one is watching it.

I can understand however that my 90 year old gran with failing eyesight does benefit from watching her favourite sports programmes (snooker and cricket) on a HD 42 inch tv.

[NinaNannar]

they are generealyl with naff brown leather sofas, twigs and pebbly shit

[ArtVandelay]

We have a 60inch (ducks and runs). It's hanging on a big wall in a big room so it looks fine. It's our only telly.

My mum once sat on my sofa to watch a film and said "y'know Art, I always thought it was common to have these big sofas and a huge TV but it is comfortable and the picture is marvellous". Well thanks for that Mum, but just because I'm not obsessed by turning my house into Mrs Tiggywinkle's ye olde cottage (like you) doesn't mean I'm 'common'!

[KellyElly]

I have a 52" and it looks great as I have a big living room so there. You are just jealous that when I watch a film I feel like I'm in the cinema

[ArtVandelay]

Chris481 - DH is that you??

[badtasteflump]

But chris it does matter to me how the tv looks in the room when it is switched off. It's not a tv room, or a cinema, it's a sitting room, where quite often, the tv is turned off, thank god. Unless there is a specific programme on we want to watch, we do something else and the tv is off, not rattling on in the backround.

[badtasteflump]

And yes if I had a separate 'tv room' I wouldn't mind it being enormous. But I'm not Elvis so I have a sitting room, a dining room and a conservatory downstairs, two of which rooms have 'normal' sized tvs in!