Bigger isn't always better.
Josh Levin has a piece up at Slate about how he's going to watch the Super Bowl tomorrow on a 134-inch TV. OK, so it's not really a TV, but a digital projector that puts a large screen image on your wall. I don't pretend to fully understand the technology involved here (it sounds like a 21st century slide show projector to me), but I wonder when too much is, well, too much. I mean, seriously, 100 inches? 103 inches? 134 inches? Where will it end? Isn't there a point where a television is so many inches that it's no longer "television" but "a movie theater?" What size room do you need for a pic like this to even be watchable? I have a 60 inch Sony and my living room is just barely the right size for it. If I moved the couch any closer I'd feel like I was inside the TV.
I don't need to see every blade of grass on a football field or every crease of the fake carpet. Well, I don't even like football, but I don't need to see the logo on a tennis ball or a clean, crisp, large picture of the sweat dripping off of Curt Schilling's face. As for high-def, it has its charms. I like the beauty of outdoor shots and nature programming, but I also hate the dropouts I get in sound in digital, the way I can see every crevice in the face of every actress in Hollywood, the way some shows just don't quite look right for some reason.
Isn't there a point where a TV is just too big or too clear?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-03-2007 @ 2:26PM
TVblogger said...
In my mind TV cannot be TOO big ever! If I could somehow, manage to afford and fit an IMAX size screen in my house oh you'd better believe I would! LOL!
I will not rest until I find a TV clear enough to actually show the alcohol stink lines coming off of Paula Abul.
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2-03-2007 @ 3:03PM
MrsEldubya said...
Did you see the HIMYM with Barney's apartment? His whole wall in his living room and bedroom was a TV screen. We have a 60" inch TV but when we moved into our current house, the TV is in a room with 11' ceilings and it seems small now.
Still if you can't be at the game, HD is the next best thing and I would imagine the bigger the screen the better. One of the first sporting events I ever saw in HD was the Master's and it was amazing how the azaleas popped on the screen and you could see the grass on the greens.
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2-03-2007 @ 3:26PM
seriously? said...
Seriously, is this the first time you've heard of watching TV via digital projector? And you don't understand the technology involved? I assure you that it provides something far better than a 21st-century slideshow.
Grandpa, is that you?
As far as screen size is concerned, to each his own--I say the bigger, the better, especially for cinema-quality shows like Lost or 24--but, either way, you may want to read a few of your sister blogs if something like a digital projector seems foreign or new-fangled to you. Just a suggestion.
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2-03-2007 @ 4:07PM
Joe said...
Absolutly not! Ive got a 110" projection screen in my living room. often i will turn it down to a "modest" 70 or so inches. but one of the unexpected benefits is mario kart!
While you watch your 60" sony, EACH of the FOUR of us have our own private 65" screen. its bliss!
plus, once you get widescreen content going, 110" really isnt all /that/ big anymore
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2-03-2007 @ 4:25PM
BC said...
The thing is, it's still a 720p resolution projector, so making the screen bigger just makes the pixels bigger, and the further away you have to sit from the picture. There are various rules of thumb, but with the projector he picked, the max 92-in screen at a projector distance of 10.5 ft roughly recommnends a 19-ft viewing distance. Which is great if you have a room that size, but if you don't you have to move the projector closer to get a smaller screen size.
The big advantage of his approach was relatively low cost for a relatively large screen; although, since he did without an actual screen and projected on the wall, you have to have a bright white wall, worry about color cast since most white paints actually have some color tone, can't hang pictures or have other obstructions within the arc from the lens to the wall, and have to keep the wall clean and unmarked.
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2-03-2007 @ 5:48PM
Chuck said...
I guess I'll bite and say I agree with you. It's the same way with everything--bigger always has to be better, even if it's not really. There has to be a point where enough is enough. If I can't see the whole screen at once, then there's a good chance I'm missing something, so I have to sit farther back and lose the thrill of having such a big TV in the first place.
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2-03-2007 @ 11:55PM
David said...
I can't wait until the TV paint is released, that should be within 10 years. I can have my TV as big as my walls and then paint the whole room that and you are all set.
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2-04-2007 @ 6:12AM
Fredrik said...
I had a projector at home displaying 110", but it was stolen recently, and now every tv I see is way too small. After you have gone big, you cant go back. And its not something new. I had my projector for more than 2 years.
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2-04-2007 @ 5:45PM
Kink said...
There is no right or wrong here, just preference. If you prefer to watch TV on a 134 inch screen then thats your choice. The same way if you prefer TV on a smaller screen, thats your choice also.
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2-05-2007 @ 12:01PM
khamel said...
as long as it looks good and you have the space, the bigger the better. i have a fairly small apartment but my 32" tv is starting to look puny (although i have a 27" right next to it - dual tvs are awesome). if the lamps last long enough by the time i am looking to buy a new tv (christmas bonus time?) i might make the switch and get me some wall-sized tv action.
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