720p or 1080p HDTV - Help

[GerryR]

I am brand new to this and have a question. My wife and I are going to get a new TV and put the existing on is our son's bedroom. We only have room for a 26" model due to the size of a built-in enclosure. We also plan to get replace our DVD player with a Blu-ray player. We were told today that for a 26" TV we would see no difference in quality between 720p and 1080p. Is that correct?

[manono]

Unless you're planning on sitting only about 3 feet away from the screen, what you were told is correct. Here's a chart showing at what distances from what sized screens you can enjoy the full resolution:

http://hd.engadget.com/2006/12/09/1080p-charted-viewing-distance-to-screen-size/

[GerryR]

Thanks.

[jagabo]

Yes, but... 1080p sets at that size will probably be better in general than 720p sets. So even though you won't see much difference in the resolution the picture on the 1080p may still be better. And if the set has a pixel-for-pixel option you have the option of using it as a huge computer monitor. Unless cost is a huge issue I would get the 1080p set.

[edDV]

I've been in a 2 year persuasion with my neighbors about watching a 20 inch TV from about ten to 15 feet away (large living room with a wall of shelves). They wanted an HDTV so I showed them how they could fit a 46" into their shelf wall if they just relocated one painting. The wife said no, this HDTV must fit in the shelf compartment used for the 20". There was no convincing her.

The husband and I made all the measurements and concluded a 26" could fit the space with a custom mount. After I failed once again to convince the wife to use the larger space, they purchased a nice 26" Samsung HDTV only to be disappointed that the 16x9 wide format meant the central picture was smaller than the old 20". The TV does make a nice HD picture but they must use binoculars to tell the difference.