26 inch TV big enough? Dumb question...

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IntlSet

IntlSet

Bonjour!
Jan 29, 2006
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#1
Sorry, I have not owned a television in a couple years so I have no idea what a 26 inch television looks like. I want to order one online for my boyfriend (who also has not owned a television since college).

Is this a decent size?

Dumb question, sorry. :shame:
 
#2
IntlSet said:
Sorry, I have not owned a television in a couple years so I have no idea what a 26 inch television looks like. I want to order one online for my boyfriend (who also has not owned a television since college).

Is this a decent size?

Dumb question, sorry. :shame:
Click to expand...

Not a dumb question at all. TVs aren't that simple! First, you measure a TV from one corner diagnally to the opposing corner. All TVs are made for widescreen these days, so think rectangle, not square.

Second, you need to be sure that this is HDTV ready, which I think they all are now and then realize, that if you want to WATCH TV, you'll need to get cable and digital is the way to go (you can record them with their "box" which is a DVR (also called TiVo generically).

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert because we don't watch much TV and I really don't care about all the bells and whistles that much. In my opinion, 26" is fine for a room TV (we have a 24" in our living room) and we have a large screen for movies in the rec. room). if it's going in a big room and your seats will be back or if you are getting it for watching movies, you may want to look into big screen tvs, but they aren't ideal for everything.
 
#3
We have a 27 inch tv in our living room. I think it's way to small. It's also an old tv (huge, big, heavy, square thing). I would like at least a 37 inch flat screen. We have a 20 inch flat screen in our bedroom (which is very small, the room that is) and it's the perfect size. Where are you planning to put this tv? What size is the room? Do you want a big, wide screen or do you want something basic to just occasionally watch a show? I'm trying to think of something that our tv size compares to...the oven door window. HTH!
 
#4
Haha ummm we got a 42" flatscreen last year so now my idea of a TV is all skewed...but I had a 20" tv in my dorm room when I was in college and it worked for a small space. If he's going to be using it in his room or in a small space then it would probably work, but I'd go with something a little larger especially as your bf is out of school and deserves to have a nice tv right? :smile:
 
#5
Thank you so much for your replies!

His living room is not very big. I imagine that is where it would be. They'd be sitting pretty close to the TV.

I found a deal that is fairly good, so it won't be totally terrible if he moves and discovers the TV is in fact too small.

It's a flat-style wide-screen... I heard that those are even smaller in 26" than a regular tube TV...
 
#7
annie - if you want more detailed info on this, let me know. i sell electronics, after all.

whether or not 26" is big enough is all relative. i have a 50" in my fairly large living room, and it's the perfect size for where i live, so for me, i'd go crazy watching a 26". for a smaller room, something in the lower 30s is probably best. i'd opt for a 32" personally, because when you hop up to that size, you hop up to the tvs that manufacturers are putting more technology and better components in to. they're made to be the main tv in a house, whereas smaller tvs are usually secondary in a house and therefore not as high on a manufacturer's list as far as things to make well. more time and better parts are put in to the larger tvs, kwim? you also will usually get more HDMI inputs, a faster video processor, and probably a better resolution.

if you want, PM me a link to the tv that you're thinking about getting and i'll see if it's a good deal/a good tv.
 
#8
amanda said:
annie - if you want more detailed info on this, let me know. i sell electronics, after all.

whether or not 26" is big enough is all relative. i have a 50" in my fairly large living room, and it's the perfect size for where i live, so for me, i'd go crazy watching a 26". for a smaller room, something in the lower 30s is probably best. i'd opt for a 32" personally, because when you hop up to that size, you hop up to the tvs that manufacturers are putting more technology and better components in to. they're made to be the main tv in a house, whereas smaller tvs are usually secondary in a house and therefore not as high on a manufacturer's list as far as things to make well. more time and better parts are put in to the larger tvs, kwim? you also will usually get more HDMI inputs, a faster video processor, and probably a better resolution.

if you want, PM me a link to the tv that you're thinking about getting and i'll see if it's a good deal/a good tv.
Click to expand...

Oo, thank you, Amanda!
 
#9
amanda said:
annie - if you want more detailed info on this, let me know. i sell electronics, after all.

whether or not 26" is big enough is all relative. i have a 50" in my fairly large living room, and it's the perfect size for where i live, so for me, i'd go crazy watching a 26". for a smaller room, something in the lower 30s is probably best. i'd opt for a 32" personally, because when you hop up to that size, you hop up to the tvs that manufacturers are putting more technology and better components in to. they're made to be the main tv in a house, whereas smaller tvs are usually secondary in a house and therefore not as high on a manufacturer's list as far as things to make well. more time and better parts are put in to the larger tvs, kwim? you also will usually get more HDMI inputs, a faster video processor, and probably a better resolution.

if you want, PM me a link to the tv that you're thinking about getting and i'll see if it's a good deal/a good tv.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Amanda! It seems like TVs in the 30s doubles in price, however... for those extra 4 of 6 inches... I maybe just hop into a Best Buy to see what the TVs look like. I don't mind sharing the link (maybe of PFers will find it a good deal!):

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Toshiba-26HLV66-26-TV-DVD-Combo/2120052/product.html
 
#10
we just bought a 47" for our bedroom, kinda embarassing...gonna put it on the wall

a 27 inch screen will show even smaller when not viewed in HD format, i guess you have to subtract the side areas that are not showing

so, our 47 inch looks like a 36 inch (or approximately) when viewing a show that is not in HD

i guess it depends on the room.

congrats on finding a man who hasn't owned a television, he is a gem. when i met my hubby so many years ago, i think the big TV and stereo speakers (you should have seen those speakers) were the only thing he owned.
 
#11
DH is sooooo into TV sizes .... according to him, the size of the TV should be determined by how far away you are sitting. There are some sites on the internet that talk about this ... I can't remember where they are, but there's an actual "formula" that measures the "ideal" TV size based on where you will be sitting watching it.
 
#12
I'm look for a 32 inch for a present too. I think the 20something inches are a little small, in my opinion. I did check them out recently at Bestbuy.

But then my fiance just got a 42 inch and somehow that doesn't look big enough for me anymore! :confused1: So I'll post a good deal if I see one, but let me know if you see one too please!
 
#13
IntlSet said:
Thanks, Amanda! It seems like TVs in the 30s doubles in price, however... for those extra 4 of 6 inches... I maybe just hop into a Best Buy to see what the TVs look like. I don't mind sharing the link (maybe of PFers will find it a good deal!):

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Toshiba-26HLV66-26-TV-DVD-Combo/2120052/product.html
Click to expand...

I checked out the link ... IMO, I don't like the combo idea because if the TV breaks you're out of luck and can't use the DVD player.

Amanda, I know you're the electronics diva on this board ... what do you think of these combo things?
 
#15
something like this is what i would recommend:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8473653&type=product&id=1186005983963

good deals abound during the holidays, so you should be able to find what you want at the price you want. Sony also makes the best LCDs on the market, IMO. Samsung is also a brand to look in to - both my DLP and my LCD are Samsung.

I don't necessarily like combo units. Just another thing to break, IMO. Generally, when manufacturers put two different machines together into one, neither machine works that well. There are exceptions, but I'd stick with separate components.

I gotta run to work, but i'll post some more detailed info when i get off tonight!
 
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