42” TVs – “the new 34”

Yes, we’re on about screen size again. Why? Simple. It’s the single biggest factor in choosing a new digital TV or projector. This post will place a “perspective” on two issues that are pervasive in the TV selection process.

First, is 42 bigger than 34? Now, you math whizzes, don’t freak out. But the answer is a qualified “NO”! And anyone that’s “upgraded” from a 34” standard TV to a new 42” plasma or LCD will agree with this.

As we’ve noted, the new shape of screens is the wide 16x9 aspect ratio. But much of what’s available on broadcast, satellite, and digital cable TV is still the old 4x3 shape. Just watching the old shape programs on your new TV causes consternation. If you do nothing, you end up with what looks like a small, square-ish picture inside your big wide screen. And it is indeed no bigger than your old 34” set! The height of the screen tells the tale. For a 34” diagonally measured TV, the screen height is just over 20”…the same as your new 42” wide screen. Hmmm! So, even though the screen is bigger, the standard 4x3 video image isn’t. Unless….

The second issue is more than a bit annoying. In fact, I’m wincing as I’m writing this paragraph. Because some people don’t like to see the little square image inside their big TV, or are bothered by the black side bars beside it, TV manufacturers build in a ‘stretch’ function that distorts the 4x3 image by stretching it to fill the new 16x9 screen. OK, fine, if you gotta have that feature. But rather than seeing the 4x3 picture as it is supposed to be, it now fills your screen with people that look bloated and overweight, car wheels that look like eggs, fat-faced newscasters, extra-wide cereal boxes, and can it really be that those pencil-thin models now look...um...normal? I'll bet seeing themselves that way is enough to drive some of them to anorexia nervosa. So is a TV with the cubbies really a good trade-off? The purist fairly shouts “No!”, but yet you can’t go into a bar, restaurant, or retail store without seeing bloated pictures. We all know the camera adds 10lbs, but just how many cameras are on these people? 4? We should all complain, and lobby for ‘un-stretched TV”! Snatch that remote and hit the "aspect" button until it looks right. I’m stumbling off my soap box now.

The point really is, for much of what we watch, a new 42” set is no bigger than an old 34” set. Just be aware of that fact when you nervously tap your credit card on the check-out counter. You’re not really buying bigger. In fact, we think 42" should not even be called a "big screen" at all. We know they are all now on sale, and some are even much less than $1000. Just know exactly what you are buying, and it isn't all that big.

Here’s a link to Screen Math, a site dedicated to analyzing the size and shape of TVs. http://www.screenmath.com See our earlier posts about screen size to learn how big a screen you should really consider and why.