We have covered pretty much everything from which screens you should look at to how much you want to spend. Now it is time to talk about what the size of the screen is really going to mean to you in relation to the size of your bedroom or your living room.
We all know that the largest screens cost the most; it's a shame but that's how the world works. But the TV should deliver the right size picture to where you are sitting from the screen. Sitting closer to a smaller TV means you won't have to spend as much on a big screen. However, if you sit too close, the picture will look poor. Below I have mapped out, in the most basic way, a way to figure out what screen will work best for the size of room you are in, split between the standard 4:3 ratio screens, and another table for the now normal Widescreen 16:9 ratios.
Regular TV-viewing distances
To keep things simple, these are set as a rough guide, though accurate; the more dedicated AV user will want to get this as accurate as possible.
Wide-screen TV-viewing distances
An improvement in the regular screens now (16:9), is being able to get a more cinematic feel, which usually helps being able to sit closer to the screen while watching a DVD or some HD sourced viewing.
Watching either of these you can sit as close as 1.5 times the screen's measurement and you will not lose too much in the way of quality, whilst sitting further away than three times the screen size means you're likely to miss out on the cinematic feel. Again this is only a rough guide to how far or close you can sit to a widescreen.
What size TV for what room and how to mount them?
It's been a general rule of thumb that a 30" screen will sit well in a bedroom. Larger screens than this (sometimes a 37" but usually a 42"), will generally be the size for most peoples living rooms, considering how prices are falling.
If you're mounting the set inside an entertainment centre, be sure it fits in every dimension; try and take into account the depth, stand size, weight and where all the cables are going to go, leave an inch or two on all sides so the screen has some good airflow.
If you're thinking of a really big set, say 50" or more, I would consider some of the manufacturers own matching stands. They can usually have the same finish as your screen, making the whole thing look complete, and generally something that big in your living room will finish the whole thing off to a much more subtle and classy looking effect.
This is not so much of an article, more of a helpful guide. Buyers are constantly looking at an array of choices in the market and if there is one thing you are going to get right, make sure it's this; it is definitely worth getting the tape measure out and checking just where your butt is going to be from the screen! The end result will be a more enjoyable view for what you pay for.