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NuMystic

macrumors Pomeranian
Original poster
Dec 26, 2008
34
4
Hoping some of the videophiles here can help me understand what I should be looking for as I wade into my first flat screen TV purchase.

For years now I've watched 100% of my Movies and TV content on my 21.5" iMac. I'm about to upgrade to a streaming set up and my needs are pretty humble. Basically looking for a 40-50" flat screen to use strictly for content streamed from my computer via roku or hacked apple tv. 99% of what I watch is downloaded tv shows (avi and mkv files) usually 720 max, with a very rare 1080 rip.

Lastly, at these resolutions is there a visual difference between streaming via Apple TV vs a cabled connection? I'd much prefer a wireless solution, but will consider a dedicated mini or small laptop if it matters.

With files that are usually in the 1280x760 resolution range and sometimes only 624x352 I'm guessing it's best not to go too big and that more than a 720 HDTV is something I won't be getting the benefit of anyway? (or do the TVs upsample to a higher res and actually make a notable difference?)

Don't know the exact viewing set up yet, but being that it's going to be a small NYC apartment, safe bet the viewing distance is going to be somewhere in the 7-9' range tops. Would like to find something in the $500 range with $650 being the absolute max.

Thanks in advance for your tips, insights, and recommendations!
 
Anyone? Was hoping for a bit of guidance before I grab a Black Friday deal someplace today.

For a decent viewing experience at about 7-8 ft, should I limit myself to 42" since I will often be stuck watching things in the 624x352 res? Or does anyone with a 46" find it to be not so bad at that size?
 
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