How big does your TV screen need to be? Use this viewing distance calculator to find out. Enter the distance from the TV to your sofa. Remember that if you have a CRT TV now, and switch to a flatscreen LCD or plasma, you would probably move the TV more than half a meter back. The viewing distance calculator can switch between feet/inches and metric. If you live in Europe, you would want to enter the distance in meters and the TV size in feet, which isn’t possible. So keep the viewing calculator in feet/inches and just use this metres to feet calculator to find the distance in feet first.

I’m going to quote Robert Scoble on size on your new TV:

Size does matter. When I got my 50-inch home Maryam said two things: A) “Why did we wait so long?” (Cause you freaking wanted a stove instead of a screen!!!) B) “We should have gotten the 60 inch.” (I took back the 50 inch and got the 60 and now the 60 is starting to look small). Lesson, get the biggest screen you can. Even if it’s too big for your room.

I also think that you should consider a bigger display for your computer too:

With a bigger display you look at your work more the way you look at your desk. It took me some time to get used to it, but then something happens. You start you use tools faster and better, you can put things you need to have around open next to what you’re doing. You don’t have to scroll as much, and can use your eyes and your amazing brain to find information fast by scanning over text and visual information.

How big does your TV screen need to be? Use this viewing distance calculator to find out. Enter the distance from the TV to your sofa. Remember that if you have a CRT TV now, and switch to a flatscreen LCD or plasma, you would probably move the TV more than half a meter back. The viewing distance calculator can switch between feet/inches and metric. If you live in Europe, you would want to enter the distance in meters and the TV size in feet, which isn’t possible. So keep the viewing calculator in feet/inches and just use this metres to feet calculator to find the distance in feet first.

I’m going to quote Robert Scoble on size on your new TV:

Size does matter. When I got my 50-inch home Maryam said two things: A) “Why did we wait so long?” (Cause you freaking wanted a stove instead of a screen!!!) B) “We should have gotten the 60 inch.” (I took back the 50 inch and got the 60 and now the 60 is starting to look small). Lesson, get the biggest screen you can. Even if it’s too big for your room.

I also think that you should consider a bigger display for your computer too:

With a bigger display you look at your work more the way you look at your desk. It took me some time to get used to it, but then something happens. You start you use tools faster and better, you can put things you need to have around open next to what you’re doing. You don’t have to scroll as much, and can use your eyes and your amazing brain to find information fast by scanning over text and visual information.

That’s probably the dumbest comment I’ve read in a long time.

That’s probably the dumbest comment I’ve read in a long time.

I would love to have a Mac-based PVR, but I think the iMac is to small for my living room. I’ve written about the iMac PVR before. My main concerns are:

• The screen is to small
• The harddisk too small
• No TV option

Do you have an extra harddisk connected or is it big enough for your use? On the Powerbook I ususally have only 1-3 GB available all the time.

I would love to have a Mac-based PVR, but I think the iMac is to small for my living room. I’ve written about the iMac PVR before. My main concerns are:

The screen is to small
The harddisk too small
No TV option

Do you have an extra harddisk connected or is it big enough for your use? On the Powerbook I ususally have only 1-3 GB available all the time.

As a DVR, EyeTV gives you all of the editing and export features you could ask for such as deleting ads, trimming start and finish points, burning DVDs, exporting to iPod, etc. I agree that if Front Row is opened up to plug-ins so that EyeTV could be integrated, that would provide a far more viable option on smaller TV screens as well.

-Mart

As a DVR, EyeTV gives you all of the editing and export features you could ask for such as deleting ads, trimming start and finish points, burning DVDs, exporting to iPod, etc. I agree that if Front Row is opened up to plug-ins so that EyeTV could be integrated, that would provide a far more viable option on smaller TV screens as well.

-Mart

The minute Steve Jobs puts a TV card with a TV guide (and not just one for USA) into the Mac mini I’ll whip my credit card out.

No problem with the MS stuff. OK, everything before Win XP was crap (I can’t believe people actually said that Windows 98 was good!), but Win XP is ok as long as you stay away from Word and MS Explorer.

And the Xbox is brilliant.

I have S-video on my Media Center.

The minute Steve Jobs puts a TV card with a TV guide (and not just one for USA) into the Mac mini I’ll whip my credit card out.

No problem with the MS stuff. OK, everything before Win XP was crap (I can’t believe people actually said that Windows 98 was good!), but Win XP is ok as long as you stay away from Word and MS Explorer.

And the Xbox is brilliant.

I have S-video on my Media Center.