32" vs 37" vs 40"

I'm moving to a new house, and I'll need 3 new TVs. One for the bedroom, which will be at a viewing distance of about 13', the second for a study, viewing distance of 11', and the third for an outside lanai. In our current bedroom and study, we have identical sony 32" 4:3 HD CRTs. I'm looking at Sony and Samsung, and need several pieces of advice:

 

1. What sizes would work best in these rooms?

2. I'm looking at either Sony or Samsung 32, 37, or 40" LCDs.

3. In those sizes, is 1080p worth the price? We'll have Verizon FIOS where we're moving, and rumor is that Verizon will soon offer 1080p programming.

 

Thanks 

At distances greater than 10' you are going to want to look on the higher side of the scale.  Here is a really good place to start some research for your TV's: CrutchFields HDTV 101 / TV buying FAQ.  That might help answer some of your questions.

 

Based on my opinion:

1) @ 12' you are going to want at least 45" screen for the main TV

2) 1080p is worth it in your main TV viewing room where all the HD content will be used.  You won't need anything more than 1080i in the rooms were TV viewing is not the primary function

3) For the Study and Bedrooms, go with a 37" or 40" TV.  - again, becuase it's not going to be your main goal to watch TV in those other areas. 

4) Both Sony and Samsung are great brands.  But don't leave out Toshiba, they pack a lot of features into their sets.

 

 

Thanks for the info. None of these are my "main" TV viewing area. That area has a several year old Toshiba 51" RP CRT TV, which (maybe unfortunately) still works fine, and is connected to a 6.1 sound system.

I'm arguing a bit with my wife who thinks that even 37" is too big for the bedroom and study, given that we currently have the 32" (4:3) TV in those rooms.

 Which Toshiba models would you recommend in 37" 1808p to compare with the Samsung 550 series?

I'm considering the following 3 TVs, and I'm interested in advice:

 Toshiba 37RV530U

Sony KDL-37XBR6

Samsung LN37A550

Thanks for any advice anyone can offer. 

Sure thing:

 

Between this comparison I would be interested in the Samsung and Toshibia

 

1) Power consumption information is listed

2) Weight

3) Conectivity

4) Personal preference... 

remember a 32in CRT TV will appear much bigger than a 32in LCD, because of the 4.3 aspect ratio.  I would say a 42in LCD/Plasma will be about the same as a 32in CRT