Buyers beware - but not in the usual way...

[Janx]

That's fine. Recommended distance is still more like 10', and what I said about the viewing experience still applies.




I am not sure the thing would have fit in my car, even without the box. But, even if it had, doing this would likely have voided my warranty and/or service contract.



If I were moving big stuff around every couple of weeks, I would too.

10' is crap. Sitting farther back makes screen smaller, defeating purpose of bigger screen. Obviously, you can sit so close, that you can't see the entire screen. That would be stupid. And sitting so it fills your eye-holes, means edge content is really registering on your peripheral vision.

But the sweet spot is closer than 10'. I watch my 42" from 5' just fine. The screen is still smaller than my total optical feed. For video games, it means I can see the pixels than say a guy is about to snipe me. Farther back, and I can't see that detail, and bang, I'm dead.

On the out of box experience, I was punning a bit. I assumed you bought a TV you thought would fit in your car, only to be surprised that the box was much bigger, and thus would not fit in your car. Versus, buying a TV that is much bigger than your car can handle.

It's not like you're dumb or something. You simply hadn't planned out the logistics when you went shopping. I have also had to call a friend to bring home a TV (though I had brought the bigger, but not big enough vehicle).

 

[Umbran]

10' is crap. Sitting farther back makes screen smaller, defeating purpose of bigger screen. Obviously, you can sit so close, that you can't see the entire screen. That would be stupid. And sitting so it fills your eye-holes, means edge content is really registering on your peripheral vision.

The human eye is actually a pretty crappy camera. The central region in which you receive really high detail is not a large angle in your field of view - perhaps only a 40 degree cone in front of you. Pulling back from the screen means you see more of it with your high detail vision, without having to flick your eyes all over the place.

But the sweet spot is closer than 10'.

The "sweet spot" will vary from viewer to viewer, the TV, and the filming techniques used for a given how. However, 10' is in the middle of the suggested range for most largish TVs today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimum_HDTV_viewing_distance

It's not like you're dumb or something. You simply hadn't planned out the logistics when you went shopping.

Well, it was more I ended up buying a TV that was about 15" larger than I went in to buy. I went in thinking 40", and I came out with a 55" - a combination of the smaller TVs of the type I wanted being sold out, and the available deals being *much* sweeter than I expected, such that my budget went a lot farther than I had planned.

 

[jasper]

Or have a wife who makes you garden. In my corsica I could get 2 small trees, or 10 bags of cement weighing in at 80 pds. It was cheaper to get the truck than worry about what i maybe breaking. But a solution could be a roof rack.

 

[Janx]

Or have a wife who makes you garden. In my corsica I could get 2 small trees, or 10 bags of cement weighing in at 80 pds. It was cheaper to get the truck than worry about what i maybe breaking. But a solution could be a roof rack.

I've hauled quite a bit in my old Escort. Without breaking anything or making a mess in it.

Bags of cement, fence posts, 2x4s, pickets, etc. And not all at once.

Though 55" tv would probably not fit. Probably fit a modern 42", sans box.

 

[jasper]

i did get a 7.5 pole arm in my skyhawk. But i had to reclined the passanger seat fully. And angle it in.

 

[Janx]

i did get a 7.5 pole arm in my skyhawk. But i had to reclined the passanger seat fully. And angle it in.

yup, that's standard protocol for long stock. put back seats down to expose the trunk. recline front passenger seat. then feed the stock in so it rests in from the trunk to the passenger space, at an angle from the driver's side of the trunk.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I once got a 6' tall wrought iron baker's rack in my Volvo 850- thank you, fold-down seats!

None of my cars since then have had those, really. I miss that.

 

[Umbran]

Or have a wife who makes you garden.

Gardening *is* one of my hobbies. But gardening isn't landscaping. I don't need trees - I need dirt. My Saturn sedan can haul a surprising number of bags of garden soil and potting mix. And it can take long, narrow items - 10' lengths of PVC piping are no problem. Drop the back seats and feed the thing up at the right angle.

I definitely wouldn't buy a sedan that didn't have drop-down back seats. That's crazy-talk!

 

[Nellisir]

Gardening *is* one of my hobbies. But gardening isn't landscaping. I don't need trees - I need dirt. My Saturn sedan can haul a surprising number of bags of garden soil and potting mix. And it can take long, narrow items - 10' lengths of PVC piping are no problem. Drop the back seats and feed the thing up at the right angle.

I definitely wouldn't buy a sedan that didn't have drop-down back seats. That's crazy-talk!

I do too much carpentry. My wife has a Toyota Sienna, and that's still too small for me. I need to move plywood, sheetrock, stockade fencing, rocks, 16' lumber....
I've got a quad-cab Dodge Dakota. If it had an 8' bed, it'd be perfect. As it is, I can make do with a 6.5' bed. Mileage, though...I might as well just burn money to drive it. :/

 

[Umbran]

Mileage, though...I might as well just burn money to drive it. :/

Yah, that's the basic thing right there. There are definitely folks who need that kind of capacity, but for me the bother of hunting down someone with a big vehicle when I need it is much smaller than the cost of owning the capacity for myself, but rarely using it.