We find a multitude of models in the 30 to 39 inch category.  The majority but not all offers HD-Ready definition, or in other words, the number of lines displayed is at least 720.  There are a few rare TVs with Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixel) definition.  Amongst those, we find for example, the Panasonic TX-37LZDD70F or Sharp Aquos LC-32X20E.  This is a rather questionable choice because the 81 cm diagonal for the Sharp does not allow really getting the most out of Full HD.  Panasonic’s 94 cm are the strict minimum to justify the added cost of buying a Full HD 37 inch.

Some may then ask: "Why buy an HD-Ready TV in this category instead of a larger 40 inch and Full HD model?".  For several reasons:

First of all, the price.  The bigger a TV, the more expensive it is.  And the bill can be exponential to the diagonal size and not necessarily proportional.  Those on a tight budget will therefore look for a suitable model in the 30-39 inch category.

Otherwise, the size of the room and the distance available between the viewer and TV can also come into play.  A 37 inch model already enables immersion into movies from as little as 2 or 3 meters from the panel.  And placing a large 52 inch at 2.5 meters from viewers is always a good idea as some make not like the large image which requires turning your head or constantly moving their eyes to follow the action in movies.

Finally, those not willing to make the conversion to HD will be happy to learn that it is often HD-Ready TVs that provide the best images with SD (TV, DVD, older game consoles, etc.) sources as their definition which is closer to SD requires less processing than that of Full HD. However, note that the latter are making big advances in this domain and they display results that are more and more satisfactory.

You can also see our other TV surveys based on diagonal size:

> On-going survey of 29 inch and smaller TVs

> On-going survey of 40 to 49 inch TVs

> On-going survey of 50 inch and larger TVs