It makes sense if you’re yearning to purchase a larger TV for your house since the cost of these devices is decreasing every few months. A few years ago, a 65-inch television was seen as “big.” These days, 85-inch and even 100-inch TVs are quite cheap. Even TVs that are the size of a wall and some TVs that are a wall are available.
The issue then arises: how large is too large? Or, if you’re more realistic, what size TV is appropriate for your space? Our recommendation is straightforward: The largest TV that you can afford is the best one for you. The lengthier response? That depends on your room, how far away you sit, and how well-liked any cohabiting co-deciders are. Here’s how to determine your maximum size.
See also: Choosing Your Next TV: Where Are We Heading With Large Screens?
Seating distance and TV sizes
LG’s wall-mounted television with two persons for comparison.
For most rooms, this could be a little bigger.
LG
Groups representing the TV and movie theater industries will advise you to measure the distance between your seats in order to choose the perfect screen size. It goes without saying that your TV will look smaller the further you sit. The “ideal” amount of screen space is debatable, however it is generally agreed upon to be a particular quantity.
For instance, THX suggests multiplying the distance you are sitting (in inches or centimeters) by 0.835. The suggested screen diagonal is obtained in this way. A screen that is around 90 inches diagonal is what THX suggests if, like most people, you are seated about nine feet (108 inches) away from your TV. That large 65-inch TV you’re seeing isn’t “too big,” at least not in terms of THX. Additionally, they advise against placing the TV too high, something we wholeheartedly agree with.
According to the THX seating recommendation, you should sit no more than 15 degrees above your eyeline.
Avoid mounting your TV too high on the wall, advises THX.
Many thanks
It is suggested by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (pdf) that “the observer’s nominal distance from the center of the reference display should be 3 to 3.2 picture heights.” This is far cheaper than THX, and it’s also for reference screens rather than a living room TV. However, it provides us with an additional distance that specialists advise in order to give us a general concept. Your sitting distance should be multiplied by 0.625 to comply with SMPTE’s suggestion. Therefore, using our nine-foot example, it equates to a TV that is around 68 inches. You may now use the 65-inch TV without any problems.
All of these are helpful recommendations, but don’t see them as absolute laws. The ideal situation is to find a middle ground between the two extremes. The truth is far more complicated than a numbers game, but it’s much too simple to be sucked into it. There are other elements at work.
See also: 2025’s Top Home Theater Projector
TV screen size and resolution: 1080p, 8K, and 4K
Sony’s suggested sitting arrangement for an unspecified 4K TV size Range of viewing distance (approx.)
35 inches (43 inches) by 2.95 feet
39-inch (49-inch) by 3.28-foot
3.28 feet, or 55 inches, 39 inches
3.94 feet, or 65 inches, 47 inches
4.59 feet, or 75 inches by 55 inches
5.25 feet, or 85 inches by 63 inches
Ultra HD 4K resolution is available on almost all modern televisions. 8K is a tiny and decreasing number. The only versions that are still just HD (1080p or 720p) are the tiniest and least costly.
You must either have a very big TV or sit extremely close to the picture to see all the information in a 4K or 8K quality image. In actuality, even “big” TVs are still too tiny to display all of the resolutions they can if you’re nine feet away. In other words, unless you’re sitting extremely near to the TV or it’s a really huge TV (more than 100 inches), the resolution of your next TV will be more than enough. Thus, an 8K TV is not necessary. Sony provides the accompanying chart to help you determine how far away you must sit before you lose the ability to see individual pixels on a 4K TV.
On the other hand, a large TV would highlight more shortcomings in programming of worse quality. A bigger model will highlight any blockiness, visual noise, or other abnormalities you may be seeing while viewing TV episodes and movies on your existing TV. Make sure your source device, streaming service, or cable/satellite has 4K content enabled (or purchased).
See also: An Explanation of 8K TV and Why You Definitely Do Not Need One
Domination of TV rooms: How large is too large?
Another important consideration is what I’ll refer to as “room domination.” How large must a TV get before the room appears to be filled with nothing but that imposing black rectangular slab? This is undoubtedly a subjective aspect. Since I’ve had a 12-foot-wide projection screen in my home for more than ten years and have reviewed huge TVs, I’d much rather use a large projection screen than a TV, in part because a TV’s screen is glossy black when the “TV” is off, whereas a projector’s screen is white or gray. A TV that is more than 80 inches may quickly take over a room. Although wall installation might be somewhat beneficial, your TV room runs the danger of becoming the TV’s room.
Watch the video to learn more: Choosing Your Next TV: A Look at Where Large Screens Are Leading Us
Try cutting out or taping off cardboard the size of the TV you are considering to see how it works in your room if you are unsure. You may also wish to cover it with black fabric or paint it. When it is switched off, it will seem like that (with the exception of Samsung’s Frame TV). You may not be concerned about it, but others will be. Be aware that the TV will be much more fantastic and likely brighter than cardboard once it is installed. It will also seem much larger. It obviously relies on your room’s design, furnishings, and other people’s perceptions of it.
a spacious living area overlooking the mountains. On the wall is a huge TV.
Previously only achievable with projectors, MicroLED promises much bigger TVs.
Does watching on a larger TV provide a better experience?
To be honest, I don’t follow any of the accepted “rules” about screen size and viewing distance. The SMPTE and the lower THX figures, in my opinion, are too skewed toward television. For those who want more, I believe they greatly underestimate what is readily achievable with contemporary technology.
A 102-inch screen is nine feet away from me. That just includes the 16×9 section. The complete screen measures 128 inches diagonally and is 2.35:1. In normal 16×9 viewing, I can hardly see pixels, but when I enlarge a 1080p projector to the full width of the screen, I can. 4K looks fantastic. I like watching TV this small, but it’s addicting.
I bring this up as evidence that you can go much bigger than most people think. Take a look at how affordable and dazzling projectors have become. We have lists of the top 4K projectors and the finest projectors in general based on our recent reviews. Would you want to go that far? That’s a separate topic, however. Because the screen’s brightness is more evenly distributed over your field of vision, I feel that bigger screens are gentler on the eyes. Because of the large screen, your pupils are more naturally closed to the quantity of light in a room that would otherwise be dark. Nevertheless, projectors are far less bright than televisions.
On the other hand, I find it more exhausting to watch a little screen in a dark room since the one glaring flash of bright light (the TV) makes your pupils more wide (due to the darkness). A lot of individuals say that watching TV in a dark environment gives them headaches. The hundreds of nits from an HDR TV occupying a very small portion of your field of vision might be one reason. Imagine being in the dark for an hour and then having someone shine a spotlight in your eyes. The light produced by a projector is far less than that of a television, yet it covers a much larger area of your field of view.
Although I like watching TV in a dark room, true bias lighting, which bring down the backlight of an LCD or the total brightness of an OLED while keeping the room lights on, may reduce tiredness just as much as or even better than a huge screen. To each their own.
In conclusion, your next TV might be much, much larger.
Personal preference ultimately determines the choice. Here, I wanted to provide a general notion of what is feasible or advised. I would consistently err on the side of “too big.” According to a former employer of mine, nobody ever regretted purchasing a television that they believed to be “too big.” A 50-inch TV is, in my view, too small for most spaces. Although I do not believe that everyone should get a 102-inch screen, the truth is that a 50-inch flat panel is not all that much bigger than the 36-inch CRTs of the past. If you have the room, you should think about getting a 65-, 75-, or even 85-inch TV since they are now much more reasonably priced.
If you have control over the ambient light in your space, think about using a projector instead if you want to go extremely large.