One of the first things you’ll want to decide when picking up a new television is the size of the display. We’ve created this guide to help you choose the right TV size for your home.
Other key deciding factors in figuring out which size includes design, budget and display technology, such as whether you want an OLED panel or a QLED TV.
Screen size goes hand-in-hand with these questions, as you don’t want to end up with a TV that is too small or too big for your space.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about TV sizes, and head to our best guides to discover some of our top recommendations. These include the best TVs, best OLED TVs, best 4K TVs, best 8K TVs and the best gaming TVs.
Is the biggest TV size best?
While you may be tempted to opt for the biggest screen size in your budget, there are other factors worth considering when shopping for a new TV.
For example, is your living room big enough to accommodate a massive TV and does it look good in that space? What is the viewing distance between your couch and TV and what resolution fits in your budget?
We’ll go more into depth on the above but these initial questions are worth asking yourself before splashing out on the biggest TV in the store.
TV size and resolution
Typically, you’ll find that smaller TVs will favour Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolutions, while larger ones are more likely to feature 4K (3840 x 2160) or even 8K (7680 × 4320) resolutions. In this way, the size of your TV could be tied to the resolution you’re interested in getting.
4K TVs have taken over our best cheap TVs list in recent years, meaning they’re much more affordable than before. This increased resolution enables viewers to sit closer to the screen and still get a crisp picture, making them ideal for the home.
This resolution can also be taken advantage of by many games consoles, internet streaming services, satellite broadcasters and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs.
However, if you’re on a strict budget, you might still find that a smaller, Full HD TV is the way to go.
TV size by viewing distance
A reliable way to figure out the optimal TV size for your space is to base it on the viewing distance. The viewing distance is how far you plan to sit away from the TV under normal viewing conditions, such as on your couch, at your kitchen table or on your bed.
Today’s 4K TVs are packed with more pixels than older HD TVs and this additional detail allows you to sit closer. However, you don’t want to sit so close that you can pick out each pixel. You also don’t want to sit so far away that you can’t see all the important details on screen.
Thankfully, there’s a simple method to calculate the best TV size for your viewing distance.
What TV size for what size room?
Different TV manufacturers, retailers and industry bodies – such as the SMPTE and THX – all share different methods to calculate the optimal TV size based on your viewing distance.
HD TV
The general recommendation for a HD TV is to divide your viewing distance by 2.5.
[Viewing distance in inches] / 2.5 = [TV size]
For example, if your couch is positioned 8 feet from where you want your TV to be positioned, you’ll want to convert that to inches, which, in this case, equals 96 inches. Then, simply divide that number by 2.5 to get your optimal screen size when measured diagonally – 96 divided by 2.5 is 38. This means you’ll want to choose a 38-inch TV (or thereabout).
Full HD TV
You can go even larger for a Full HD TV. In this instance, the SMPTE recommends dividing the viewing distance by 1.6, whereas the THX says you should divide it by 1.56.
[Viewing distance in inches] / 1.6 = [TV size]
or
[Viewing distance in inches] / 1.56 = [TV size]
If you sit 8 feet from your TV, you’ll want to divide 96 inches by 1.6 to get 60 or divide 96 by 1.56 resulting in 62. This means you should opt for a 60- or 62-inch Full HD TV.
4K TV
4K TVs allow you to sit much closer to the screen, making it possible to match larger TVs with the same 8 foot viewing distance used in the above examples.
[Viewing distance in inches] / 0.78 = [TV size]
or
[Viewing distance in inches] / 1 = [TV size]
Here, you’ll want to divide 96 inches by anywhere in the range of 0.78-1 to get your ideal TV size, according to the THX. The result is a 4K TV between 96 and 123 inches in size.
Of course, all of the above calculations can be applied to different viewing distances for varying results depending on the distance between the TV and couch in your own home. You might also find you need to round up or down slightly if the optimal TV size you calculate is between standard TV sizes.
At the end of the day, the size of your TV comes down to personal preference. If you want to impress your guests with the biggest TV you can find, you can do that. However, the above methods should give you a good idea of where to start if you want to choose the optimal TV to fit your space.
