What size do I need for a TV? This is a frequently asked question, and as televisions get bigger, it’s more important than ever to understand which sizes are best for your room when making a smart buying decision.
As 65-inch 4K TVs become the norm and the larger 70- to 80-inch models become more affordable, figuring out where to put your new TV is going to be a challenge . Many people buy a new television without thinking about the room where it will be placed, assuming that each television will work in the same place as the old one.
This can lead to a less than ideal experience when working on the best Netflix shows. However, when choosing the size of the television, the question arises of the ideal resolution, the distance to the television and if you really want a larger screen.
So before you buy your next TV, here’s how to determine the best size for your needs . This guide is designed to help you with your television in the living room, but the same principles apply to your bedroom, study, and office.
What size TV do I need? Key Recommendations
Understand screen size
TV screens are measured diagonally from corner to corner, so a 65-inch TV is closer to 55-inch wide.
Know the resolution
Today’s televisions offer three resolution options: 1080p, 4K, and 8K. We recommend 4K for almost everyone, but the resolution will change how close you can sit to a TV and how expensive it will be.
Calculate the size and position of your room
Rooms don’t grow with bigger TVs, so find the right size for your room. If your space is very small , the best thing to do would be to buy a 22 ”Smart TV.
Screen size and resolution
First, remember that televisions are measured diagonally. So a 55-inch screen measures 55 inches from corner to corner. However, the actual dimensions will be different and will be around 49 inches wide and 29 inches tall.
Next, you have to consider the resolution of the television. Because the higher the resolution, the closer you can sit before noticing pixelation in an image. This means that you can sit closer to a 4K TV (3840 x 2160) than a 1080p TV.
This is an important factor to consider when thinking about screen size; Since you can sit closer to a 4K TV, such a large TV doesn’t need to fill your field of view as you would a 1080p TV.
The size of the room and the position of the TV
Think about the room where the television will be. As long as the furniture in that room is not firmly attached to the floor, and you are willing to move it, you have some flexibility in the size of the television you can get.
There is also the question of whether you plan to install the TV with the provided bracket or hang it on a wall bracket. By placing the TV on a table or an entertainment device with the supplied stand, you can move the TV closer to the viewer and shorten the viewing distance.
Consider both the depth of the TV stand and the furniture you intend to place it on.
Hanging your TV on the wall, on the other hand, can increase your viewing distance by a foot or more, which can mean the difference between a 60-inch TV and a 72-inch model.
Depending on the type of mount you use and the thickness of the TV, the screen will still be a few inches from the wall, but the specifications vary from model to model.
How to calculate the best TV size for your room
Measure the distance (in inches) between where you want to install the TV and where you want to sit. For a 1080p TV, many industry experts like Amazon and Crutchfield give a range of 1.5 to 2.5 times the screen size, although there are almost as many formulas as there are experts.
For example, Amazon recommends taking the viewing distance (in feet) first and multiplying it by 7.7. So if you have a 42-inch TV, you can sit 84 inches away and enjoy a comfortable and immersive experience. If you want to be sure and divide the difference, you end up with a factor of 2: 1, which is easy to remember. Simply double the size of the screen for a comfortable viewing distance.
Samsung has also written about this in this post.
Let’s say you have a large room, a large sofa, and a large coffee table between you and the TV, resulting in a comfortable viewing distance of 10 feet (120 inches). So you would take 120 and divide it by two to get 60 inches.
If you’re watching a 4K ultra-high definition TV, the formula changes a bit. Due to the increased resolution, the recommended ideal viewing distance is between one and 1.5 times the size of the screen. So if you bought a 50-inch TV, you should place it 50 to 75 inches apart. And as larger screens become more affordable, you’ll want to take these guidelines seriously.
What is convenient for you?
The typical viewer sits ten feet from the screen, which brings us to the comfort factor: most people like to sit so far away from the television that pixels are barely factored into the equation. So feel free to experiment with the placement of your new TV, and it never hurts to go a little bigger than you think you need.
Whether you’re looking for a TV for your home or office, now you can calculate the perfect viewing distance with a few quick calculations.
