Tomasz Wadowski
What size television to buy?
Our latest film on YouTube was very popular, which is why we decided to prepare an article for you in written form that explains how to choose the right size television. This way, you will be able to calmly follow our tips and clarify any doubts.
Most important question: What size television should I buy?
What size television should I buy? This is one of the most common questions we hear from people considering upgrading or purchasing a new set. Online, you will find many extreme pieces of advice. Some say, "the bigger, the better", while others caution against it – "it's better not to go overboard." However, we want to clarify in practical terms what it really looks like and what mistakes to avoid.
Why another article on this topic? Well, in our work with display calibration, we have visited thousands of households and noticed that very few people were fully satisfied with the size they chose. Many new buyers were stressed about purchasing a television significantly larger than the one they were used to. Measuring with a tape measure or setting up a cardboard cutout did not make the process any easier.
In this article (and also in the video), we want to dispel the most common doubts and show how to approach the choice of television size so that you won't regret it later.
The bigger, the better – why do we say that?
The first question we usually ask ourselves is: “How big a television should we choose if we love cinema, series, and sport?” If we care about achieving an effect as close as possible to what we know from the cinema, it quickly turns out that:
Films and series are created with the intention of being displayed on large screens.
Sport (especially football or basketball) is also better viewed on a larger surface – we feel the atmosphere of the stadium.
Playing on a console gains additional “magic” when the image is suitably large.
What does it look like mathematically? In the cinema, we often sit at 3/4 of the distance from the screen, and it is very comfortable for us. To achieve a similar effect at home, we should aim for screens of up to 100 inches from slightly under 3 metres. Such sizes really create a cinematic atmosphere. Of course, it is not always achievable, but it is worth being aware that the standard 55” or 65” is not so “gigantic” in comparison to the cinema standard.
In our work, we visited a lot of homes and never encountered anyone who complained they had bought too large a screen. Rather, the words were: “Gosh, I could have bought a bigger one...”. This is all because a larger screen provides better experiences for movie screenings, sports, and even ordinary TV watching.
What about the popular method of sticking tape to the wall or making a model? Such experiments often fail because a large screen encourages more relaxed seating and setting the sofa a bit differently. Only then do we feel how it can fill our field of vision. However, the cardboard model will not convey this in any way. It will only help us imagine the new decor of the room.
Is 55 inches the BEST SIZE for a TELEVISION?
Of course, we don't always need a screen that takes up half the wall. Many people turn on the television mainly in the background: for the news, so the house isn't too quiet, or just to catch a glimpse of some entertainment shows. In such situations, a 55-inch model often works best because:
55" usually has the best price-to-size ratio (when we look at the market in that range).
Smaller sizes (42”, 48”, 50”) tend to be technologically limited or are only slightly cheaper. (That's why we have prepared shopping guides to help you choose smaller televisions).
A wider selection of specific models and technologies can be found starting from 55”.
55” is also a completely uncontroversial size that will fit well into both a small room and a large living room.
If we want to ensure that the television doesn't ruin the interior design, we can look at models like Samsung The Frame or TCL NXTFrame. They can blend nicely into the surroundings in standby mode and serve as an electronic picture frame.
Can you go too big?
But what if someone wants to go in the other direction and buy something really big: 85 or even 100 inches? Can you go overboard here? We had the chance to test the 100-inch Hisense U7KQ television and watch films from a distance of even below 2.5 meters. Contrary to some concerns, it did not resemble the front row in a cinema, where you have to turn your head left and right. Instead, we had a fantastic feeling of being in the middle of the action.
Indeed, there have been situations where in typically “television” programmes (e.g. news channels) the presenter looked… immense. However, if we mainly watch films, series, and sports, then a large television really creates a fantastic effect. As for the boundary where it can actually be “too much,” it mainly depends on the resolution of the screen. For 4K, the critical value will be approximately 2 cm of distance per inch (so for 100 inches, we sit about 2 metres from the screen). At that point, one can start to distinguish individual pixels, and the quality drastically decreases. Therefore, such an extreme approach may no longer be comfortable, but these are quite rare cases, as not everyone has micro-rooms in which we place 100 inches directly in front of the sofa.
Better a smaller and better model, or bigger at the expense of quality?
Let’s move on to a more practical dilemma: Is it worth choosing a larger television but with inferior parameters? Or perhaps a smaller one, but in a higher technological class? Unfortunately, there is no one universal answer, as it depends on:
The budget we have available
The size of the room and the distance from the screen
The type of content we watch
The lighting in the room
If we were to suggest some “golden advice,” it would go something like this:
"First, let’s invest in reasonable quality, and only then in additional inches."
Two main "quality thresholds".
What is all this about? The jump from the cheapest technologies, such as standard LCD, to more advanced models with local dimming, e.g. FALD or Mini LED – is noticeable from the very first moments. Deeper blacks, better contrast, and more natural colours mean that the picture gains a new quality.
However, within the same technology, e.g. comparing different OLED models, the differences are less spectacular. Indeed, flagship models can have higher brightness, better colour reproduction, or more advanced image processing, but even a basic OLED offers a quality high enough that for most users, larger diagonal will make a bigger difference than subtle improvements in specifications. To illustrate this better, below you will find specific examples.
Example 1: LCD without local dimming vs. LCD with local dimming (e.g. mini LED).
Suppose we have 3500 zł. We can buy:
If we look at the quality of black, on the first television (standard LCD) in dark scenes we will notice many imperfections, while the Q80D performs significantly better. In this example, the larger 75” at the cost of poor black could simply be disappointing during evening screenings. Meanwhile, the difference between the Q80D and QN85D is smaller, so it may not be worth dropping down to 55” just to take the more "beefed-up" variant. Therefore, in this case, let’s choose the option number 2.
Example 2: Top shelf in a smaller variant vs. tall shelf in a larger variant.
Let's assume we have 10,000 PLN and we choose something from the OLED family:
Here a larger, 77-inch OLED (even the basic one) will likely provide more enjoyment than a super advanced but noticeably smaller QD-OLED. Of course, the best QD-OLED TVs clearly outperform basic models in terms of picture quality. However, even the simplest OLED offers such a high standard that a larger diagonal will bring a more noticeable difference than choosing a higher model but in a smaller size. Therefore, in this case, we choose option number 3.
There are, however, exceptions to this rule. If your distance from the sofa to the TV is about 2.5m (or less), then choose the intermediate option. Unless you want the cinematic effect, in which case not necessarily 😉.
Such dilemmas could be discussed for hours, but the general conclusion is simple: First the level of technology, then the size
Myths and Facts About Choosing a Large Television
Here you will find the three most common questions we have heard when selecting the right television. These issues raise the greatest concerns among customers who wonder whether they are sure not to overdo it with the screen size. It's time to clear up the doubts!
Does a large TV harm your eyes?
“A large television harms your eyesight” – this is one of the most common myths. The size of the screen itself does not affect eyesight deterioration. However, it is important to maintain viewing hygiene:
Use background lighting to reduce the contrast between a bright screen and a dark environment.
Adjust the brightness of the television for evening viewing (a screen that is too bright will be tiring, regardless of the size).
Image calibration can also be helpful, which will aid in restoring the natural tone of the image and eliminating excessive blue light.
Will I be moving my head with a large TV?
Another myth goes: “If I get too large a television, I will have to move my head like in the front row of a cinema.” That is not possible in a typical living room. The front row in a cinema means you are sitting ultra close to a screen with a nearly 10 times larger area than the standard 85–100 inches at home. It's like sitting 3 metres away from 9 100-inch televisions. No one typically arranges their sofa to cover a wall the size of a football pitch from 2 metres away.
Great Heads on the Television
In films, series and sports, so-called "great heads" do not occur, because framing is prepared in such a way that it looks good even on cinema screens. Some inconvenience may arise in news channels, where the presenter fills the frame significantly – and then, with a large screen and close distance, they may appear to be too big. But these are rather extreme cases!
How to choose the size of a television? A short summary
Consider what and how you watch most often. If you primarily watch films, series, play on a console, or follow matches – a bigger television will be a great choice as it will provide a more cinematic experience.
If the television is going to be on in the background, and you only glance at the news or your favourite show occasionally, a 55-inch model will be perfectly fine, as it is the most universal size.
It’s not worth buying a large one at the expense of terribly poor quality. It’s always a good idea to choose a television with at least basic but solid contrast (meaning something better than the cheapest LCD) – only then should you consider additional inches.
Maintain good viewing hygiene. A large television won’t ruin your eyesight, as long as you’re not staring at it in a dark room with the brightness set to 100%.
Let us know what size television you chose and from what distance you watch it. Share your impressions – do you feel that you could have gone for something bigger, or perhaps you've already overshot in terms of inches? And if you missed the film where Maciej talks about choosing the right diagonal, we invite you to watch!
