Screen size is an important consideration for many when it comes to buying a new TV. But with so many screen size options to choose from, it can easily be very daunting. That’s why we’ve decided to put together this definitive guide.
Today, we’re going to go through everything you could ever need to know about TV screen sizes. From the various sizes available, to how you can pick the perfect one for your home. Whether you’re buying your first-ever TV, or you’re looking for your next upgrade, this definitive guide is all you need.
Why Does TV Screen Size Matter?
For many years, the assumption has been that “Bigger is better”. After all, with a larger TV screen, you can more easily emulate the cinema experience. This can make the best TV and film all the more immersive. While it’s certainly true that larger screen sizes are more immersive, larger screens are not always best for all homes.
Despite TV screens being larger than they ever have been, smaller screen sizes are still made readily available on the market. This is because TV screens should generally be matched to the rooms they occupy. For instance, a smaller bedroom or kitchen will need a smaller TV. On the other hand, a large living room can easily accommodate a larger TV.
While you might instinctively jump for the largest TVs on the market, it’s important to exercise restraint.
What Different TV Sizes Are There?
There are currently far more options in terms of TV screen size than there ever have been. Some of the smallest options on the market are 32-inch TVs, which fit comfortably into even the smallest of rooms or spaces in your home. On the larger end of the spectrum are 98-inch TVs, which can truly fill a room and bring the cinematic experience home.
There are many different screen sizes on the market. From smaller 32-inch TVs to room-filling 98-inch TVs. However, you’ll want to find the screen size that best fits your space and your needs!
In fact, it’s likely that TVs will continue to grow and grow in size. While there are very few currently available, 100-inch TVs are likely to become just as popular as 98-inch models. Leading manufacturers like Samsung have been toying with creating truly wall-filling TVs that reach well over 292 inches (that’s 24 feet!). Of course, it’s going to be some time before TVs this large are available at your local tv shop – but you’ll definitely be able to buy one at Reliant. So far, TVs of this size have only been shown off at trade shows as a sort of hypothetical TV of the future!
Are Screen Size And Resolution The Same?
Alongside screen size, many people find themselves dreaming of higher resolutions. Higher resolutions allow for more lifelike imagery and a clearer picture. However, many people often find themselves confusing screen size and resolution with one another. While they share similarities, they are actually very different.
Resolution actually refers to how many pixels there are on an individual TV display. The more pixels there are, the harder it is to make these pixels out when sitting up close. This results in a much clearer picture. Screen size, on the other hand, simply refers to the physical dimensions of the TV’s screen.
Despite referring to very different things, screen size and resolution often go hand-in-hand.
Do Larger TVs Need A Higher Resolution?
As we mentioned just above, screen size and resolution are closely entwined. Generally, in order to make the most of a higher resolution, you’ll want a larger screen size to accommodate it. A 4K TV resolution has a pixel count of around 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. In order to allow those pixels to work their magic, it’s good to give them plenty of space to work within. Thus, it’s best to match a higher resolution to a larger TV screen.
Stuffing the pixel count of a 4K display into a small TV would simply put the increased resolution to waste. Instead, you should try to ensure that you have a 43-inch or 55-inch TV or larger to allow the resolution to shine. With an 8K resolution, you should aim to have a 75-inch TV or higher. At this size, the 7,680 x 4,320 resolution is able to spread out.
If you’re opting for a TV with a 4K or 8K resolution, you’ll want to opt for a bigger screen size. Bigger screen sizes allow these higher resolutions to shine, by providing plenty of space for their increased pixel counts.
While higher resolutions always benefit from larger screen sizes, it does not always apply the other way around. Larger screens don’t necessarily need to have higher resolutions, but it is beneficial. You can easily enjoy 4K content even on the largest 85-inch TV.
How Do You Find The Perfect TV Screen Size?
At this point, it’s abundantly clear that TV screen size is highly important, and that you want to find the right one for your home. But how do you go about finding the right TV size? Is there any strategy for choosing? Or is it simply a guessing game?
When you’re looking for the perfect TV size, there are a few things you’re going to need to consider. Let’s take a look at them!
Room Size
You’re going to want to make sure that your new TV fits into the intended room. This extends well beyond simply ensuring the TV fits in through the doorway. You’ll need to ensure there’s adequate space for the TV to occupy. If you’re planning to place it against the wall, you’ll need to be sure there is enough wall space so that the screen does not become an obstacle in the room. There’s nothing more annoying than having to wrestle past a TV screen just to navigate through a room.
If your TV is too big, you run the risk of it becoming an obstacle in your chosen room. This puts it at high risk of damage, either from being bumped into or knocked onto the floor. Your TV should be able to fit seamlessly into your existing space, without jutting out and creating an obstruction.
We’d recommend measuring the dimensions of your chosen space. Be sure to measure all of the walls, as well as the existing floor space. If you already have a cabinet to place the TV into or on top of, then be sure to measure that too.
This will help you to narrow down your options so that you can more easily find your dream TV.
However, not only do you want to ensure that your TV fits into the space. You’ll also want to make sure that you have enough room to sit back and take it in.
How Far Away Should You Sit From A TV?
You need to ensure that there is enough space between your TV and your favourite spot on the sofa. Sitting too close to a TV screen can make it difficult to follow the action on screen. It will also require you to whip your head around to keep up with everything. This is a perfect recipe for a painful neck ache! Sitting too far away from a TV, on the other hand, will require you to strain your eyes just to be able to see anything. Again, this will quickly lead to a neck ache and eye strain!
How far you should sit from your TV depends on the size of its screen. Because there are so many potential screen sizes to choose from, there is a handy sum you can utilise to find the correct viewing distance. What you need to do is take the total screen size, and multiply it by 1.2. If you were to take a 65-inch TV and multiply it by 1.2, you would get around 78 inches. This is just around 2 metres. This is the minimum distance that should be between you and a screen of this size!
Absolutely. If you have a TV that’s too big for a room, not only will it be hard to find the right spot for it, but it will also be hard to enjoy anything on it! Sitting too close to a larger TV will make it incredibly difficult to take in everything on-screen. This will quickly lead to your eyes straining, and your neck aching, trying to keep up with the action! It will also cause you to notice all of the individual pixels that make up the screen, ruining the resolution!
You don’t want to end up grabbing a TV too large for your room! You want to ensure there is enough space between you and the screen. The optimal distance is obtained by multiplying the screen size by 1.2!
Large TVs can also become a significant obstacle if not placed adequately in a room. A TV that is a challenge to move past can easily be knocked down accidentally. And you definitely don’t want to have to replace a screen that large!
Intended Use
We all use TVs for different things. Some of us use our TVs to emulate the cinema experience. To watch the biggest blockbuster films as they looked in theatres. Some of us use our TVs for gaming, and to immerse ourselves in digital realms. And some of us use our TVs passively, to tune into the news, or to play some background noise while engaging in other activities.
It’s worth considering what you plan to use your new TV for. This will help you to settle on a screen size that best suits your needs. If you want to enjoy the best of the cinematic medium, then we’d recommend going for a much larger screen. Obviously, this helps to create a cinema-like atmosphere in your living room. Larger screen sizes also allow you to take advantage of higher resolutions.
If you’re planning on using your TV for gaming, you may want to be a little more conservative with screen size. While you can certainly opt for a larger screen size, such as a 55-inch TV, you don’t want to go too large. In order to enjoy gaming on a TV, there needs to be minimal latency between your console rendering an image and displaying it on screen. Unfortunately, latency is slightly higher on much larger TV screens, such as those over 80 inches.
If your new TV will mostly be used to catch up with the morning news, or the odd television show, then a smaller screen size may be just right. If you’re only using your TV occasionally, then you can save money by going for a smaller size.
Resolution
We explored a little earlier how screen size and resolution are closely related. In order to find the perfect TV, you’ll need to consider the resolution you want. If you want a TV with a 4K resolution, then you’ll want to opt for a slightly larger screen size. With more screen space to occupy, the higher resolutions will be able to shine. At 8K resolutions, you will, again, need to aim for a larger screen.
If you’re not too fussed about resolution, or you simply want a 1080p TV, then your options are a little wider. 1080p resolutions are great for smaller TVs. However, if you want a TV on the largest end of the scale, such as a 98-inch model, then you will want to aim for a higher resolution. A 1080p image stretched out across a screen of this size will look pixelated and unsatisfying.
What Are The Benefits Of Larger TV Screens?
More Immersive
One of the biggest selling points of larger TV screens is their immersive potential. When you’re watching the action play out on a larger screen, you’re able to immerse yourself more seamlessly. A large TV screen will allow you to tune out of the outside world and lose yourself in fictional worlds.
When you have a perfectly sized TV with a perfect viewing distance, your entire vision can be taken up by the screen. This makes it easier to lose yourself in films and TV shows.
Greater Resolutions
As we’ve discovered just above, larger TV screens are perfect for allowing higher resolutions to shine. With a greater screen size to cover, there is more space for the boosted pixel counts of 4K and 8K resolutions to shine.
Higher resolutions result in more lifelike imagery that makes even the craziest of blockbusters feel real. This means that large TVs with higher resolutions are even more immersive and amazing to behold.
Wider Viewing Angles
With a larger TV, everyone gets the best seat in the house! If you live in a busy household, or you plan to host numerous movie nights, then a large screen is essential. Larger TV screens have much wider viewing angles, so everyone can easily gather around the TV without getting an unsatisfying picture.
This also means you can more easily arrange your furniture around the TV, for greater flexibility in interior design.
Great For Live Sport
Larger TVs are also often preferred by sports fans. The large panoramic views offered by larger TVs make it much easier to lose yourself in any match. Want to feel like you’re actually there at Wembley for the big kick-off? Want to feel like you’re trackside during Olympic sprinting events? Then a larger screen can help.
As we mentioned above, larger screens are also great for allowing everyone a great view of the TV. If you want to gather up your friends to watch the next big fixture, then a larger screen will ensure that everyone can keep up!
Larger TVs naturally have much wider viewing angles. This means that everyone can gather up around the TV to enjoy content together, confident that they will still receive the full image.
Larger TVs are also great for detail-oriented sports fans. Football fans who like to track the exact positions of players on the field can more easily identify individual players. The greater screen size, paired with the resolution, makes it much easier to notice smaller key details.
Greater Sound Quality
Larger TV screens necessitate a much larger unit size. Luckily, many manufacturers put all of the extra space in the unit to great use. This space is often occupied by improved sound capabilities for a more immersive experience.
If you’re in the market for a larger TV screen, then we would recommend taking the time to see what onboard sound capabilities there are. Look for strong multi-channel speakers that can pump audio in all kinds of different directions. We especially recommend TV models with directional audio. These TVs are able to isolate the sounds in an audio file to then send them to specific built-in speakers. This creates sound that travels around your space, for a more realistic sense of motion!
It’s also worth looking for TV models with built-in soundbars. Soundbars have totally revolutionised home sound technology by packing bassy audio into a slender piece of technology. You only need one soundbar to achieve immense and bassy surround sound.
Reduce Eye Strain
Larger TVs can also help to prevent eye strain. With a larger screen size, you no longer need to strain your eyes just to follow shapes on the screen. However, you need to be sure to position your larger TV just right. If you sit too close to it, you risk making eye strain much worse. When sitting too close to the screen, your eyes need to dart all over the place to enjoy any content. This will leave your eyes feeling tired in a matter of minutes.
They Help To Fill A Space
If you have a truly large living room, with loads of empty unoccupied space, then a larger TV is a perfect option to bring a sense of life into the space. Larger TVs can easily fill up an empty wall, to help bring a sense of cohesion to a furniture layout.
Larger TVs are great space fillers. Provided there’s still plenty of room surrounding the TV, a large TV can help to complete the sense of space in a given room. Your living room can truly become a hub of entertainment.
If you’ve got the space for a larger TV, there’s no reason not to go a little larger and really make your space shine.
What Are The Benefits Of Smaller TV Screens?
Easy To Position
Smaller TVs are much easier to situate in your home. Thanks to their smaller profiles, and their lightweight nature, you can easily put them anywhere in your chosen space. Have an old cabinet that would be perfect for your TV? A smaller TV will fit without issue!
You also won’t need to purchase any specialised stands or arms to hold a smaller TV up.
Much larger TVs will require you to find the perfect spot, with plenty of space, and strength to support the size and weight of the unit.
Perfect For Smaller Rooms
Smaller TVs are perfect for those smaller rooms or spaces in your home. There’s no need to cram a huge TV into your bedroom, kitchen or study. With a smaller TV, you can enjoy the best of television, from the comfort of your preferred viewing position, without having to wrestle past a giant screen every morning.
Smaller TVs generally need a smaller room to work at their best. Viewing a smaller TV from too far away will result in eye strain. This means that they are perfectly suited to rooms of a smaller size. You can more comfortably watch them from up close.
Smaller TVs are best placed in smaller rooms. In these spaces, you can be sure that you will be positioned much closer to the screen. This means you won’t end up with neck aches and eye strain!
Smaller TVs are also great for passive entertainment that you may not need to pay as close attention to. With a smaller TV, you can easily put on some background noise to help you unwind after a long and tiring day.
More Affordable
Smaller TVs are generally much more affordable than some of their larger counterparts. If you just need a simple and basic TV, then you can save a lot of money with these models. Despite costing a lot less, smaller TVs are still able to boast all of the great features that make the most expensive TVs so worthwhile.
Smaller TVs can still boast higher resolutions, refresh rates, and even HDR. They can also be fitted with smart features to allow you to stream comfort from the comfort of your bed.
Great For Gaming
Smaller TVs are perfectly suited for the hottest gaming titles. In order to render an image on a larger TV screen, there is a slight delay that occurs. This is because it takes much longer for the signal to spread across the entire screen length. With a smaller TV screen, this delay period is significantly reduced. Playing games on a smaller TV will help you to feel much more in control. There will be far less delay between pressing a button on your controller and seeing the correct action rendered on-screen.
Smaller TVs can also more easily be integrated into a gaming set-up. If you enjoy sitting at a desk while gaming, then a smaller TV would be the perfect option for adding an extra monitor for your favourite consoles.
Smaller TV screens can also be more easily viewed from up close. Have a tendency to lean forward in the heat of the moment when dominating online leaderboards? A smaller screen will allow you to still keep up with all of the on-screen action even while shifting your weight forward!
Do Larger TVs Consume More Electricity?
Larger TVs do tend to consume more electricity than smaller TVs. This is because more power is needed to spread an image across the entire length of a larger screen size.
Larger TVs with a higher resolution are also more likely to consume a lot of electricity. With more pixels available, it takes a lot more power to render a complete image.
Larger TVs do consume more electricity, but not a massive amount more. To make a larger TV more efficient, you should be sure to lower its brightness. When you’re done watching TV, be sure to switch it off right away.
How much energy a larger TV consumes will also depend on what it uses as a light source. If the backlight of a larger TV is significantly bright, then it will need a lot of electricity to produce enough light.
Luckily, larger TVs do not consume too much more electricity than standard smaller TVs. Especially if you actively lower their energy consumption. This is actually very easy to do. Even doing something as simple as lowering screen brightness can result in a reduction in energy consumption. We’d also recommend making use of screensavers on your TV. These will ensure that your TV is not left switched on on any static images. This helps to keep your TV from drawing power when you accidentally leave it on!
Which TV Sizes Are The Most Popular?
Larger TV screens are becoming more and more popular as the years go by. Larger TV screens have long been popular with homeowners, as a way to recreate theatre experiences from the living room. Larger TV screens are also now much more affordable than they ever have been. No longer do you have to break the bank just to grab one of your own?
The most popular screen sizes are between 40 to 65 inches. These are generally average screen sizes that are neither too big nor too small. They’re perfect for rooms of all shapes and sizes.
It’s likely that in future years, the most popular TV sizes will be much larger. Popular TV sizes have long fluctuated in relation to their prices. As larger TVs become more and more affordable, it’s likely that they’ll become more popular across the UK.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Know What Size TV I Need?
To find out the TV size that’s best for you, you’ll need to consider what you want out of the TV. As well as the existing space you have available for it. A larger TV is best for enjoying the best film and TV content. However, you’ll need to make sure you have plenty of space to accommodate a TV with a larger size.
Is A 43-inch TV Big Enough?
A 43-inch TV will be more than large enough for an average-sized living room. 43-inches is a very popular TV screen size. It’s large enough to make content look its best, while still being small enough to fit into spaces of all sizes. A 43-inch TV would only be too big if you don’t have enough available space to watch it.
How Do You Know If A TV Is Too Big?
You’ll know a TV is too big if you simply can’t fit it into your home. A too-large TV screen will also be uncomfortable to watch. If you have to twist your neck into all kinds of unnatural positions just to take the image in, then it’s likely that the TV’s screen is too large!
Is It Better To Get A Bigger TV Or Better Quality?
TV resolution and screen size actually go together perfectly. To make the most of a high resolution, you’ll want to have a large enough screen to accommodate it. If you want a larger TV, you’ll also benefit from opting for a higher resolution. Low-resolution images can be very unsatisfying when spread out over a large screen!
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