When is a TV size too big? And is it really bad for your eyes? Check out this guide on how to determine the best TV size to suit any room in your home.
They say size doesn’t matter, but that’s definitely not the case when it comes to choosing a TV.
Buying a television that’s too small for your space can unbalance your interior design proportions and make it difficult to watch the screen. On the other hand, a TV that’s too big will dwarf everything else in the room and can have a negative effect on the picture quality.
So, what size TV do you need? As with most things in life, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The best TV size for you depends on placement, viewing distance, room layout, and screen resolution. Read on to find out more about choosing the right TV size for any room.
Television Placement
Before worrying about what size TV to buy you’ll need to decide where you want to put the television. That means taking antenna point installation into account, as well as window light, wall space, ceiling clearance, and where you’ll place other furniture.
Room layout is another factor to bear in mind when deciding where to put your TV and how big you can go. For example, your living room might have a large surface area but if it’s L-shaped, your actual television-viewing area is smaller than the square-foot size would suggest.
To get a feel for what size TV would look good within your room layout, use TV-sized pieces of cardboard to compare options.
Viewing Distance
Where you plan on viewing your TV from has a big impact on how big you can go when choosing a screen size. According to the standard set by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the TV display should fill 30 degrees of your field of vision.
Okay great, thanks SMPTE, but what size TV should I get? Don’t worry, there’s an easier way to use this standard when choosing a TV size for your particular room. All you need to do is multiply the distance between your seating area and TV (in inches) by 0.625.
For example, if you plan on sitting around 90 inches (7.5 feet) from your TV screen, the SMPTE recommended size would be a 55-inch TV.
Screen Resolution
One thing to bear in mind when following SMPTE’s TV size recommendation is that it relates to a 1080p television. If you go for this screen resolution, you can sit farther away from the screen if you want. Any closer, however, and you run the risk of compromising picture quality.
It’s a different story if you buy a 4K television. The higher screen resolution means that you can sit two to three feet closer than the SMPTE recommends without harming picture quality.
Choosing the Best TV Size for Your Space
Bigger might seem better when you’re at the store confronted with the vast array of giant TVs. But, as this guide shows, the best TV size for your room is the one that provides optimal viewing pleasure whilst maintaining the room’s visual harmony.
And, if you need to stick to a budget, going for a higher resolution, smaller TV is better than a huge TV with a poor quality picture.
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