Thursday, March 28, 2024

Here’s how to figure out what size TV to buy

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It’s easy to say simply bigger is better when it comes to TVs, but the truth is, choosing the right TV involves lots of considerations beyond the sheer size of your new set. What’s the ideal viewing distance? What about picture quality vs. TV size? And where do you even find a TV’s measurements? You may not have a multi-thousand-dollar home theater, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have the perfect TV for your setup. Here are a few tips for picking what size TV to buy in any situation.

Will it fit? This is the first question to ask yourself before buying a TV. Before you start shopping, decide where you want your TV. Once you’ve chosen the location, measure the height, width, and depth for that spot; there may be limitations due to the size of an entertainment center or space on a wall. Later, when shopping for a TV, you can match this up with the measurements of the TV itself, not its screen-size, to make sure the TV will fit. Some 55-inch TVs are larger than others, so always look to the TV’s dimensions for a concrete answer as to whether it will fit.

The second size-related consideration is the TV’s stand. If you aren’t going to mount your television on a wall, you’ll need to use the TV’s stand, and many of today’s TV’s have feet at the far edges. You need to ensure that wherever you plan to place the TV is wide enough to accommodate the stand.

Next, think about where people will be watching the TV from. There are viewing distance calculators (here is another calculator) that can recommend a screen size based on where you sit. If you don’t want to bother with an online calculator, just keep in mind this simplified calculation that you can do on your own: Measure the distance from your seat to the TV in inches and multiply by .84. That should give you the ideal screen size. (Use the calculator on your smartphone, Rain Man.)

This method isn’t perfect, however. For example, if you are sitting 8 feet from the TV you would want an 80-inch screen, and that’s just not realistic for most of us. For that reason, we suggest that most living rooms will do best with at least a 50-inch TV. You can technically go as big as you like, provided you don’t sit just four feet from your TV.

There’s one reason not to just shoot for the biggest TV you can get, and that has to do with picture quality. If you are trying to maximize screen size purely based on budget, you’ll find that you can probably get a TV as big as your wallet will allow, but you’ll have to sacrifice some on picture quality this way. We find it’s best to balance size with picture quality for long-term watching enjoyment. Keep that in mind as you peruse our suggestions for the best TVs you can buy.

Finding a new TV shouldn’t be a hard process. With these tips you’ll have no trouble finding a TV that will fit your home and give you the best TV quality. Just remember, find the TV’s measurements, calculate the ideal viewing distance, and balance picture quality with size.

The video accompanying this articles features the Samsung Q9F 65-inch TV, the BDI OLA stand, and the Sony A1E OLED.




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