How to Choose the Ideal Size of the TV: Tips and Recommendations

The ideal size of a television on what it depends

If you seek the recommendations of the manufacturers themselves, organizations such as the SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) or the sellers of each store can get you a lot.

To avoid this and so that phrases like “A cinematographic experience can only be achieved with a large screen” do not suit you, we will see how each of the key aspects affects when choosing a new television. And then we tell you how to calculate your idea size.

The room space

Let’s start with the size , but not the size of the television but the size of the room where you are going to place it. If, for example, your living room is large, you will have no problem betting on large screens. But if it is not, even if you could put a larger screen due to the viewing distance, you may end up overwhelmed by the rest of the furniture.

The resolution

Thanks to the jump that practically all televisions have made to 4K panels , the viewing distance has been reduced considerably. Because the pixel density has increased and that prevents you from seeing them when you are close. Therefore, a TV with the same diagonal and 1080p resolution at 4K is not the same.

Viewing angles

When you go to the movies the last thing that goes through your mind is to sit in the front rows. And it is not because you are not attracted to seeing the larger screen, it is because to see in each of the corners you would have to turn your head and that is very annoying. Well, with the same home televisions, you have to avoid continually moving your eyes or head to see the information from each point on the screen.

Keys to choosing the ideal TV size

Defined these aspects that affect the visual experience, how do I choose the ideal screen size? Well, we can resort to some online calculators that offer an approximation to your ideal diagonal depending on the viewing distance and resolution. But not to get involved, because your own preferences play an important role here, so you can calculate the diagonal of your next television.

• Viewing distance (distance between the point where you sit and the television): according to the SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) it should be at least twice the diagonal and at most five times this. This is in theory for screens with 1080p resolution, but now that most are 4K and you could multiply that distance by 0.8 or 1.2. At that distance it is the one that you would have to sit down if you want a certain diagonal. You can? Well go ahead, buy.
• Panel resolution : As we have commented, 4K screens allow you to reduce the viewing distance, so you could opt for a larger diagonal if you see that the one you had thought seems small to you.
• Angles and vision : Finally, what you should try is that the angle of vision from where you are sitting on the sides of the TV is between 30 and 40 degrees. If so, then you could say you’re right.

In short, the ideal size of your next television is calculated by measuring how far you are going to sit, taking into account the resolution of the panel and checking that the viewing angle is comfortable at all times. If so, you accept insurance.

Anyway, here is also a point of personal preference that you cannot forget. There may be situations when a screen with a larger diagonal is still comfortable for you. Meanwhile, there will be times when, despite being able to fit a large screen, you prefer a smaller one.

Guide sizes

To make it easier for you, here is an approximate average of sizes according to the viewing distance recommended by the different manufacturers and specialists in image issues. These are estimates for the most common diagonals.