How to figure out what size TV you should purchase

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By Kris Wouk

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What size TV do you need? It’s a simple question to ask, but finding the best TV for you can be surprisingly tricky. There are a lot of factors to consider. How far away from your TV are you going to be sitting? Are you going to mount it on the wall? What resolution are you going for, HD or 4K Ultra HD? There’s also your budget to consider, but even if you’re not ready to spring for a high-end home theater, you can still find the perfect size for you. We’ve got a few tips to help you find your own personal Goldilocks zone when it comes to TV size.

Will it fit in my TV room?

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 of that spot (there may be limitations due to the size of an entertainment center or amount of 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. You’ll find some TVs with 55-inch screens have footprints that are physically larger than others, so always look at the TV’s overall dimensions for a concrete answer as to whether it will fit.

How wide is the stand?

The second size-related consideration is the TV’s attached 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.

How far are away will the screen be?

Next, think about from where people will be watching the TV in the room. 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 0.84. That should give you the ideal screen size. (Just use the calculator on your smartphone.)

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 screen size. You can technically go as big as you like, provided you don’t sit just four feet from your TV.

Size vs. picture quality

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 make some sacrifices on picture quality. We find it’s best to balance size with picture quality for long-term watching enjoyment.

Finding the best TV for you 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 quality. Just remember, find the TV’s measurements, calculate the ideal viewing distance, and balance picture quality with size. Now it’s time to focus on the rest of your home theater setup, like a proper surround sound system.

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

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