It’s not just about budget and how far away you’re sitting.
Thinking about it, a new TV is one of my favorite device upgrades. Compared to upgrading a laptop, the decision-making process is relatively straightforward, and it’s usually a product for pure entertainment — I’m not editing photos or jamming out articles in my living room. In most cases, there’s also a leap forward in technology and value by the time I get around to buying one. A $500 TV I bought today would absolutely smoke a $1,000 or even $2,000 model from 10 years ago.
The perennial question, of course, is what screen size you should aim for. Most of us are limited by money, but even if you have an unlimited budget, it doesn’t necessarily make sense to buy the biggest screen you can find. There are several factors that should go into your decision-making process. You might discover that even a Manhattan penthouse doesn’t warrant a 100-inch panel.
Viewing distance and immersion
Always relevant, very subjective
One of the reasons bigger isn’t always better is your field of view. If your eyes can’t take in the entire frame of an image at once, you’re not just missing out on visual information — you’re actively stressing your eyes, which are going to be darting around constantly. I’m reminded of the time I went to see The Others in theaters and got stuck in the second row from the front. While I enjoyed the movie itself, it was physically draining to stare up at a screen I could never completely take in.
THX, the cinematic standards company, recommends that a TV fill approximately 25 to 40% of your field of view. Using that math, a TV about 6 to 7 feet away should measure at least 55 inches diagonally, and no more than 75 inches. Many people sit about 9 feet away, in which case the range shifts to between 65 and 85 inches. You may find that your ideal size is somewhere in the middle of a predicted range, particularly since TVs are sold in a wide variety of increments. There’s no sense depriving yourself of other features because a model only goes up to 70 or 80 inches — more on that later.
Personally, I’m willing to go above 40% of my view, simply because immersion is extremely important to me.
