What Size TV Do You Need? The Ultimate TV Size & Viewing Distance Guide

1. Standard level immersion

This is the standard setup - small or medium TV sizes, with inbuilt speakers. This approach is perfectly fine if you just want to watch everyday shows or current affairs and don’t need advanced sound quality or visuals. The standard approach does have some limits though.

The main issue is related to audio. Modern TVs are much thinner than in the past, which saves space but means the inbuilt speakers don’t offer such a rich sound. If you find you struggle to hear dialogue clearly, you might want to consider a more immersive option. 

2. Advanced level immersion

A bigger, sharper display takes up more space and can therefore really bring you into the on-screen world. You’ll also have a separate TV audio soundbar plugged in, which adds greater depth and richness to the audio. Whether it’s the roar of a sports crowd, an action movie explosion or theme music, you’ll feel like you’re there. 

Opting for a more advanced level of immersion does come with added costs - so you’ll need to factor this into your budget.

3. Home cinema level immersion

This is the most immersive viewing experience. You’ll have a very large screen and surround-sound speaker system with a separate sub woofer. You’ll get that feeling of being in a movie theatre, with noise passing overhead, from above or the sides. 

And, you guessed it, this is the most expensive approach. 

Whatever level of immersion you’re after, the TV itself is your most important choice. There are quite a few things to consider but our television purchase guide will help you figure out what you actually need. 

Decide on television screen dimensions

You’ll need to decide what TV screen size you’d like. 

Partly, this is just about personal taste and preference. Some people just like bigger screens than others.

But you also need to think about the space available in your room. If the only space is in a tight corner of your lounge, that will dictate the screen size you can have. 

Another consideration is TV viewing distance. If your sofa is closer to the display, a smaller screen is better. This is because a bigger screen can cause visual discomfort when you’re too near. But the further you’re sitting from the screen, the more you’ll benefit from a bigger television monitor.

The TV sizes guide below will give you an idea of which size is best for you.

Once you know what size you want your TV to be, you’ll then want to choose between the different types of display. 

With so many different TV technologies to choose from including LCD, LED, OLED, QLED and more, it’s easy to feel a little lost. We’ve broken down the key differences below to help you understand what each one offers and to find the right fit for your home.

The final thing you’ll want to consider is display resolution. If a TV has a high resolution, it means there are more pixels on the screen. That means details look much sharper. 

Say you were watching a kids’ animated movie with the family. On a lower resolution screen, the edges of the characters’ bodies might look a bit blurry, with colours blending into the background. With a high res screen, every detail looks sharper, and the edges of things look more defined. 

Here are some of the most common levels of screen resolution available today:

●   HD ready: 1280 x 720 pixels 

●   HD: 1920 x 1080 pixels

●   4K: 3840 x 2160 pixels (four times the resolution of regular HD)

For many people, HD will be very impressive and clear. However, some films and ‘prestige’ series are now shot in 4K, so a 4K-ready TV will let you enjoy this content in the greatest detail. If you’re a big fan of sports like football, golf and tennis, a 4K TV lets you see fast-moving objects much more clearly (if it’s filmed in 4K). Many animation movies are also shot in 4K, so this sort of TV will let you really enjoy those finer details. 

Because modern TVs are super thin, there’s not much room for manufacturers to fit powerful speakers inside them. So, you may want to improve the audio experience by investing in a soundbar.

Soundbars usually sit directly in front of your TV and are connected to the TV’s HDMI cable on the back. As well as hooking it up to your TV, your soundbar can also connect to your phone over bluetooth and you can play music, audiobooks or podcasts through the device without the TV on.

Having a soundbar isn’t essential (you can still watch TV without one) but many people find that once they’ve watched the box with a soundbar, it’s hard to go back. The audio quality can make it feel as if you are in the room, the stadium, the jungle or wherever else the on-screen action is taking place.

Soundbars come with a number of built-in speakers, and the way these are arranged can affect the sound you get. The numbers and technical details can be a little confusing at first, so here’s a quick breakdown of what they mean.

If you want to bring that immersive cinema experience into your own home, a good home entertainment setup can make a seriously impressive difference.

For your visuals, we’d recommend getting the largest screen that fits on your wall space - the largest displays we stock are a whopping 85 inches (~216cm). 

But the biggest factor for creating that cinematic feel is the audio. Although regular soundbars are very impressive, to get that theatre-like surround sound, you’ll want a sound system that’s really set up for the most immersive audio. 

Home cinema sound systems typically have a separate subwoofer. To create really deep vibrations, you need more space than is available in a standard soundbar. The separate subwoofer can sit on your floor and will add deep, rich, rumbling bass. 

Home cinema-grade soundbars also have up-firing channels - this allows them to ‘angle’ noise so it bounces off the ceiling and round behind you. This helps create that ‘surround-sound’ effect. 

Look for soundbars with five or more channels. This will give you up-firing channels and side surrounds, which will make it feel like the noise is coming from all angles.