What size TV do you need? Here you calculate which TV size you should buy depending on the size of your room.
What size TV do I need? This is a common question, and when the TVs get bigger, it becomes even more important to understand which sizes are best for your particular room, in order to make a smart buying decision.
As 65-inch 4K TVs begin to become the norm and larger 70-80 – inch models come at cheaper prices, it will be a challenge to find out where to place your new TV.
To think of
Many people buy a new TV without even thinking about the room it will be placed in. It is assumed that a TV, regardless of size, will work well in the same place as where the old one stood. This can lead to many problems and a less optimal TV experience when watching your favorite Netflix shows. Although finding the right size of TV raises questions about the ideal resolution, which distance from the TV is best, and if you really want a larger screen size on your new TV. But do not worry because we have written down everything you need to know.
What TV size do I need?
We will show you how to determine the best size for your TV according to your needs. This guide is intended to help you with your living room although the same principles will work for your bedroom and for your office.
Quick tips
- Understand screen size. TV screens are measured diagonally from corner to corner, so a 65-inch TV is almost 55 inches wide. One inch is 2.54 cm so make sure you look at the dimensions before you buy your TV stand or want to put it up on the wall.
- Know the resolution. TVs today offer three resolution options – 1080p, 4K and 8K. 1080p is Full HD quality but we recommend 4K for almost everyone. It has become the standard, but remember that the resolution changes the distance you can sit at the screen and how expensive it will be.
- Calculate room size and distance. The rooms do not get bigger to accommodate larger TVs, so measure your room and be careful with the distance from the sofa to find the right TV size for your bedroom or living room.
Screen size and resolution
First, remember what we mentioned in quick tips: The TV is measured diagonally. So a 55-inch screen measures 55 inches (1.40 m) from one corner to the opposite corner. The actual dimensions will be different and measure approximately 1.22 m wide and 0.68 m long.
| Diagonally | Width | Height |
| 55 inches (1.40 m) | 1.22 m | 0.68 m |
| 60 inches (1.52 m) | 1.33 m | 0.75 m |
| 64 inches (1.63 m) | 1.42 m | 0.80 m |
| 65 inches (1.65 m) | 1.44 m | 0.81 m |
Then you need to think about what resolution you need before you buy your new TV. This is important because higher resolution means you can sit closer to your TV without noticing pixelation in its image.
Which in turn means you can sit closer to a 4K TV (3840 x 2160) than a 1080p TV. Because you can sit closer to a 4K set, you do not need as large a TV to fill your field of view as you would need if you were using a 1080p TV.
Room size and TV distance
Think of the room where the TV will be. If we assume that the furniture in that room is not permanently attached to the floor, and you are willing to move them, then you have some flexibility in the size of the TV you can use.
The next question is whether you plan to set up the TV with the included stand or use a wall mount to hang it. Because if you use the included stand to place the TV on a table, the TV will be closer to the viewer. This also means that the viewing distance is smaller. Be sure to take into account both the depth of the TV stand and the furniture you plan to put the TV on, as some appliances have relatively narrow stands. But there are others, such as the 65-inch model LG CX OLED (See our best TVs 2020 for more info), extending almost 25 cm with a mounted stand.
Wall mounting
Hanging the TV on the wall, on the other hand, can add 30 cm or more to the viewing distance, which can be the difference between a 60-inch TV and a 72-inch model. Depending on the type of bracket you use and the thickness of the TV, your screen will still be a few inches away from the wall, but the details will vary from model to model.
Related: Best Distance from Sofa to TV- We explain!
How to calculate the best size of TV for your room
Measure the distance between where you plan to mount the TV and where you plan to sit. For a 1080p TV, many industry experts like Amazon provide an estimated recommended distance of 1.5-2.5 times your screen size, but there are almost as many formulas as there are experts. The best rule of thumb at the moment is that a little too close is better than a little too far. This is because many people prefer an immersive experience compared to an experience that does not immerse you in the program you are watching.
Another rule of thumb to have is that if you have a 42-inch (107 cm) you should sit at least double that from your TV, ie 84 inches (214 cm) away for a first-class and comfortable experience. For example, if you want to be sure and split the difference, you get a factor of 2: 1, which is easy to remember. Just double the screen size for a comfortable viewing distance.
TV Size in practice
Let’s say you have a large room, a large sofa and a large coffee table between you and the TV. This results in a comfortable viewing distance of about 3 meters. You would then take 3 m and divide by two to get 1.5 m, then put your number in the inch converter. In this case, it will be about 60 inches, so you should buy a 60-inch TV for this room.
For 4K TV
If you watch a 4K Ultra High Definition TV, the formula changes a bit. Due to the increased resolution, the recommended ideal distance is between 1 and 1.5 times the screen size. So if you bought a 50-inch TV, it should be placed between 130 cm and 180 cm from you.
As larger screen sizes become more and more affordable, you really want to take these guidelines to heart. The Sony XR-75X90J is 75 inches and costs around SEK 16,000. Which makes it expensive, but not so expensive that it is beyond all customers’ budgets. Whether you are trying to mount a 75- or 55-inch TV in your home, remember that the goal is to see the image, not the pixels.
Which TV size is comfortable for you?
We can best thank Bernard Lechner for his help in finding the best relationship between TV size and hence distance for optimal viewing distances. This gave rise to the fact that you can now enjoy the most comfortable TV size. This is to further find out how we as humans can process content that comes from a TV screen. His work coined a phrase called “The Lechner Distance”. For example, most people like to sit far enough away from the TV so that the pixels hardly affect the equation. Therefore, feel free to experiment with the placement of your new TV. There is never anything negative about going a little bigger than you think you need.
Whether you want a new TV size for your home or office, you can now calculate the perfect distance in no time.
Related: How to Measure TV size
Good TVs considering the size
Samsung QN90A QLED
Samsung QN90A QLED does not have the problem that LG OLED panels have with burn-in. This is a feature-packed game TV with an incredibly low input delay and an excellent response time, and it supports VRR technology. Unlike an OLED, there is no risk of permanent burn-in on an LED TV, which is good if you like playing the same game with similar UI elements on the screen for long periods.
It delivers fantastic image quality, with deep blacks, a fantastic local dimming function, and outstanding top brightness. HDR makes movies that have HDR support look great and even games on PS5. Small details that stand out as they should and an impressive range of colors, so you do not lose any details in the latest games.