How to Choose the Screen Size of a TV

Background

The first televisions produced used cathode ray tubes (CRT) or kinescopes to display images. The technology was imperfect, but at the start of mass production in 1934, it was revolutionary. The imperfection of the technology lay in the principle of the kinescope. The electron beam emitted a stream of electrons that hit the screen and left color.

Unfortunately, some electrons penetrated through the screen and reached the viewer, a phenomenon known as “radiation.” Due to radiation and its effects on the human body, restrictions were introduced on the distance at which one could watch TV and on the amount of time it was safe to enjoy favorite programs. A safe distance was considered to be 4-5 meters from the screen, but given the very small sizes of CRT TVs, such viewing was inconvenient.

Modern Times

Much time has passed since the revolution of CRT TVs, and completely new technologies have emerged: Plasma, LCD (liquid crystal), LED (light-emitting diode). Except for plasma TVs, which, like CRTs, had high radiation levels, LCD and LED TVs are free from such radiation because they operate on a completely different principle of image display.

Instead of electron beams bombarding the screen, LCD TVs operate using light waves passing through an RGB matrix. The absence of electron radiation has almost eliminated the need to maintain a safe distance from the TV. Now, with new technologies, the viewing distance can be any.

All of the above aims to dispel the misconception that the viewing distance is directly related to the screen size, as the radiation area and safe distance only matter for CRT TVs, which are now history.

But there is an important point!

How to choose the screen size of a TV?

An important aspect mentioned earlier is the resolution of the screen. If a large-screen TV, for example 55 inches, has a resolution of FULL HD (1920×1080 pixels), then at a close viewing distance of about 1 meter, pixels can be seen.

However, considering that TVs are usually watched from a distance of 1.5-2 meters, it is very difficult to see the pixels from these distances. Moreover, currently, TVs up to 40 inches typically have FULL HD resolution, while larger screens already feature Ultra HD 4K resolution (3840 × 2160 pixels).

How to choose the screen size of a TV? The answer is simple: the larger, the better. If you have the opportunity to buy a 40-inch TV — that’s great! If you can buy a TV with an 80-inch screen — even better. But watch the resolution of the TV, as electronics up to 50 inches may have FULL HD resolution, and for such sizes, Ultra HD 4K resolution might be unnecessary because the difference will be imperceptible.

Televisions from 52-55 inches and above should already have Ultra HD 4K resolution, as lower resolutions on larger screens will show graininess when viewed up close.