Television has gone through several evolutions in its lifetime, and it is only going to continue changing as new technologies emerge. We have gone from the old-fashioned cathode ray tube TVs to flat-screen TVs that are becoming outdated as design enters the next era of bezel-less TV screens.

TV manufacturers are doing serious work in innovation to meet the ever changing consumer requirements. How can you know a Television size? Television size is measured in terms of diagonal measurement from one corner to the opposite.

Thus, a 60-inch tv would be measured at 60 inches across. The most common sizes are 32, 42, 50, 55, 65, and 75 inches (all measured diagonally). You might find some models in between those sizes, but they are much rarer.

Choosing the right Television size

Choosing the right TV size for your home can be tough as there are various options available today. However, that does not mean you cannot find the perfect one for your home.

While choosing for the right TV size, you should consider these factors – room size, budget and viewing distance.

▪ Room size/space: First, you will need to think about how much space you have in your house or your room size. The general rule is that the bigger the room, the bigger the TV can go with it. In a small room, a 32-inch TV would be more than sufficient because it does not take up much space and does not cost much either. In a room that is 8 x 12 feet or larger, a 60-inch or 70-inch TV may be more appropriate because it will provide a clearer picture than a smaller TV would give you.

▪ Budget: The next thing to keep in mind is your budget. Your budget will influence the size of the TV that you purchase. The bigger the television, the more expensive it is going to be, but not always in a linear correlation. The reason for this is because manufacturers usually charge more for new features and options that come with larger screens. Currently, TVs price range from N26,000 to over N500,000.

▪ Viewing distance of the television: Viewing distance is an important consideration when choosing the right TV size. It is what we think of as the 'sit back and enjoy' distance. The viewing distance of a television is directly related to its size. For every inch that you move back from your TV, you will need two more inches for adequate viewing.

The viewing distance for your TV depends on several factors like your screen size, the room's depth, and lighting level. These factors can affect the quality of the viewing experience, and how much of the image is visible to viewers.

Another thing to think about when deciding on your viewing distance is whether others will be sitting with you or watching alone. If you are watching alone, then a close viewing distance may be more appropriate.

The general viewing distances recommended are:

a. TVs under 32 inches: 3.3 feet to 8 feet

b. TVs between 32 and 55 inches: 4.9 feet to 9.8 feet

c. TVs above 55 inches: 5.1 to 12.6 feet But if you do not want to gamble and stay on the safer side, you can use the “Rule of thumb”. This rule states that “you should measure the distance from where you plan on sitting to the screen and then multiply that number by two”.

For example, if you are going to be sitting six feet away from the TV this means that your TV should ideally be at least 12 inches. Keep in mind the ideal distance can vary depending if you mount your TV on a wall or place it on a stand.

Mounting a TV on the wall can give you a little more room to work with. When calculating the viewing distance, you should also check viewing angles and tv resolution.

▪ Viewing angle: The viewing angle is defined as the distance from a viewer’s eye to the center-point of the display screen. The viewing angle addresses the question of how it will look in your living room, and the perspective from which you are watching. The optimal viewing angle depends on several factors such as personal preference, distance from wall and screen size.

▪ Know your resolution: Televisions today offer three resolution options – 1080p, 4K and 8K. We recommend 4K for pretty much everyone, but the resolution will change how close you can sit to a set and how expensive it will be. That is because the higher the resolution, the closer you can sit before you will notice pixilation in an image. That means you can sit closer to a 4K TV (3840 x 2160) than you could a 1080p TV. This is an important factor to consider when thinking about screen size; because you can sit closer to a 4K set, you do not need to get as large a TV to fill your field of view as you would with a 1080p TV.