Topic: Long time no speak - TV size question

Hello old friends,

I hope you're all well. It's been quite some time. I live in Australia now, for the time being. Long story. Not a perfect solution for my problem but it'll do for now.

Anyway! Quick question. Do you think 65" is too big for gaming?

I've just ordered a 55" TCL C825. TCL are VERY hit and miss with their products. Normally more miss, however I think this is the best set they've ever made. Now... I just got a call from the store and they said they no longer have stock of the 55". They do have the 65" for $100 more - last one apparently, as TCL have discontinued this line.

The thing is... Is 65" too big? I don't have the biggest flat. And while I'm lucky to be able to be back about 2 metres from screen I don't want to have to be straining to take in the full picture and having to move my head to look at radars and objectives, etc.

What do you guys think? Should I cancel my order and look for another 55"?

Thanks.

@TheIdleCritic so I guess it’s a matter of opinion really. I know a lot of people (generally CoD players) who won’t game on anything over a 24inch screen… but for me bigger is better. I have a 65inch in my gaming room and honestly, it’s awesome. I sit like 5 feet away and the screen pretty much eats up my whole view… never felt so ‘in the game’ before.

Now granted, I do tend to go for single player games and play very little multiplayer but it works for me.

You may want to consider passing on this purchase. Out of stock on what you wanted with just only one left that is larger and costs more. All while you are not sure if the larger size will work for you. That's pressure to avoid when purchasing a television.

Maybe tape together paper or cardboard to the size of a 65" screen to see how that size works for you.

I have a 75 inch screen and sit about 6 feet away from it, much like The Colonel above said its immersive and makes me feel in game.

I went from 32 to 50 and it blew my mind, looked like a monster in my living room. Then got a 55 and enjoyed the extra bit of size. Honestly I’d probably go for a 65 if I was to upgrade again. It’s not really that much bigger, and you get used to it quickly. Sometimes I think back to the 14 inch TV I grew up with and it seems a bit excessive though.

Although, I will say playing some Switch games can be a bit crappy on a 55 inch screen.

There are some charts depicting the relation of a recommended screen size and viewing distance. I don't know how accurate they are but most seem to agree that a 65" 4K TV is fine between 1.5 and 2.5m, more or less. Which sounds like you should be fine

I'll be going 65" for my next TV as well. I think I could technically go bigger but the price/size factor for OLED screens becomes much higher past that point, unfortunately.

Bigger certainly is better with 4k content and of course, considering the distance you sit from the screen itself too also makes a difference. I would always recommend going for the 'biggest' screen you can afford and/or fit into your space. If you've tried reading very fine text on a 'small' screen for example, it can be difficult to read - but on a much larger screen, its much easier. The same goes for 'detail' in more distant, therefore smaller, objects in the world. Not sure if that small blob is an enemy or bush, on a bigger screen, everything is a bigger and clearer.

The only 'downside' in my opinion is that the bigger the screen, the bigger the artefacts of upscaling for example. A low res game 'traditionally' upscaled will look a bit softer on a 65" vs 55" because its a bigger screen. Its the same with say 720p on a mobile 1080p screen doesn't look as bad as 720p on a 55" 1080p TV because of much smaller pixel size.

However, with 4k, the bigger the screen, the 'more' detail you notice. You could see individual grains of sand, all slightly different colours on a Large screen as each grain is a single Pixel but on a much smaller screen, those pixels become too small for the eye to pick out and 'blurs' together with the surrounding pixels. The further you sit, the 'smaller' the Pixel size gets too so whilst a PC gamer may sit upto 2' away from a 28" Monitor, that is 'relatively' much larger than a 55" TV at 10' away because its much closer and therefore the Pixels appear bigger than 'bigger' pixels that are much further away.

If you can see the entire screen without needing to move your head/eyes, its not too big in my opinion. and with 4k content, I doubt you could go 'too' big either. For most people - especially in the UK where houses and therefore average TV sizes are generally smaller, they are buying 4k TV's and not getting the 'maximum' benefit from 4k Content. Going back to 'grains of sand', if their TV's are 'too small' or sit too far away, the pixels are 'too' small to really see the detail - yes it may look more detailed than 1080p because the Pixel density enables that detail, but its so small that you'd need a 'bigger' TV or sit closer to really see the benefits...

At the end of the day, you still have to decide what's the right option for you, your budget, your room, your seating distance etc - all of this is 'unique' to you. All I can do is 'explain' what advantages or disadvantages that going 'bigger' may have but that decision has to be yours as its your money and you that will have to live with the choices you make - hopefully right for you of course. I appreciate that its a 'minefield' - trying to balance Budget, Screen Size and Quality/Features. Not everyone can afford the 'best' TV on the Market in their 'preferred' screen size as its out of their budget so they have to compromise - opt for cheaper models/brands to get the screen size they want at a price they can justify, or maybe drop Screen Size down too to get 'better' quality/features, maybe a smaller drop in features/quality and in screen size to find a balance between all those to suit you.

All I will say is buy from a reputable seller that will accept a return if you are 'not' happy with your choice. Then if you do buy either and then wish you'd gone 'bigger/smaller', you can change your mind.

65" is HUGE!
It's perfect size to play DDR consoles at home. 😆

@kyleforrester87 I remember playing on 14" TV's - in fact when I was a young teen, I bought my first TV - a 14" with Birthday and Paper Round money for my bedroom which, back in the mid-80's wasn't very common for Kids to have TV's in their rooms.

By the time the N64 launched, I had a 28" CRT so we would all sit around playing Mario Kart, Goldeneye etc staring at our 'tiny' corner (equivalent to a 14" TV) of the screen. By the 360 era, I had a 32" Widescreen CRT, then upgraded to a 46" HD Flatscreen TV and that was a 'mind blowing' experience - not only jumping up in screen size - making it much more comfortable and easy to see everything from the Sofa - instead of sitting on the floor in front of the TV - just in terms of Size, but the difference in visual detail going to HD was mind blowing. I used games like Gears 2 (opening the door to the underground city) to 'show off' my new TV and blow people away with gaming visuals.

I really don't miss the 14" TV's or staring at a tiny corner of a screen to play with friends. I look back with Rose Tinted specs and know that it was that time, that 'era', that 'moment' without the knowledge and experience I have accumulated over time that made those moments 'special'. I also know that when I had the opportunity to play on 'bigger' TV's, I'd jump at it so even back then, I wanted 'bigger', I was just having to 'make do' with what I had at the time...

@TheIdleCritic If you're able to sit two meters away from your screen, then I'd say 65" is probably the biggest you'll ever need. I sit a similar distance away from a 60" television and just about feel like I'm getting the benefit of 4K without feeling swamped by it.

As others have hinted at, however, your story sounds like you're being upsold something you didn't really want by a cheeky store clerk. If you want a 55" television, then try looking elsewhere for one.

Hope you find a solution, and that enjoying a new TV helps you feel settled in Australia!