Is an 80-inch TV Too BIG?[Answer for 80-82-83″]

Choosing the right TV size according to your room size and layout is important for the best viewing experience.

If you plan to buy a new TV and want to know whether an 80-83 inches TV will be the right size for your room, you are at the right place.

Regarding TVs, going bigger is always better if your pocket and place have enough room. According to research, #1 buyer remorse is that they could have gone bigger.

TVs have now become lightweight & portable, prices have decreased, and viewing distances have reduced to half due to LED TVs and higher resolutions (4k).

Is a 80-inch TV Too Big?

An 80-inch TV is good for medium (12×18 sq. feet) to large living rooms (15×20 sq. feet) or above. It requires a viewing distance of 10-10.9 feet for mixed usage in the living room, which is easily maintainable in medium to large rooms. In comparison, it is too big for standard bedrooms (12×12), master bedrooms (14×16)and small living rooms. For media rooms or home theater, THX recommends only 8 feet distance for 80-inch TVs which is even achievable 13×13 room. So for theater rooms, you can go bigger than 80 inches.

Also, remember that 80-inch TV is a diagonal size of the TV while The TV is around 69.7 inches WIDE and 39.2 inches TALL. Your wall should have enough room to accommodate this size.

65-inch TV Resolution	Organization	Viewing Distance
80-inch 4k	THX (40 FOV)	8 feet ( Theater-like Movie Experience)
80-inch 4k	Panasonic (32 FOV)	10 feet (Mixed Usage in Living Room)
80-inch 4k	SMPTE (30 FOV)	10.9 feet (Mixed Usage in Living Room)

Note: THX recommended viewing distance for 65-inch 4k TV is 6.5 feet and this is the most up-to-date recommendation. SMPTE recommends 9.1 feet, but SMPTE recommendations were originally for 1080p TVs not for 4k TV. But now SMPTE distance is also used for 4k TVs. THX recommendations are best for watching movies and for getting cinema-like immersive experience. So, if you go by the THX distance, a 65-inch TV is good even for small 10×10 rooms.

Is a 82-83 inches TV Too Big?

An 82-83-inch TV is good for medium (12×18 sq. feet) to large living rooms (15×20 sq. feet) or above. It requires a viewing distance of 10.3-11.2 feet for mixed usage in the living room, which is easily maintainable in medium to large rooms. For bedrooms, an 85-inch TV is way too big. But for media rooms or home theater, THX recommends only 8.3 feet distance for 82-83inch TVs, which is even achievable 13×13 room. So for theater rooms, you can go bigger than 80 inches.

An 83-inch TV is 72.9 inches wide and 41.8 inches tall. If you wall mount it, you will save around 1 foot of space.

Let’s see how we can determine whether a TV size is too big or good for you based on three critical factors. Let’s discuss them one by one.

Factor That Determine TV Size

If you have no budget constraints, consider these 3 factors when deciding the TV size for your room. 

1-Viewing Distance 

You need to maintain an optimal viewing distance from the TV to get the best viewing experience. The viewing distance depends on the TV size and resolution. Viewing distance is a good criterion to determine if a TV is TOO BIG or a GOOD SIZE for you.

Here’s the table for recommended viewing distance by renowned Theater organizations and TV manufacturers.

65-inch TV Resolution	Organization	Viewing Distance
80-inch 4k	THX (40 FOV)	8 feet ( Theater-like Movie Experience)
80-inch 4k	Panasonic (32 FOV)	10 feet (Mixed Usage in Living Room)
80-inch 4k	SMPTE (30 FOV)	10.9 feet (Mixed Usage in Living Room)

2-Personal Preference 

Recommended viewing distances are shrinking due to advancements in TV display technology and resolution. So some people are finding it hard to adapt.

For instance, the latest viewing distance recommendation for an 80-inch 4k TV viewing distance from THX and Samsung is only 8 feet, while previously it was 11-16 feet. 

We have noticed that gamers and cinema enthusiasts who like to sit near the front rows or middle rows in the theater, prefer to adopt the closer distance to get an immersive experience. 

But still, lots of people prefer to maintain a larger distance of 11 feet. They don’t feel comfortable sitting closer.

So for a larger viewing distance, you need to have bigger rooms. And a TV can become too big.

Similarly, people tend to prefer small TV sizes for bedrooms.

75-inch vs 80-inches vs 85-inch TV Size Comparison

If we compare the dimensions of an 80-inch TV with a 75-inch, the 80-inch TV is around 4.3 inches wider and around 2 inches taller. But when it comes to viewing distance, 80-inch TVs require 1/2 feet longer distance than 75-inch TVs. An 80-inch TV will occupy 12% more area than a 75-inch TV.

If we compare the dimensions of an 80-inch TV with an 85-inch, the 80-inch TV is around 5 inches less wide and around 2.5 inches smaller in height. But when it comes to viewing distance, 80-inch TVs require 1/2 feet less distance than 75-inch TVs. An 80-inch TV will occupy 11% less space than an 85-inch TV.

TV Size	Width (inches)	Height	Viewing Distance
75-inch	65.4”	36.8”	7.5-10.2 ft
80-inch	69.7″	39.2″	8-10.9 ft
85-inch TV	74.1″	41.7″	8.5-11.6 ft

Wrapping up

So is an 85-inch TV too big? You have got the answer. It is too big for standard bedrooms, master bedrooms and small living rooms. But it can be a good size for a medium to large living room. It is a good size for media rooms and theater rooms. But you should go bigger than 80-inch TV for a home theater setup.