Choosing the right size 8K HDR TV for your room can be a tough choice that ultimately comes down to 2 factors. Your budget and the size of your room. While the budget usually becomes the primary deciding factor, you should always consider the size of your room before purchasing that new 8K HDR TV for your room.
What is 8K?
8K refers to the resolution or number of pixels on the TV. The more pixels, the clearer the image will appear, especially when sitting close to your TV. When shopping for a new TV, you will see various models that are listed as HDTV, 720P, 1080P, 4K, Ultra HDTV, 6K and 8K. To the non-geek out there, these simply refer to the number of pixels on the screen.
Is 8K Twice as Good as 4K?
At first glance, you would think 8K is twice as good as 4K, however, it's actually 4x the number of pixels as 4K and it's 16 times of the pixels of a typical HDTV.
To help you with the math, here is a breakdown of the number of pixels:
720P HDTV (1280 x 720) = 921,600 pixels
1080P HDTV (1920 x 1080) = 2,073,600 pixels
4K UHD (3840 x 2160) = 8,294,400 pixels
4K UHD (4096 x 2160) = 8,847,360 pixels
8K (7680 x 4320) = 33,177,600 pixels
Do I need an 8K TV?
If you want to put your new 8K TV to use, you must watch your show in the highest resolution available. For example, if you were to watch a DVD which has a resolution of 720 x 480, it may not look that great. If you are watching a show recorded in 4K, many of the 8K TVs can upscale it without any issues.
Can I Watch Netflix, Hulu, Amazon or Disney+ in 8K?
Before you buy that new 8K TV, check with your content provider to see how much of their content is in 8K or 4K and what additional hardware will be needed to take advantage of the higher resolutions. Currently, there is very little content in 8K. Your best bet is to find 4K content and let your TV upscale it to 8K.
Here are some useful links:
What Size 8K HDR TV Should I buy?
The size of the TV you should buy will depend on your budget and the size of your room. Since today's TVs offer more detail, this allows you to sit closer to them without seeing the pixels. However, sitting too close will cause eye strain.
Since 8K HDR TVs have such a high resolution, according to some calculations, the “optimal” size for sitting 2’ away is 75”. That’s HUGE! Some even think 8K TVs are a waste of money for most viewers.
So, from this designers perspective, if you are buying a 4K or 8K HDR TV, pick the size that visually looks the best in the room.
HDTV, 4K UHD and 8K TV Sizing Guide
Here is our not-so-technical guide to picking the right size TV for your room. If you are looking at an HDTV (e.g. 1080p), stick to the ranges listed below or consider upgrading to a 4K or 8K TV. If you are looking at a 4K or 8K model, the sizes recommended below are what we feel visually look the best in most spaces.
Still Can’t Decide?
4K and 8K TVs have such a high resolution, that you can essentially pick any size and you won’t be disappointed with the visual quality of the image. It’s best to pick a size that visually scales with your room and furniture around it. If you are torn between a few sizes, simply grab some blue painters tape and tape out the different sizes on your wall. This will help you visualize how big the big black screen will look in your space.
Our Recommendation?
As of 2019, since there isn't a lot of 8K content out there, I'm recommending the following to my interior design clients.
If you have a large budget
If you have a few grand to spend and want to future-proof your purchase, purchase the optimal size 8K TV and ensure it has a great upscaling processor to upscale content from 4K to 8K
Looking for a good value?
If you are looking for value, purchase the proper size 4K UHD TV
With all of the high-quality TVs on the market these days, I'm sure you will enjoy whatever you purchase.