Buying guide
How to choose the right TV size for your room
Buying a new TV is exciting, but it’s easy to pick a screen that overwhelms a small den or looks lost in a big basement. The good news is that it’s simple to choose the right TV size once you know your seating distance. This guide walks through viewing-distance rules of thumb, what Mini LED and refresh rate mean for everyday viewing, and exactly what to measure before you order.
How to choose the right TV size: start with distance
The distance between your eyes and the screen matters more than the size of the room itself. Cinema-industry guidance from groups such as SMPTE and THX is often summed up as a field of view of roughly 30 to 40 degrees. Translated for a living room, that means sitting about 1.2 to 1.6 times the screen’s diagonal away.
- Closer to 1.2 times feels more immersive, like a good seat at the movies. It suits film fans and gamers.
- Closer to 1.6 times is more relaxed and works well for everyday TV, news and background viewing.
Viewing distance by screen size
| Screen size | Suggested distance (metres) | Suggested distance (feet) |
|---|---|---|
| 43 inches | 1.3 to 1.7 m | 4.3 to 5.7 ft |
| 50 inches | 1.5 to 2.0 m | 5.0 to 6.7 ft |
| 55 inches | 1.7 to 2.2 m | 5.5 to 7.3 ft |
| 65 inches | 2.0 to 2.6 m | 6.5 to 8.7 ft |
| 75 inches | 2.3 to 3.0 m | 7.5 to 10.0 ft |
| 85 inches | 2.6 to 3.5 m | 8.5 to 11.3 ft |
These are starting points, not strict rules. Resolution plays a part too: on higher-resolution sets you can sit closer before you notice individual pixels, while lower-quality sources such as older broadcasts look softer up close.
Work backwards from your couch
Measure from where your eyes will be when you’re seated to where the screen will sit. Convert that to inches (1 metre is about 39.4 inches), then divide by 1.6 and by 1.2 to get a sensible size range. For example, a couch 2.4 metres from the wall is about 94 inches away, which points to a TV between roughly 59 and 79 inches. A 65-inch screen sits comfortably in that range.
Mini LED vs standard LED
Both are LCD TVs lit from behind by LEDs. The difference is in the backlight.
| Feature | Standard LED | Mini LED |
|---|---|---|
| Backlight | Fewer, larger LEDs, sometimes only along the edges | Many more, much smaller LEDs behind the screen |
| Brightness control | Coarser, with large areas dimming together | Generally finer, with smaller areas dimmed separately |
| Dark scenes | Blacks can look greyish, with glow around bright objects | Generally deeper blacks and less glow (blooming) |
| Typical price | Lower | Higher |
In practice, Mini LED tends to help most in films with lots of dark scenes and in bright rooms, where strong highlights stand out. Results vary from model to model, so look at the full specifications of any TV you’re considering.
Refresh rate for gaming and sports
Refresh rate, measured in hertz (Hz), is how many times per second a TV redraws the picture. Many TVs run at 60 Hz, while a growing number of mid-range and premium models offer 120 Hz.
Sports
Fast action is where 120 Hz earns its keep. During an NHL game, the puck, the players and the camera are all moving quickly, and a higher refresh rate helps reduce blur and stutter. The same goes for soccer, basketball and motorsport.
Gaming
Current consoles and gaming PCs can output up to 120 frames per second in supported games. To benefit, you need a 120 Hz TV, a game that supports it, a compatible cable and the right input on the TV. If you mostly play slower single-player games, 60 Hz is fine; for fast shooters and racing games, 120 Hz feels noticeably smoother.
Movies
Films are usually shot at 24 frames per second, which divides evenly into 120, so a 120 Hz panel can show film content without the uneven judder that 60 Hz sets sometimes add. If motion looks unnaturally smooth, like a daytime soap, try turning down the TV’s motion smoothing setting.
Measure your space before you buy
- Wall or stand width. Find the TV’s width and height on its specification sheet and compare them with your wall or media unit. If it will sit on furniture, check that the stand or feet fit on the top surface.
- Screen height. For comfortable viewing, aim for the centre of the screen to be close to seated eye level, which for most sofas is roughly one metre off the floor.
- Wall mounting. Check the TV’s weight and mounting pattern (often called the VESA pattern), choose a mount rated for it and fix it into studs.
- Light and glare. Note where windows and lamps sit. Low winter sun reflecting off snow can create strong glare on a screen that faces a window.
- The delivery path. The box is larger than the TV itself, so measure doorways, stairwells and condo elevators.
- Power. Check the electrical requirements on the specification sheet and plan for an outlet nearby. A surge protector is a good idea.
Two Mini LED TVs to consider
If you’ve narrowed things down to 55 or 65 inches, our two Xiaomi TV S Mini LED 2026 models share the same listed features: a Mini LED backlight, a 120 Hz refresh rate and Dolby Audio with DTS:X sound.
- The Xiaomi TV S Mini LED 55 ($899.99 CAD) suits viewing distances of roughly 1.7 to 2.2 metres, such as condo living rooms and bedrooms.
- The Xiaomi TV S Mini LED 65 ($1,149.99 CAD) suits roughly 2.0 to 2.6 metres, such as family rooms and basement rec rooms.
Both qualify for free shipping across Canada, since they cost more than $99; see our shipping policy for delivery times. Our returns policy allows returns within 30 days of delivery for unused items in their original packaging, so measure first. Browse the full TV collection, or contact our team if you’d like help choosing.