Sales of super-sized televisions are on the rise. Once the height of nouveau riche naff, now, it seems, everyone is looking at the bigger picture.
In fact, retailer John Lewis says the most popular size in its stores is a whopping 55 in, compared with 36 in eight years ago.
‘Our customers are purchasing larger screens to create a cinematic experience in their living rooms,’ says Suddy Bhardwaj, vision buyer for John Lewis & Partners.
‘[Sales of] screens over 65 in are up 22 per cent this year, while 75 in sales are up 85 per cent.’ Technology expert Holly Brockwell, editor of tech website Gadgette, says:
‘Manufacturers are turning to ever-larger, ever-thinner panels, with pictures that look better than real life.
‘It’s all about being big, bold and beautiful.’
Here, Holly gives JILL FOSTER her verdict on eight titanic tellies . . .
THE ALL-IN-ONE
Cello C85ANSMT, £2,450, tv-village.net
SIZE: 85 in (7 ft 1 in)
VERDICT: This beast of a screen, made by UK brand Cello, specialises in putting everything you want within easy reach so you don’t have to hook up DVD players and games consoles — or use ten remote controls — to find what you want.
This beast of a screen, made by UK brand Cello, specialises in putting everything you want within easy reach so you don’t have to hook up DVD players and games consoles
Netflix, Sky Go, Amazon Prime and Now TV are all in there (providing you’ve subscribed, of course), and you can even download smartphone apps such as Candy Crush and Facebook. The screen offers 4K (otherwise known as ultra HD) resolution — four times better than normal HD — with the kind of nuanced contrast between colours, highlights and shadows that will wow even the most short-sighted member of the family. 8/10
SLEEK AND STYLISH
Sony A1, £9,999.99, sony.co.uk
SIZE: 77 in (6 ft 5 in)
VERDICT: This looks more like a piece of art than a piece of technology. It’s super-slim with no ugly grilles, for instead of speakers, the audio comes through the picture. While a standard HD TV has two million pixels (the dots of light that make up the picture) and a backlight, this 4K set has eight million of them, individually lit, so the contrast between lights and darks is heightened.
This looks more like a piece of art than a piece of technology. It’s super-slim with no ugly grilles, for instead of speakers, the audio comes through the picture
It also has a display technology called HDR (high dynamic range), which gives deep blacks and bright colours, with a range of settings that makes films look almost too real. It has Google Assistant (Google’s version of Alexa), so you can issue voice commands. 9/10
NEXT-LEVEL HD
Samsung QLED 8K, £14,999.99, samsung.com
SIZE: 85 in (7 ft 1 in)
VERDICT: Many televisions now offer 4K resolution; this model, however, is a whopping 8K — 16 times the detail of standard HD. Most of the things you’ll watch on it won’t be filmed in high enough quality, but don’t worry, it automatically improves the picture detail.
Many televisions now offer 4K resolution; this model, however, is a whopping 8K — 16 times the detail of standard HD
Sit too close and you’ll feel like you’re actually on Coronation Street. This is a monster and it has a price tag to match — but once you’ve watched something on it, you might have a hard time going back. All TV shows and movies will eventually be filmed in 8K, and they’ll look better on your TV than anyone else’s. 9.5/10
POPPING PIXELS
LG OLED C8, was £7,499, now £6,999, currys.co.uk
SIZE: 77 in (6 ft 5 in)
VERDICT: From the side, this svelte set almost disappears. From the front, it’s pretty hard to ignore, with colour and contrast bordering on the cinematic. It has Dolby sound and picture technology built in. OLED is a superior type of screen where the pixels light up individually, rather than by a backlight. This is more energy efficient and looks much prettier.
From the side, this svelte set almost disappears. From the front, it’s pretty hard to ignore, with colour and contrast bordering on the cinematic
It has artificial intelligence, too, so you can talk to it, and the speakers give three-dimensional sound that pulls you into the action. Be sure to turn it down for horror films! 7/10
ONE FOR MOVIE BUFFS
Panasonic EZ1002, £9,999.98, panasonic.com
SIZE: 77 in (6 ft 5 in)
VERDICT: This is for film fans — with deep pockets. It’s approved by Hollywood, which goes some way to explaining the eye-watering price tag.
Panasonic worked with filmmakers and sound engineers to tune the picture, and got independent certification from respected audiovisual company THX. This is supposed to make the picture truer to the filmmaker’s vision, dah-ling.
This is for film fans — with deep pockets. It’s approved by Hollywood, which goes some way to explaining the eye-watering price tag
The screen offers 4K HD with enhanced colour clarity, as well as modes that offer even brighter and darker picture formats for the cinema buff. It comes with a built-in soundbar, too, so you don’t lose out on audio quality like you do with some thinner TVs, and it responds to verbal commands.
This is one for the professional consumer who cares that everything looks exactly as it’s supposed to — down to the last pixel. 8/10
NO UGLY WIRES
Samsung NU8000 Ultra, £3,279, samsung.com
SIZE: 82 in (6 ft 10 in)
VERDICT: This extra-large panel uses a combination of clever backlighting and Samsung’s contrast technology to tune the image to any environment.
Whether you’re watching a badly lit horror film with the floodlights on, or a blockbuster full of eye-melting explosions at twilight, this 4K telly makes sure you still see all the detail. It’s also a good choice if you prefer your living room wire-free (because don’t we all?).
This extra-large panel uses a combination of clever backlighting and Samsung’s contrast technology to tune the image to any environment
The cables run through the stand, so they’re not trailing all over the place and tripping up you, the kids and the dog. It doesn’t make it a better TV, but it does make it look nicer. 7/10
SUPER SPEAKERS
Toshiba U68 4K HDR sMART tv £1,499, toshiba-tv.com
SIZE: 75 in (6 ft 3 in)
VERDICT: This TV calculates the perfect brightness for each frame of your programme, so even in the inevitable basement scene, you’ll see what’s going on.
Thanks to a Wide Colour Gamut feature, it can display up to 1,000 shades of each colour.
This TV calculates the perfect brightness for each frame of your programme, so even in the inevitable basement scene, you’ll see what’s going on
You’re not likely to count them while you’re watching Strictly, but you’ll notice that the sequins look particularly twinkly. It is designed to output especially clear speech that you can hear no matter where you’re sitting, so you can rely on subtitles a little less.
You can also change volume or channel just by talking to Amazon’s Alexa, but you’ll need a separate device to use that feature. 7/10
C Seed Blade 283, £343,355 including installation, cseed.tv
SIZE: 283 in (23 ft 7 in)
VERDICT: This television is the biggest in the world; not so much a TV as a wall. Previously you could get this picture size only from a projector. This not only looks better, but now you won’t have to contend with pesky shadows when someone needs a loo break.
This television is the biggest in the world; not so much a TV as a wall. Previously you could get this picture size only from a projector
Although this model is a staggering 283 in, there are four different sizes available, with the smallest ‘only’ 163 in (13 ft 7 in). The 283 in TV is large enough to illuminate the whole room, with an ultra HD picture and no fewer than six built-in speakers to blast your hair back.
But it’s not an impulse-buy; besides the house-level price, it takes up to six months to produce and four days to install it. 8/10