I as soon as dreamed of proudly owning a 100-inch TV

Ever since flat-screen television sets first hit the scene within the late Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s, producers have been attempting to push the boundaries as to how huge of a panel they will feasibly promote to shoppers.

It did not take lengthy for a standardized set of measurement courses to emerge: 42, 50, 55, 65, and 75-inch TVs are commonplace, whereas smaller and bigger fashions will also be readily bought at many shops.

In recent times, nevertheless, corporations have been making an attempt to one-up one another within the super-massive TV area, as is the case with the latest HiSense 116-inch Mini-LED panel, which was showcased on the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) again in January.

For the longest time, I used to be firmly within the ‘greater is healthier’ camp, hoping to at some point outfit my lounge with the largest TV display screen I might handle to suit by way of my door body. The attraction is evident: a extra immersive dwelling cinema expertise, and way more display screen actual property for having fun with TV exhibits, video video games, and extra.

For as nice as a home theater setup sounds on paper, full with an imposing 100-inch centerpiece show, I’ve come to appreciate that the thought is each impractical and antiquated – this is what led me to this willpower.

Large flat-screen TVs are impractical

On the entire, dwelling theater setups are costly and space-consuming affairs

Hisense

To place it merely, flat-panel TV units turn out to be a logistical nightmare wherever above the 65-inch measurement. Any bigger, and it is a real problem to suit the product into an ordinary car, lug all of it the best way dwelling, and set it up inside a typical lounge area.

It is also vital to contemplate that bigger TVs aren’t at all times higher TVs. The larger the display screen, the extra unfold out every particular person pixel is, which implies that decision and movie crispness will take successful. That’s, until you are prepared to dish out cash on a very high-end mannequin.

These high-end supersized TVs are prohibitively costly, too — Samsung’s 110-inch Micro LED model prices $150,000, and the aforementioned Hisense 110-inch Mini-LED panel is presently listed at $15,000.

On prime of all this, you will must have a leisure or lounge that is bodily giant sufficient to comfortably home a TV of such a grand show measurement. Samsung supplies a helpful ‘recommended viewing distance for your TV’ assist web page which outlines optimum setup situations — for a TV with a 98-inch display screen measurement, the corporate recommends a viewing distance of 9.8 ft (3 meters).

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Nowadays, higher options can be found

Why hassle with a 100-inch TV when projectors and headsets are readily available on the market

Pocket-lint / Samsung / XREAL

Even with all these impracticalities and pricing considerations in thoughts, the attract of an enormous and opulent TV dwelling theater setup has, till lately, overridden my extra affordable instinct. If I could make a 100-inch TV work, why not bounce on the chance?

There are two components which have since modified my outlook on super-massive TVs as a complete: a need to cut back the presence of digital muddle in my dwelling, and the existence of sensible augmented actuality (AR) glasses and transportable projectors.

Apart from taking on a considerable amount of bodily room, I discover most fashionable large-screen TV units to decrease the ‘heat and comfy’ attraction of most residing areas. All-black show panels, low cost shiny plastic outer casings, and fixed mud assortment make me yearn for the picket and knob-filled CRT TVs of yesteryear.

It is maybe unsurprising, then, {that a} new class of painting-style tv units has began to take off — Samsung’s The Frame is a superb instance of a tech product attempting to organically blend in with its environment, and client reception appears to be positive.

Then, there’s the existence of AR glasses and transportable projectors, that are product classes which are a viable consumer-facing different to the big-screen TV life-style and all its problems.

The XREAL Air 2 Pro, for instance, is a $400 pair of AR glasses that provide a 130-inch spatial show, full with a 46-degree area of view. They plug immediately into your current devices through USB-C, value a fraction of a super-giant TV’s price ticket, and might be stowed away in your nightstand drawer.

Miniature projectors have come a great distance lately, too. Samsung’s The Freestyle is probably the perfect example: its compact and transportable design is right for nomads like myself, and it will probably rework any residing area right into a 100-inch dwelling theater setup in seconds. At $800, it is not an affordable product, however it’s additionally a fraction of the price of a conventional XL TV setup.

With all these components in thoughts, I’ve come to see my TV-free lounge setup as an asset versus a disappointment. Nowadays, I really feel extra inclined to economize for an eventual buy of AR glasses or for a mini-projector, whereas sparing the necessity to reserve bodily area in my home for an enormous flat-panel show.

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