I've moved house recently, which is a bothersome process that I may have whinged about to the members of the What Hi-Fi? team once or twice in the last couple of weeks.
While I don't enjoy packing boxes, I do quite like setting up my home cinema system, and a new living room is a perfect excuse to try out some new gear.
What's most exciting is that my new living room is larger than my previous one, so of course my first thought was "should I get a bigger TV?".
I'm sure you can imagine the answer, hence why I boxed up my trusty 55-inch Philips OLED907, and traded it for the 65-inch Sony A80L; a legendary OLED that spent a sizeable stint as our reference TV in our AV testing facility.
After a careful set-up process and realising that my current TV unit might be a bit too small for a 65-inch set, I finally assembled my new home cinema setup and took a well-earned seat. It was then that I had the realisation – "that's a lot bigger than my old TV".
Now, I'm more than familiar with 65-inch TVs, and even bigger TVs that stretch up to 75-, 85- and even 100-inches or more. However, a 65-inch TV in our testing room seemed different to having a 65-inch TV in my home; perhaps because I was used to my 55-inch Philips.
After a few hours of acclimatising to the new TV – most of that spent catching up on Alien: Earth – I became accustomed to the larger screen size, and really started to appreciate how much more cinematic it felt.
Don't get me wrong, my old TV was perfectly cinematic and suited the previous space well, but it's taught me that if you have the space for a larger TV, then you should opt for the bigger screen size where possible – you won't regret it.
Now, there are some exceptions to the rule; the biggest being that if scaling up means downgrading the picture quality, then perhaps think twice.
Let's say you're choosing between a smaller OLED and a larger backlit set, it might be worth considering the smaller OLED on account of the improved contrast, black levels and all of the other benefits that OLED brings, even if you're not getting the biggest screen size.
However, if you're picking between the same or similar TVs in different sizes, and your budget allows for the larger option, then I'd be tempted to spring for the bigger size.
The gap between 55-inch and 65-inch TVs is still considerable, but it is beginning to close somewhat. Take the Product of the Year-winning Sony Bravia 8 OLED, which can currently be snapped up for £1499 at 55 inches, or £1999 at 65 inches.
It's an upgrade you'll likely need to think about, but if you're even considering the larger model now, chances are you'll be thinking about it for years to come until you decide to upgrade again. £500 now could save you from upgrading early and spending more cash.
There's also the argument regarding pixel density. I've been planning out a new home cinema setup with my stepdad, which will likely centre around the 65-inch Sony Bravia 8 II, which will be a noticeable upgrade over his current 55-inch Samsung QN95A.
He questioned if the lower pixel density of the 65-inch model would result in a softer and less detailed picture, which was a valid point to make – and while mathematically the number of pixels per inch is reduced, in practice this doesn't tend to impact picture quality to a great extent at these sizes.
I've spent a considerable amount of time in the AV testing room with the 55-inch and 65-inch Sony Bravia 8 II, and can confirm that both look equally stunning and sharp. Picture processing in modern TVs is very clever these days, and can therefore mostly offset the impact of a screen size increase.
Sure, if you start getting into the higher digit sizes like 77 inches, 83 inches and 100 inches, you're going to have to deal with a lower pixel density; however, in return, you get a much more immersive cinematic experience, so it's an understandable tradeoff.
So, if you're currently deliberating on whether to scale up to a 65-inch TV (or even bigger), then my advice would be to go for it. You'll regret going for a TV that's too small, but I certainly don't regret going for a size up.
MORE:
Read our full Sony Bravia 8 II review
Check out our picks for the best OLED TVs
And find the best TV deals here
