Small TVs are close to not possible to seek out in the present day, and that is a disgrace

In the case of TVs as of late, many individuals subscribe to the notion that larger equals higher. In lots of circumstances, that is true. In your lounge, the place you spend most of your time watching, it is good to have one thing giant, particularly in case you have a household. Even your bed room can profit from a bigger TV as a result of your mattress is perhaps positioned on a wall distant from the TV.

Alternatively, there are various conditions the place having a giant TV is a detriment. In small rooms the place you do not have loads of wiggle room for seating, having a 65-inch TV could be brutal in your eyes from being too shut. It is perhaps arduous to think about, however there was a world the place 13-inch CRT TVs have been commonplace, however TVs of that dimension have primarily dried up.

I’ve a bar in my basement that would profit from a TV that dimension, however other than utilizing a pc monitor with a Roku Streaming Stick plugged into it, there aren’t loads of decisions. I might wish to keep away from utilizing a monitor if I can, however I do not know if there’s going to be one thing that trumps it.

Small TVs are going extinct

Not a lot we are able to do about it

To be truthful, there aren’t many situations the place having a small TV is best than a giant one. As TV reveals and films are sometimes output at a better decision, it is good to have a giant TV to match that. There is no sense having a 32-inch TV in your lounge anymore, however that does not imply you continue to cannot match one into your home in a unique room.

I’ve a basement bar that would, in principle, match a 55-inch TV there, but it surely would not be snug. That is the place having one thing small that would maybe match on the bar itself is useful, and that is the place the lack of small TVs hits the toughest. I perceive I can nonetheless discover a 24-inch TV on the market, however I am speaking about one thing even smaller than that. We used to have the ability to discover tiny TVs, and beneath 10 inches was throughout the realm of potentialities. I do not forget that my aunt used to have a tiny TV in her kitchen to observe one thing whereas cooking, however a Google Nest Hub has primarily taken the place of that in the present day.

These sizes have been frequent when CRT TVs have been of their heyday, and I do not suppose you may be discovering an HDTV at that dimension. I not too long ago picked a 20-inch CRT TV out of the trash that is great for retro gaming, and the display dimension is ideal for what I am searching for. The draw back is CRTs are very cumbersome, even the 13-inch mannequin pictured above, to allow them to’t fairly match the place I need them to. Sadly, I haven’t got many fashionable choices to suit a display dimension like that, and it is arduous for me to justify spending round $100 on such a small TV. This leaves one among my solely choices as an outdated laptop monitor I’ve in my closet. I can simply plug in a streaming stick and get it working as a TV, however then I’ve to dig up audio system for it.

It appears like each route I take has its share of professionals and cons, and that is not one thing I wish to take care of. I simply wish to choose up a TV that matches comfortably at my bar with out taking over the entire space. In 2025, that is perhaps an excessive amount of to ask for. It was rather a lot easier when the market was flooded with TVs of all sizes, however your large field retailer is just about 55″ or up.

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TVs have gotten larger and cheaper

It is principally a great factor

Samsung / Pocket-lint

Once I was rising up, I thought of myself fortunate to have a 20″ TV in my bed room. Quick-forward to in the present day — I’ve a 65″ TV, so I’ve come fairly a good distance. What’s wild about it’s that you could find a 65″ TV for beneath $300, though it will not be one of the best ones. What I am saying is it is not even one thing that might break the financial institution like TVs previously of comparable high quality would. It is because of this that I discover it so troublesome to spend over $100 on a TV at a fraction of the scale.

To seek out one thing smaller, I’ve to begin taking a look at tablets. Tablets aren’t precisely identified for his or her glorious image high quality and sound, so utilizing one as a TV is not on the prime of my suggestion record. On the brilliant aspect, you may typically discover a price range one for round $100, just like the Lenovo Tab. Nevertheless, a price range pill like that has to chop corners, and the Lenovo Tab M9 solely has a 9-inch display, so placing it up at a bar will not suffice. It really works completely superb for watching one thing in my lap, however sitting just a few toes away is not excellent, and that is not even stepping into the sound.

If you happen to suppose again to older CRT TVs, you typically discovered them with a set of stereo audio system constructed proper in. I did not suppose a lot of them again then as that was the usual, however contemplating how unhealthy TV audio system have gotten now, it appears like magic they have been ever good. It looks like the hunt for bigger screens meant the sacrifice of strong sound. For some folks, that is completely superb, but it surely’s unusual we will not have each.

Contemplating TV sizes have solely gotten bigger and extra reasonably priced, I am unable to envision a world the place smaller TVs make a comeback even when I need them to. Folks worth ease over all the pieces, and that appears like an enormous motive why bodily media is quickly shrinking in favor of streaming. If you may get a large TV for $500, there’s actually not a lot of a motive to not do it. Outdoors of area of interest causes, there is no motive to get a small TV anymore.

Sadly, I would like one for a distinct segment motive, and that is why I am lamenting the lack of one thing that was so frequent just some a long time earlier. It is attention-grabbing to see how briskly issues change, and that 20″ TV I had in my bed room all these years in the past is microscopic in comparison with the choices accessible in the present day. Unusually sufficient, I might like to have that TV again, but it surely has lengthy since disappeared.

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