Australian TVs are getting bigger, and 65-inch screens have become the new 32-inch screens. Picture: Supplied.

The big-screen takeover will see most Australians buy TVs at least 50 inches in size for their lounge rooms, with 65-inch TVs the new must-have items for houses, retailers say.

The trend emerged after Australia’s top TV manufacturers launched their screens for the year, all focusing on bigger screens with bigger, 4K resolutions to match.

Of its 27 new televisions, market leader Samsung will only offer four screens smaller than 50 inches, Sony will offer nothing under 55 inches, and just 13 of LG’s 36 televisions measure less than 50 inches.

65-inch TVs will be the new must-have items for houses. Picture: iStockSource:Supplied

Samsung Australia consumer electronics vice-president Carl Rose said the TV industry and demands for huge screens had evolved.

“We’ve witnessed some enormous innovation in the TV industry,” he said.

“When I joined the industry (30 years ago), a 32-inch television was considered large. It weighed about 80kg.”

Screen sizes have continued to grow even though apartments have shrunk in size, according to Samsung consumer research, and demand for enormous TVs had fuelled demand for open-plan living that accommodated them.

Harvey Norman national visual category manager Amrit Lall said the biggest TV in store in the late 1990s was a 42-inch plasma, priced out of the reach of most buyers.

“Now 40-inch TVs have become the bedroom size,” he said.

“Fifty to 55 inches have become the default living room-size TV for people in smaller houses and apartments, and then people with larger houses are going for 65-inch TVs and upwards. That’s one of the largest categories in the business.”

Televisions will dial up the brightness this year, led by this new TV range from Samsung. Picture: Supplied.Source:Supplied

Buyers will also be able to super-size their lounge room entertainment this year, with Samsung, Sony and LG all offering televisions over 80 inches in size.

Samsung’s top model, at 88 inches, is expected to cost more than $20,000 when it arrives in stores this July.

Sony’s 85-inch TV will cost $15,000, and LG’s 86-inch TV will set you back $16,000.

Mr Lall said there was “definitely demand for them” in the company’s flagship stores, though professional installation was required given they were almost as large as a door.

And for those concerned an 88 or 65-inch screen is simply to big for their lounge room, Mr Lall recommended measuring the distance between your couch and TV before hitting the shops.

“If you’re stuck really close to a TV, you’re not viewing it in the right sort of way,” he said. “That’s where I think people do run into trouble.

“If your couch is 3m away, you should look at TVs in the store from 3m away.”