• Home
  • About 404TS
  • Contact

404 Tech Support

Where IT Help is Found

  • Articles
    • Code
    • Entertainment
    • Going Green
    • Hardware, Gadgets, and Products
    • Management
    • Network
    • News
    • Operating Systems
    • Security and Privacy
    • Software
    • System Administration
    • Talking Points
    • Tech Solutions
    • Web
    • Webmaster
  • Reviews
  • Media
    • Infographics
    • Videos
  • Tech Events
  • Tools
    • How do I find my IP address?
    • Browser and plugin tests
  • Get a Technical Consultation
You are here: Home / Articles / Entertainment / Optimal TV Size and Viewing Distance

Optimal TV Size and Viewing Distance

2011-09-03 by Jason

If you’re in the market for a new TV, you might be looking at the sizes and have no idea what size you want besides one that fits inside your house and your budget. What’s the differences between a 42″ and a 56″ TV? Is there such a thing as a TV that’s too big?

There are two sites that can help answer your questions. The first, TV Size Matters, allows you to picture a TV of different sizes on your wall. You just upload a picture of your wall and set the scale. For example, you could measure the height of a set of speakers or a window that are in the picture and tell the site how tall that is. Once you have the picture up and the scale set, you can use the slider on the right to increase the size of the TV over your picture. After using this, you’ll have a pretty good idea how different sized TVs will look in your place.

While the previous approach looked at the aesthetics of how different sized TVs would look, the next covers how big of a TV you should have based on how far you are from the TV. One general rule of thumb to calculate how far you should be sitting away from the TV is to multiply the diagonal width of the TV by 2.5.

D(istance) = W(idth) * 2.5

Therefore, the diagonal width of your TV should be the distance from your couch to the TV divided by 2.5.

W(idth) = D(istance) / 2.5

So if your couch is 6 feet away from your entertainment center, you should be getting a…

10 feet * 12 inches/foot = 120 inches /2.5 = 48 inches

A 48 inch TV. (TVs and monitors are measured diagonally, from corner to corner.)

Manufacturers seem to like the 2.5 rule but others recommend a lower number. THX also has this guide on their site for their 40 degree rule for an immersive experience. Wikipedia also has a fewer other methods of calculating optimum distance and ranges recommended by manufacturers.

Why do all that pesky math though when there are online calculators that can do it for you? One such example, is able to adapt quite a bit to the information that you do have to calculate the distance.

Filed Under: Entertainment, Hardware, Gadgets, and Products, Media

Trending

  • What Google Knows About You And How It Targets Its Ads For You
    In Media, Security and Privacy
  • I love the sound of dial-up in the morning!
    In Infographics
  • Simple Tip: Modify Word 2007 Keyboard Shortcuts
    In Software, Tech Solutions

Latest Media Posts

Find Out Where To Download SNES ROMs

Find Out Where To Download SNES ROMs

Multifunctional Video Conversion Tools – Wondershare Video Converter

Multifunctional Video Conversion Tools – Wondershare Video Converter

  • Popular
  • Latest
  • Today Week Month All
  • How to ‘Unblock’ multiple files at a time with PowerShell How to 'Unblock' multiple files at a time with PowerShell
  • Increase IIS Private Memory Limit to improve WSUS availability Increase IIS Private Memory Limit to improve WSUS availability
  • SOLVED: “This modification is not allowed because the selection is locked.” SOLVED: "This modification is not allowed because the selection is locked."
  • Configure Outlook to recurring appointments for the last weekday of the month Configure Outlook to recurring appointments for the last weekday of the month
  • Creating and editing views in phpMyAdmin Creating and editing views in phpMyAdmin
  • 3d rendering circuit cloud for cloud computing technology Build and Deploy a Modern Web 3.0 Blockchain App in 2022
  • Telecom Application Development: When to Outsource Telecom Application Development: When to Outsource
  • Printer printing document wirelessly from mobile phone or smartphone wifi connection vector flat cartoon illustration, file air print on fax or ink jet via cellphone bluetooth modern design Why Your Business Needs Online Fax Services In 2022
  • 6 Best Ways to Protect Your Business Account 6 Best Ways to Protect Your Business Account
  • How to download videos from Instagram How to download videos from Instagram
Ajax spinner

Elevator Pitch

404 Tech Support documents solutions to IT problems, shares worthwhile software and websites, and reviews hardware, consumer electronics, and technology-related books.

Subscribe to 404TS articles by email.

Recent Posts

  • Build and Deploy a Modern Web 3.0 Blockchain App in 2022
  • Telecom Application Development: When to Outsource
  • Why Your Business Needs Online Fax Services In 2022

Search

FTC Disclaimer

404TechSupport is an Amazon.com affiliate; when you click on an Amazon link from 404TS, the site gets a cut of the proceeds from whatever you buy. This site also uses Skimlinks for smart monetization of other affiliate links.
Use of this site requires displaying and viewing ads as they are presented.

Copyright © 2022 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in