How to determine the distance from the TV to your eyes. What should be the distance between the TV and your eyes? Simple rules for installing a TV

Useful tips

The question of how to choose a TV diagonal very often arises among buyers. Indeed, this is a very important parameter of the TV, which directly affects the overall quality of perception of the reproduced picture. It must be said that there are no strictly defined rules regarding this issue. There are only recommendations and general tips that will help you decide which TV diagonal to choose specifically in your case.

We select the diagonal of the TV based on the distance from the viewer to the screen

Before you go to the store for your long-awaited purchase, take a little time and decide in which room and in which specific place the TV will be placed. It is the distance from the viewer that will play one of the key roles in shaping the overall viewing experience.

Of course, a huge plasma panel can be placed in a small room, but you will not get any pleasure from viewing it. Likewise, it is not advisable to install a small TV in a large room and constantly strain your eyes to see anything. There must be a golden mean in everything.

Typically, as the viewing distance increases, the diagonal size of the TV that will be comfortable to watch also increases. As a rule, the most optimal distance from the viewer to the screen is three to four diagonals of the TV. In this case, there is minimal eye strain and maximum perception of all television effects without loss of quality.

In other words, if you want to buy a 17-inch TV, then it is best to watch it at a distance of about a meter. A large TV with a diagonal of 70-80 inches needs to be viewed from a distance of five or six meters.

Diagonal size
Distance to screen

There is no need to consider the given data as an excellent ideal; we have indicated approximate results that will help you estimate the size of the required diagonal. The distance to the TV is not the only parameter that needs to be taken into account. It should be understood that the resolution of the TV screen also plays an important role in the formation of the image. Therefore, in order to most accurately select the diagonal of your TV, you need to know about its resolution. More on this later.

Choosing a diagonal based on resolution

Generally speaking, the resolution of a TV is the maximum number of pixels displayed on the screen. TVs with higher resolution can be viewed from a shorter distance, and vice versa. Screens with low resolution have fewer pixels, so when viewed from a short distance the image quality is greatly lost. Let's look at this situation in more detail using an example.

Let's say you have a 42-inch TV. In the case when the TV resolution is 720p, the optimal viewing distance will be three meters. If the resolution is 1080p (Full HD), the comfortable distance will be already two meters.

Thus, in order to choose the correct TV diagonal for your room to the maximum extent possible, we suggest using the table below. In addition to the distance to the TV, it also takes into account the screen resolution, which in total gives an excellent result.

This is interesting

We bring to your attention a very interesting calculator for calculating the diagonal of a TV. To be honest, the diagonal dimensions of the TV are a little too high, so you’d better use the recommendations described above. But take a look for reference. In the “Enter” section, enter the size of the desired diagonal and select the TV resolution. Click "Calculate" and get the calculation results - the distance to the viewer. You can also move the little man in the chair to different distances.

Thank you very much for your attention. We hope the article was useful, and now you know how to choose the right TV diagonal. Enjoy a great picture of the house.

It is generally accepted that the further away the TV is from the sofa, the safer it is for the eyes. In reality, everything is somewhat more complicated. A picture that is too distant and small will be more difficult to see, and many details will not be visible. Because of this, the positive attitude and essence of what is happening on the screen will be lost. An image that is too far away will be distracted by the room's surroundings, which can be seen in your peripheral vision, which may prevent you from concentrating on what is happening on the screen.

If the TV is too close, the pixels can be distinguished, causing the image to lose integrity and become less attractive. Try to experiment, turn on the TV and gradually move away from it. Notice at what distance the component points in the picture will no longer be visible; this is the minimum gap between the sofa and the TV.

How to calculate the ideal distance between the TV and the sofa

First of all, the distance between the chair or sofa and the TV is affected by the diagonal of the TV itself, the acuity of your vision and the size of the pixels. It is desirable that this distance be at least three diagonals of the screen.

Sometimes you need to take into account the quality of the image. If the TV is intended only for watching HD and Full HD movies, it should be placed a little closer, otherwise you may not notice small details and differences in quality. If you need a TV for viewing in normal quality, place it a little further from the sofa so that pixelation is not noticeable and does not spoil the viewing experience. It is better to be able to move either the sofa or the TV.

If the location of these two cornerstone objects remains unchanged, it is worth choosing the diagonal of the TV specifically for the existing distance: 2-2.9 meters - 32-46 inches, 3-3.5 meters - 47-55 inches, 3.6 meters and further - 56 -60 inches. Do not forget about the installation method and the height of the TV; ideally, it should be positioned so that the viewers’ eyes look at the middle of the screen. If the TV is standing or hanging higher, you should sit further away, otherwise you will have to tilt your head back to better see the image.

When trying to choose the ideal distance for watching movies, do not forget about other factors that influence the location of the TV. It should be placed in a place inaccessible to sunlight, away from heating devices, otherwise the plastic case may be damaged and melt, and the electronics may overheat. To ensure good ventilation, leave at least 10 cm of free space around the appliance.

Important selection criteria when buying a TV are the diagonal of the TV and the distance from the screen to the viewer. The article talks about the size of screens and their resolution, gives advice on purchasing televisions of the optimal size, and recommends suitable types of devices for different rooms.

Screen size is an important characteristic. Often the device is described with the phrases “I want a bigger screen” or “I need a small screen for the kitchen.” Manufacturers of television equipment produce models of different sizes. Dimensions are usually measured diagonally drawn from opposite corners, for example, from the bottom left to the top right. The length in inches will be the screen size. It is indicated in the name. To convert length to metric, multiply the inch value by 2.54. Devices from 10 to 105 inches and larger are available. Thanks to such diversity, choosing a TV receiver for any room is not difficult.

Another feature that provides comfortable viewing is screen resolution. Determined by the number of pixels (color dots) from which the image is built, located on the LCD panel. The most common resolution formats are:

HD standard. A liquid crystal panel made according to this standard contains 1280 pixels in horizontal lines and 720 in vertical ones. The total number of pixels is obtained by multiplying the values - 921600 pixels. TVs up to 20 inches in size are available with HD resolution.
Full HD standard. A popular image format for television devices. The pixel density is 1920x1080. The popularity of the standard was facilitated by the widespread distribution several years ago of DVDs with video films recorded in this format. Currently, many television and Internet channels are switching to broadcasting in Full HD, which further increases the demand for devices. The price remains quite low.
Ultra HD standard (4K). Relatively recently appeared TV panels with an ultra-clear resolution of 3840x2106 pixels. The details of the picture can be viewed from a distance of several tens of centimeters. Their spread is hampered by the high price and limited availability of video content. The Ultra HD television format is not yet widespread, and viewing sites in this resolution requires a high connection speed, which few providers provide.

How to choose a diagonal depending on the distance

Choosing a TV requires a calm and balanced approach. For example, when purchasing a device larger than 50 inches, you should think about possible viewing discomfort. If, due to the layout of the room, the sofa cannot be moved further than two meters from the screen, viewing will not be comfortable. A large, close-up image is difficult to take in as a whole; noise artifacts and even individual pixels are clearly visible on it. Therefore, the ratio of TV diagonal and distance is important for quality viewing. Fortunately, it is not difficult to select.

In the era of electron beam devices, to select a distance, it was recommended to multiply the diagonal length by 5. The resulting value was considered safe for the eyes. Now the formula has changed - in order to correctly calculate the required distance to the viewer, they suggest multiplying the length of the diagonal by a factor of 3 and obtaining the minimum comfortable distance. The maximum depends on many other conditions: physical screen resolution, TV signal standard and resolution, apartment layout. When selecting a TV, it is important for what purposes it will be used.

For example, in a home theater, the distance from the screen to the viewer is made smaller than during normal viewing - to achieve the effect of presence.

For those who want to choose the diagonal of the TV, a table is presented that shows the calculation of the optimal distance to the television receiver depending on its diagonal. For example, a 25-inch device can be viewed comfortably from a distance of 2 meters, with a 50-inch screen – from 4 meters, and a 65-inch TV receiver is good for a distance of 5 meters. These are recommended values that you can use as a guide.

TV diagonal	Distance to screen
17 inches	1 meter
25 inches	2 meters
32 inches	2.5 meters
37 inches	2.7 meters
40 inches	3 meters
50 inches	4 meters
55 inches	4.5 meters
65 inches	5 meters
80 inches	6 meters

The choice of TV also depends on the type of room in which it will be used. It is clear that a standard kitchen does not need a TV device with a 4K resolution, 50-inch diagonal, surround sound, etc. It simply won’t fit there. Manufacturers take this into account and produce models designed for different rooms.

Living room

This is the largest room in the apartment, measuring more than 20 square meters. The distance between the walls reaches 5-6 meters, so you can mount a large diagonal TV on them. Usually a sofa or armchairs are placed against the opposite wall, providing comfort for the audience. In this case, the screen diagonal can reach 60-65 inches or more. Another advantage of large products is that they use high-quality matrices with viewing angles of about 180º. Thanks to this, TV can be watched from different places in the living room. The usual resolution of a hotel TV set is Full HD. For comfortable viewing, you can choose a 60-inch TV diagonal at a distance of less than 3 meters from it. There is still little video content for this type of receiver, but technology is developing rapidly. In addition, it reproduces Full HD images more clearly.

Bedroom

The area of a standard bedroom, be it an apartment or a house, is about 18 square meters. The space allows you to install a TV with a diagonal of up to 40 inches. In practice, television receivers with screens larger than 30 inches are rarely used in bedrooms. They watch them before bed, preferring calm programs and films that do not require high quality image and sound. The large screen is bright in some scenes, which may disturb future sleep, etc. Therefore, the size of such a TV should be 25-30 inches.

Kitchen

The image quality of a kitchen TV device is not the most important characteristic. It is turned on when preparing and eating food, washing dishes, etc. and most of the time it is listened to rather than watched. It is important to have splash protection and a durable casing. In addition, there is usually little free space in the kitchen - there is nowhere to install a large screen. Therefore, for a kitchen with an area of up to 10 square meters. m. The optimal choice is a device protected from accidental splashes of grease and water, with a diagonal of 16 to 26 inches. Many manufacturers label their models this way: for the kitchen.

It is important to choose the right TV for the size of the room so that watching your favorite programs brings pleasure and does not harm your health.

The correct location of the TV screen in the room plays an important role, since it is possible to watch TV safely without damaging your eyesight only if you choose the optimal distance to the TV depending on the diagonal. This question has become relevant, since the sizes of Full HD monitors are constantly increasing, and everyone wants to buy themselves the largest TV possible.

The diagonal size is one of the main characteristics of a TV screen or computer monitor. Others are resolution, brightness and contrast, as well as body shape and color. Before choosing the diagonal of your TV, you need to decide on the screen resolution and the distance at which it will be installed.

Diagonal, what is it?

TV diagonal is the distance between the two corners of the TV screen diagonally. By generally accepted standards, this length is measured in inches (1 inch = 2.54 centimeters). The normal distance to the screen depends on its size.

The name of the specific TV will help you choose the right TV diagonal. The size is indicated in the article and follows the letter designation. In the LG 24LH451U model, the number 24 indicates the screen diagonal.

Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio of the device, that is, the proportion of screen width to height, is the only thing that affects the diagonal size of the TV.

The standard ratio is 16:9. The first televisions were assembled in a 4:3 ratio. Dimensions shown do not include the display frame.

TV screen diagonal in inches and centimeters

What to look for when choosing

The main characteristics that are used to select the TV diagonal are resolution and distance between the user and the device.

Before purchasing, you should choose a location for the TV and measure the distance. You need to select the diagonal based on this figure.

The distance should exceed the diagonal size by 3-5 times. This ratio will help avoid vision deterioration.

So that the buyer can choose the right TV, equipment manufacturers create tables that indicate the distance that is comfortable for the viewer.

Screen diagonal (inch)	Distance (m)
No more than 80	6
65	5,5
60	5,3
55	4,5
50	4
40	3
37	2,7
32	2,5
25	2
17	1

The standard distance between the viewer and the screen is 4 meters; for this distance, it is optimal to choose a TV diagonal of no more than 50 inches (127 cm).

TV resolution

This characteristic shows the viewer the number of pixels located on the screen. Their high concentration per 1 inch makes the picture clearer and more detailed. Therefore, when watching TV with a large expansion, the dependence on distance disappears.

The type of device may influence your choice. The most common types of TV:

The described technologies do not harm vision, but for comfortable viewing it is worth using the distance table. The optimal distance is 3 meters.

In the early 2010s, the correct diagonal size was determined by the formula: the distance between the seat and the screen is divided by 4. A similar calculation can be used for outdated plasma models with SD resolution (720x576).

The coefficient changes when calculated for liquid crystal TV. Indicator when choosing new models:

HD Ready – 2.2.
Full HD – 1.56.
UHD (Ultra HD) – 0.7.

The specified coefficient is multiplied by the number of meters between the TV and the seats. The difference in the coefficients is due to the increase in display resolution several times. The viewer got the opportunity to be closer to the screen.

Correct viewing angle

Once you have decided at what distance to watch TV, you need to choose the right viewing angle so that viewing is comfortable and does not harm your eyesight. This will help you better perceive the video and feel in the center of what is happening.

Recommended viewing angle is 30 ͦ to 40 ͦ.

The correct selection of the TV screen diagonal for the living room, bedroom or any other room is the key to comfortable viewing of video that is safe for the visual apparatus.

TV in every room

When choosing a suitable model, it is worth considering the type of room in which the new device will be installed. So that the user can understand what diagonal TV to choose for the room, manufacturers and sellers give several tips.

The wrong choice of TV screen diagonal in relation to the area of the room can lead to a blurry picture or the appearance of small “squares” that interfere with a clear perception of the video.