All things screen size

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There are calculators at the bottom.

Here are some guidelines for TV size.

It's rare that anyone buys a set that's "too large" to watch, but....

The set has to fit into its surroundings. A spouse may not be very happy if you come home with a 65" TV to replace the 27" you had in the corner.

Don't forget that RPTVs are fairly deep - up to 2.5' against a flat wall. If you put a large RPTV in a corner, it can be much deeper (to the corner itself). The front of the screen could be 5' from the corner, instead of a couple of feet for a 27" TV.

A good "rule of thumb" is to sit roughly 2.0 to 2.5 times the screen size away from the TV. For a 50" TV, you should sit about 9-12' away from the screen. For HD/DVD material, it's possible to sit closer, but a lot of your viewing may still be standard definition.

Don't forget about the speakers and audio equipment. For many people, the audio experience is just as important as the visual experience. See THIS site.

If you are going to have a home theatre with surround sound, your chairs or sofa/couch/chesterfield should not be against the back wall. They should be perhaps 2/3 of the distance between the TV and the back wall for the proper surround effect. This goes against some old furniture positioning ideas, but there is nothing wrong with placing furniture towards the center of the room instead of cowering against the walls.

Some people get dizzyness or headaches if they sit too close. Younger people tend to prefer closer.

(This FAQ was originally posted at HDTVoice and has been reprinted here with permission)


THIS is a good calculator for seating distance.

THIS is a great screen size calculator. You can compare 4:3 and 16:9 to see what the equivalents would be.

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