TV Viewing Distance Calculator

Use our TV viewing distance calculator to determine the optimal distance from which to watch TV.

The viewing distance is significant because it impacts the total watching experience; a closer viewing distance allows for a more immersive experience, while a farther viewing distance allows for more comfortable viewing.

How to use this Calculator?

Specify the screen’s diagonal in inches, and the Calculator will handle the rest. Consequently, you’ll know how far you should sit from your TV to get the best possible picture. This distance matters because it impacts how comfortable or immersed in the action you feel you are.

It may come as a surprise, but there’s some research behind the question of what size TV is best. When deciding on TV size, you should consider several aspects, including your viewing distance and angle, the TV’s resolution, and the sort of material you plan on watching.

Our Calculator accounts for these details and provides many size suggestions according to the sitting distance.

What is TV Resolution?

The resolution of a TV refers to the total number of pixels used to create the image. Simply put, a single pixel is a single on-screen dot that serves as a single image element.

It is not uncommon for even the latest 32-inch TVs to contain a million or more pixels, and many older ones to as well (720p). Modern, bigger TVs often offer better resolutions, like 4K (4,000 pixels wide) or 8K. (8,000 pixels wide).

When the resolution is increased, the picture becomes more defined and crisp. The aspect ratio, defined as the ratio of the TV screen’s width to its height, is also strongly related to the resolution.

Choose the Best TV Size for your Room

Your preferred viewing size and distance will be based on the content you often watch on your TV. If you want to get the most out of watching 4K Blu-ray movies, choose a TV with a viewing angle of about 40 degrees or less.

A TV with a viewing angle of 30 degrees or less is a good choice if you want to watch 1080p content in a casual living room where design is important.

Your own preference for a certain viewing experience is another factor to think about. Also, keep in mind that although wishing for a smaller TV isn’t quite unheard of, the opposite complaint—that a bigger TV would have been better—is heard much more often.

How to calculate the optimal distance from the TV?

Finding the optimal viewing distance for your TV is an important part of making the proper purchase. And it might be contingent on things like room dimensions, room type, TV function, and screen resolution.

The maximum viewing distance is a function of the room’s dimensions, which in turn affects the maximum screen size that can be accommodated.

The optimal viewing distance will also be affected by the room type. In more formal settings, such as a living room with the TV positioned over the fireplace, a greater viewing distance may be preferable to reduce the risk of neck strain and maintain the integrity of the space.

The viewing distance of a theater, game room or other media room designed for watching films or playing video games might be optimized by placing the seats closer together.

1. Best Viewing Distance from TV Size

Viewing a TV at its ideal distance is around 1.6 times the diagonal length of the screen. The optimal viewing distance for a 55-inch TV is between 5.5 and 8.5 feet, whereas for an 85-inch TV, that number is 8.5 – 13.5 feet.

We have created this chart for you to know the best viewing distance from the different TV sizes.

TV Diagonal SizeViewing Distance
50 Inch5 – 7.5 feet
55 Inch5.5 – 8.5 feet
60 Inch6 – 9.5 feet
65 Inch6.5 – 10.5 feet
70 Inch7 – 11 feet
75 Inch7.5 – 11.5 feet
80 Inch8 – 12.5 feet
85 Inch8.5 – 13.5 feet
90 Inch9 – 14 feet

All of these calculations are made using the standard viewing distance angle of 30° to 40°.

TV Viewing Angle

2. Best Viewing Distance From TV Resolution

The TV’s resolution also affects the distance you may sit from a TV. If your eyes are sharp enough, you may be able to pick out the pixels on the TV screen, and the image quality will deteriorate from there.

Sharper TVs (4K, 8K resolutions) feature tiny pixels that make up the image, making the picture more difficult to pick from an average viewing distance. The greater the resolution of a TV, the farther away you can sit from it before the pixels become noticeable.

A 4K TV allows you to sit closer to the screen without seeing individual pixels, allowing for a more immersive watching experience than a 1080P TV.

Pixel density, often known as PPI, is the ratio of pixels to screen size. Determine the pixel density of your display with our convenient PPI calculator.

When determining a suitable screen size and viewing distance, the aforementioned tool takes this into consideration.

If you experience problems with the “TV Viewing Distance Calculator,” please contact us at [email protected].

About the author

Marc Ray

Marc Ray

Marc Ray, Founder of Domotics101.com. A tech enthusiast & expert in smart home technology, helping homeowners upgrade their homes with the latest smart home security & automation solutions. Marc has over 10 years of experience in smart home technology. He holds a certification in Home Automation Systems and has been featured in Hubspot. You can learn more about Marc and his work. Read his Book, Smart Home Hacks!