Calculating the best television size for your room

Buying a new high definition television set always requires you to keep a few key things in mind. For example, the screen size on the television set that you buy needs to take into account the distance you’ll be at when viewing content on that HDTV. If you sit too far away from a television screen that isn’t big enough, for example, your eye won’t be able to pick up the detail present in 1080p images. You will have wasted a few hundred extra dollars on a 1080p HDTV you’re not enjoying. You can find out exactly what size screen your HDTV needs to have by taking a very specific measurement in the room it will eventually go in.

Step 1

Use a tape measure to find the distance between the eventual location of your television set and the location where you will sit when watching that television set. Find this distance in inches. For example, if you plan on sitting on your couch while watching your TV that will be mounted on a nearby wall, measure the exact distance between the wall and the couch. The number you have just found is called your “viewing distance.”

Step 2

Divide your viewing distance by the number three. The number you are left with is the minimum size of an HDTV that you should be. For example, if your viewing distance was 96 inches the minimum size of your television set would be 32 inches. You would be sitting too far away from a television set farther than this size and would be unable to see the fine detail present in the picture. If you buy a television set smaller than the minimum size, you're not getting the full benefit of HD resolution.

Step 3

Divide your viewing distance by the number “1.5.” The number you are left with is the maximum size that an HDTV can be and still fit comfortably in your room. For example, if your viewing distance was 96 inches the maximum size of your television set would be 64 inches. You would be sitting far too close to a television larger than this, and the picture would likely look blurry and distorted.

If you want a bigger TV than this, you might need to consider 4K.