TV distance and height calculator
How far from the sofa, and how high on the wall, for your screen size.
Your screen
Sit 2 to 2.7 m from a 65-inch screen.
From 2.5 m the screen fills 32° of your view, in the 30° to 40° a cinema seat gets. Mount it with the centre at 105 cm, about seated eye height, so the bottom edge is 65 cm off the floor.
Screen
1.44 × 0.81 m
Centre height
105 cm
Bottom edge
65 cm
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Know the distance but not the size? Try the TV size calculator.
The short answer
The right distance depends on how much of your view the screen fills, not on the screen alone. Cinema standards put the sweet spot between about 30° and 40°, which for a 16:9 screen works out at 1.2 to 1.6 times its diagonal: a 55-inch screen from about 1.7 to 2.3 m (5½ to 7½ ft), a 65-inch from about 2 to 2.7 m (6½ to 9 ft), a 75-inch from 2.3 to 3.1 m (7½ to 10 ft). Further away still works, the picture just looks TV-sized rather than cinema-sized; closer than that, you turn your head to follow it.
For the height, put the centre of the screen at your eye height when you sit, about 105 cm (42 in) on a normal sofa, so the bottom edge of a 65-inch screen sits about 65 cm (2 ft) off the floor. A little higher is fine if you lean back; much higher strains your neck. This calculator does the arithmetic and shows the sofa, the screen and the sweet spot in a 3D room, so you can judge it before you drill.
How to use it
- 1
Pick your screen size
Tap the diagonal in inches, the number on the box. Any other size goes under More options.
- 2
Slide the sofa into place
Drag the distance to where your sofa stands, measured from the screen to where you sit. The band on the floor is the sweet spot; the label tells you whether you're in it.
- 3
Read the height, then look
The answer gives the screen's centre and bottom-edge heights for your eye height (change it under More options). Switch to the top view to check the band, and to feet and inches if you prefer.
Questions
How far should I sit from my TV?
Between about 1.2 and 1.6 times the screen's diagonal, so the picture fills 30° to 40° of your view: that's the range cinema standards (SMPTE and THX) aim for and what 4K is made for. A 55-inch screen wants about 1.7 to 2.3 m (5½ to 7½ ft); a 65-inch about 2 to 2.7 m (6½ to 9 ft). Sitting further back isn't wrong, the screen just looks smaller; closer than 1.2 times the diagonal you start turning your head.
How high should a TV be mounted on the wall?
With the centre of the screen at your seated eye height, which is about 105 cm (42 in) for most people on a sofa. For a 65-inch screen that puts the bottom edge about 65 cm (26 in) off the floor; for a 55-inch, about 70 cm (28 in). Measure your own eye height sitting the way you watch, and if you recline a lot, 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) higher is comfortable. Above the fireplace is usually too high.
Does the distance change for 4K or 8K?
The sweet spot comes from how wide the picture is, so it's the same for any 16:9 screen. What changes is how close you can sit before you see pixels: with 1080p that's about 1.6 times the diagonal, with 4K about 0.8 times, so the whole sweet spot is safe. 8K lets you sit closer still, but the band here is about comfort, not resolution.
I know my distance. What size should I buy?
Turn the question round: the ideal diagonal is the distance divided by 1.2 to 1.6. From 2.5 m (8 ft) that's roughly 60 to 80 inches, so a 65 or 75-inch screen. The TV size calculator on this site does that sum and shows the screen on a wall for scale.
Is the distance measured from the wall or from the screen?
From the screen to your eyes. A wall-mounted TV sits a few centimetres off the wall and your eyes are about 30 cm in front of the sofa's back, so measuring from the wall to the back of the sofa gives a number about 25 cm (10 in) larger than the one that matters.
Can I check it in my actual room?
Yes. Upload your floor plan and UploadFloorplan turns it into a 3D room with its walls, doors and windows. Put the sofa where it stands, hang the TV at the height this page gives you, and look at it from the sofa. A free account is enough.
Now try it in your real room
Upload your floor plan and UploadFloorplan turns it into a 3D room with its walls, doors and windows. Drag the furniture in and see what fits where.
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