The ideal TV viewing distance

Choose an enjoyable TV viewing experience

Picking the right television can be a difficult task. You have to think about the right brand, design and screen technology. The size of the screen is also very important. In fact, nowadays you can get a size of up to 98 inches with a full and ultra HD TV. That's almost 250 centimeters measured diagonally! But how do you know what size TV will fit in your home? Of course it has to look good in your interior! This combined with the right viewing distance ensures the perfect experience while watching TV every time. But what is the ideal viewing distance for you?

Why is the ideal viewing distance so important?

Sitting too close to the television or too far away from your television has a lot of disadvantages. That's why you need to find the ideal viewing distance for you. But what exactly are these disadvantages?

Sitting too far away from the TV prevents you from experiencing the intensity and emotion of the picture. Details become blurred and are less clear. It is also often difficult to read text. You make your eyes extremely tired, because you are constantly asking them to focus.

Sitting too close to your TV causes you to see the screen pixels. You probably bought a television with good screen quality. It would be a shame not to take advantage of it by sitting too close to it. Also, you cannot see the entire screen, so you miss some of the action. Take the movie theater as an example: here you don't want to sit too close to the screen either, because you won't get everything.

How to calculate the ideal viewing distance?

The ideal viewing distance seems to be 2.4 times the screen diagonal in centimeters. The image diagonal is the screen from top left to bottom right. Note that screen sizes are always given in inches, so convert this to centimeters. Also keep in mind: the larger the TV the greater the viewing distance.

Calculating the comfortable size of your television, of course, is also possible. In these cases, your sofa is often already in a specific place and you purchase a new TV. Now you take the viewing distance: the distance between the sofa and the desired spot for the television. You take this distance in centimeters and divide it by 2.4.

Fitting and estimating the right picture size

You may not be able to find the size from your calculation among the available televisions: this particular size does not exist. Then choose the size that comes closest. For example, is the measured distance 270 cm? This divided by 2.4 is 112.5 centimeters. This picture diagonal is not available. Then go for the closest which is 109 cm (43 inches).

Choose for your personal preference

It's okay to color outside the lines. Keep in mind your personal preference. Some like it a little closer and others a little further away. You certainly don't have to be at the exact right distance. You can try different distances to discover the ideal distance for you. Put your couch in several places, for example. This way you can also make a fun little research: let everyone at home participate!

Countless options of formats

You've probably come across a lot of formats in the (online) stores. It's not crazy though you've lost track of all the information. Hence we have listed the formats for you:

• 32 inches (81 cm)
• 40 inch (102 cm)
• 42 inch (107 cm)
• 43 inch (109 cm)
• 48 inches (122 cm)
• 50 inches (127 cm)
• 55 inches (140 cm)
• 58 inches (147 cm)

• 65 inches (165 cm)

Use the table as a tool

To make it even easier for you, we've already done the calculation for you. All you have to do now is measure the distance from the sofa to the TV.

The higher the image resolution, the lower the viewing distance

As we mentioned earlier, when you sit too close, you can see the pixels of the picture. This is often the case with the standard full HD TV. You can know how many pixels your picture consists of by the picture resolution. The more pixels, the sharper the picture. For example, a full HD TV screen has about 2 million pixels. Therefore, it is not nice to sit too close to the screen.

Nowadays, you also have the sharp 4K UHD and 8K UHD resolutions. These have about 4 million and 8 million pixels. This keeps the screen sharper and clearer, allowing you to sit closer to the television. This is already about 30% with 4K and as much as 50% with 8K. So always check the resolution!

The step-by-step plan for the best viewing distance

A new TV should meet your needs in a practical and stylish way. We have summed up for you how to do this. Here's how to do it:

• Stap 1: de televisie ophangen aan de juiste muur óf neerzetten op de juiste kast.
• Stap 2: zorg dat alle kabels en draadjes netjes zijn weggewerkt. Check of de tv recht hangt met een waterpas: altijd handig om in huis te hebben.
• Stap 3: plof neer op je bank en neem een normale kijkhouding aan. Ga lekker zitten of liggen, zoals je altijd doet.
• Stap 4: vraag je partner, huisgenoot of vriend om de televisie op verschillende afstanden van jou neer te zetten.

• Stap 5: test elke afstand en bepaal op welke afstand de tv het scherpst en meest comfortabel is.
  En voilà, jouw nieuwe televisie staat zo op de ideale kijkafstand!

Consider this as well

Besides the optimal viewing distance, there are other aspects to consider while hanging or placing your new television. Consider, for example, the incidence of light, viewing height, arrangement, speakers and the stability of the furniture. Here are some tips on how best to deal with these:

• Don't place your television too hoof on too low. Try to figure out what the right spot is. A spot that is too high or too low can cause neck pain.
• It's important to invest in high-quality TV furniture. That way you know it can last a long time and keep your television all the time.

• In the summer, windows can let in a lot of light. This can cause the picture to become overexposed: this is not pleasant TV viewing. Keep this in mind as well!

This is how much your television uses

The bigger your TV is, the more power it needs. This is because it takes more energy to support a large TV. This can be nice for your viewing pleasure, but not so nice for your wallet. The most energy-efficient television is the 43-inch (109 cm) one. This one consumes about €28 per year. Always good to know, but a TV is certainly not high on your energy bill.

The best TV viewing distance for you

Hopefully, you have now figured out the best viewing distance for you. Create your ideal viewing distance by combining the calculated comfortable size with your own optimal viewing experience. That way, you can enjoy the most impressive images day and night. Older TVs can now go without a care in the world: enjoy the best TVs in the ideal size, while sitting perfectly in front of the screen. Not distracted by eye pain, the wrong light or neck strain.

In our range, you will find televisions from high-quality brands such as Samsung, Philips and Salora. These televisions are available in different inches. So the right screen diagonal for you is definitely among them! The different sizes range from smaller to larger TVs, such as the ultra HD TV.

Do you order your new TV online at Productpine? Then you automatically contribute, without paying more, to one of our sustainability projects. Do you have more questions about our projects or the ideal TV viewing distance? Then contact our customer service team. They will be happy to help you!