GlenCalc

TV viewing distance calculator

Guidelines size the screen by how much of your field of view it fills: about 30° (SMPTE) for general viewing up to 40° (THX) for a cinema feel.

Your answer

SMPTE (30°): about8.8 ft
THX (40°): about6.5 ft

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How we worked it out

Updated as you change the numbers.

  1. Distance = screen width ÷ (2 × tan(angle ÷ 2)). A 16:9 screen’s width is 0.872 × its diagonal.

Method and assumptions

At 4K resolution you can sit closer than the 30° guideline without seeing pixels; at 1080p, sitting farther hides them.

Questions

How far should I sit from a 65 in TV?

About 6.5 ft for a cinema feel (THX) to 8.8 ft (SMPTE).

Sources

Method and figures checked on . Every worked answer on this page is covered by an automated test. Found a mistake? Tell us.

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