TV Size & Viewing Distance Calculator
Enter the sofa-to-screen distance, the resolution and what you watch to get the diagonal size, the actual screen width, and whether it clears your wall.
TV size is decided by distance, not by the width of the wall. Sit too close and the picture looks soft and the edges tiring; sit too far and a 4K panel looks no better than a cheaper 1080p. Enter the distance from the sofa to the screen and what you watch; the page returns the size, the real width and height, and the distance range that suits it.
Your room and habits
Distance is measured from your eyes to the screen, not from the wall.
Recommended size
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Screen width × height
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Comfortable distance
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Wall check
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Distance by resolution
| Resolution | Distance / screen height | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 2.8–3.5× | Close up, the pixel grid becomes visible |
| 4K | 2.0–2.6× | — |
| 8K | 1.5–2.0× | — |
Rules of thumb
- Measure from your eyes, not the sofa back. Add the depth of your seated posture — usually 20–30 cm.
- Bigger is not always better: past the comfortable range you start turning your head, and the wall feels cramped.
- A 4K set at 1080p distance wastes money; a 1080p set at 4K distance looks soft. Match the size to the resolution you actually watch.
- Keep 5–10 cm on each side of the screen for the bezel and the wall mount; a screen that fills the wall edge to edge feels heavy.
- Height matters too: the centre of the screen should sit at eye level when seated, about 100–110 cm from the floor.
Before you buy
- A bigger screen at the same distance increases immersion, but the wall and the furniture set the limit. Check the width before the diagonal.
- Streaming quality matters more than resolution labels: a 4K panel fed a compressed feed looks worse than a good 1080p one.
- Measure the lift, the stairwell and the door width. A 98-inch box does not fit through every lift.
- If the sofa can move, adjust the distance first — it is free, and it changes the experience more than one size step.
Four common mistakes
- Buying by the diagonal only, then finding the screen wider than the wall unit.
- Mounting the screen too high above a fireplace or a cabinet, then looking up all evening.
- Sitting closer than the comfortable range for 1080p and blaming the panel for looking soft.
- Forgetting the soundbar: it adds 8–12 cm of height under the screen and can block the remote sensor.
Ranges follow common industry viewing-angle guidance. Personal preference varies; treat the result as a starting point and sit at the distance before committing.