TV Size Calculator
Drag the couch to your seating distance and get a viewing-angle-based size recommendation — or start from a TV size and find the best distance.
Distance ↔ size, both directions
At 8 ft: 59″–80″(SMPTE 30° → THX 40°)
Recommended: 59″–80″
59″ fills SMPTE's 30° cinema minimum; 80″ reaches THX's 40° immersive angle.
size = 2 × 8 ft × tan(θ/2) ÷ 0.872 → θ=30°: 59″ · θ=40°: 80.2″
TV size to distance, at a glance
| TV size | Immersive (THX 40°) | Standard (SMPTE 30°) | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43″ | 4.3 ft | 5.8 ft | 43″ dimensions → |
| 50″ | 5 ft | 6.8 ft | 50″ dimensions → |
| 55″ | 5.5 ft | 7.5 ft | 55″ dimensions → |
| 65″ | 6.5 ft | 8.8 ft | 65″ dimensions → |
| 70″ | 7 ft | 9.5 ft | 70″ dimensions → |
| 75″ | 7.5 ft | 10.2 ft | 75″ dimensions → |
| 77″ | 7.7 ft | 10.4 ft | 77″ dimensions → |
| 85″ | 8.5 ft | 11.5 ft | 85″ dimensions → |
| 98″ | 9.8 ft | 13.3 ft | 98″ dimensions → |
How to choose
Frequently asked questions
› How far should I sit from a 55 inch TV?
About 5.5 to 7.5 feet. At 5.5 ft a 55-inch screen fills THX's recommended 40° of your field of view (immersive); at 7.5 ft it fills SMPTE's 30° cinema minimum. Both are comfortable — closer favors movies, farther favors casual viewing.
› What size TV should I get for a 10 foot viewing distance?
Roughly 74 to 100 inches by viewing-angle standards: 74" fills SMPTE's 30° at 10 ft and 100" reaches THX's 40°. If that's larger than your budget or wall, a 65–75" TV at 10 ft is still within the comfortable range most people choose.
› Is a bigger TV always better?
No — past about a 40° viewing angle the picture overwhelms your field of view and you start moving your head to follow the action. Screen size should follow seating distance, not the other way around.
› Does 4K change how close I can sit?
Yes. With 20/20 vision you stop resolving individual 4K pixels beyond roughly 0.8× the screen diagonal, versus about 1.6× for 1080p. That means 4K lets you sit close enough for a truly immersive angle without seeing pixel structure — the main practical benefit of the resolution.
› How is TV size measured?
Diagonally, corner to corner of the visible screen, excluding the bezel. A 65-inch TV is about 56.7 inches wide and 31.9 inches tall in a 16:9 shape — check the per-size dimension pages for exact width and height.
› What formula does this calculator use?
Screen width = 2 × distance × tan(angle ÷ 2), with SMPTE's 30° as the standard recommendation and THX's 40° as the immersive end, converted to diagonal for a 16:9 screen. The worked formula is shown under every result.
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