TV Viewing Distance Calculator

This TV Viewing Distance Calculator will assist you in discovering the perfect distance from which to view your TV in accordance with THX, SMPTE, and Visual Acuity standards.

User instructions:

1. Choose your TV/monitor's resolution from the available list of standard sizes, or input your own manually
2. Input the diagonal length of your screen in centimeters or inches
3. If necessary, choose the eyesight strength of the viewer with the Snellen chart
4. Click "Calculate" for your results.

References

THX Max Recommended and Max Allowable Viewing Distance: THX (Tom Holman Xperiment) creates the standards that movie theaters have to meet in order to become THX certificated. THX recommends that a theater's last row of seats should provide a 36° plus viewing angle, with all seats offering a viewing angle of 26° plus for certification.

SMPTE Max Recommended Viewing Distance: the SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) EG-18-1994 standard recommends that movie theaters should have a minimum viewing angle of 30°. This has become the benchmark for front production home theaters. A more immersive experience can be obtained by viewing at this distance or nearer and it will also reduce eye strain that can arise from viewing small images in dark rooms.

Visual Acuity Ideal Viewing Distance: The calculation for this distance is made in relation to the reference resolving capability of the eyes. Human eyes for a person with 20/20 vision can recognize and resolve a detail as small as 1/60th° of arc. The distance is equal to the point at which not all of a picture's details can be resolved, i.e. pixels start to blend with each other. When visual acuity is lower than 20/20, the value should be reduced, or increased if visual acuity is higher than 20/20.

You may also be interested in our PPI (Pixels Per Inch) Calculator