Choosing Your TV Screen Size

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Choosing Your Screen Size

So you've got your heart set on a 60" TV screen. But is bigger really better? It all depends on your room size and where you'll sit when you watch TV.

For the best viewing experience, your TV should provide the right-sized picture for where you'll sit relative to the screen. In general, the farther away you plan to sit from the TV, the larger the screen size should be. If you sit too close, the picture quality will look poor. If you sit too far away, you'll lose that immersive, theater-like feel.

Think about where you'll use the TV and how big your room is. Then take a look at the charts below for recommended seating distances for both standard TVs and HDTVs. Note that with HDTV, you can sit closer to the screen and still see a high-quality picture. (Remember, you need an HD source to view programming in true HD.)

Note: Most HDTVs are widescreen with a screen aspect ratio of 16:9. Most standard TVs are not widescreen, and have an aspect ratio of 4:3.

Standard TV Viewing Distances

4:3 TV Diagonal Screen Size	Recommended Viewing Distance
13"	2.6 - 5.2 ft.
19"	3.8 - 7.6 ft.
20"	4 - 8 ft.
24"	4.8 - 9.6 ft.
27"	5.4 - 10.8 ft.
32"	6.4 - 12.8 ft.
36"	7.2 - 14.8 ft.
40"	8 - 16 ft.

HDTV Viewing Distances
(when connected to an HD source)

16:9 TV Diagonal Screen Size	Recommended Viewing Distance
26"	3.3 - 6.5 ft.
30"	3.8 - 7.6 ft.
34"	4.3 - 8.5 ft.
42"	5.3 - 10.5 ft.
46"	5.8 - 11.5 ft.
50"	6.3 - 12.5 ft.
55"	6.9 - 12.8 ft.
60"	7.5 - 15 ft.
65"	8.1 - 16.3 ft.

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