A good way to judge the viewing distance for the best budget TVs is to follow the 30-degree rule.
Of course, that hasn't stopped the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers from forming some strong thoughts on the matter.
With a 55-inch screen that equates to seven feet four inches, for 75 inches that's ten feet, and with 85-inch TVs you should place yourself around 11 feet four inches away from that large panel.
If you're looking for a more cinematic or immersive experience, sitting at an angle where the TV fills 40-degrees of your field of view is recommended — that's 1.2 times the diagonal size of the screen.
The large majority of casual TV viewers aren't suddenly going to rearrange their living rooms for the 30-degree rule.
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There's also the 62-degree rule. If you want to cane your corneas by following the 62-degree rule, by all means place yourself just 4.6 ft away from that 65-inch screen.
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A good way to judge the viewing distance for the best budget TVs is to follow the 30-degree rule. Follow this advice and you should ensure you're never straining at your TV again.
Of course, that hasn't stopped the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers from forming some strong thoughts on the matter. As reported by RTings, the SMPTE believes you should sit at a distance where your TV's screen takes up a minimum 30-degree field of view when watching general content. With a 55-inch screen that equates to seven feet four inches, for 75 inches that's ten feet, and with 85-inch TVs you should place yourself around 11 feet four inches away from that large panel.
The SMPTE also makes a case for the 40-degree rule. If you're looking for a more cinematic or immersive experience, sitting at an angle where the TV fills 40-degrees of your field of view is recommended — that's 1.2 times the diagonal size of the screen.
Then by all means sit a 5.9 ft from that 85-inch TV you just picked up.
If you want to know the ideal viewing distance should you own this size of panel, let's quickly break down distances depending on which rule of degrees you approve of. Then plop yourself down about 6.5 feet away.
The large majority of casual TV viewers aren't suddenly going to rearrange their living rooms for the 30-degree rule.
With certain types of TVs, sitting at an overly close distance can heighten flaws with panel quality.
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