How to measure a TV screen

Got your eye on a new TV for the living room? Buying a telly is pretty exciting. But what you don’t want to do is get one that doesn’t fit. Or, even worse, one that’s way too small for the space – leaving you squinting at the footie from your armchair.

To help you find a real looker, we’ll show you how to measure your TV, and then work out if the size suits the distance from your favourite spot on the sofa. So, sit back and watch and learn…

How do you measure a TV screen?

Working out your TV screen size on that shiny new model won’t just tell you whether it’ll slot in a gap. It’ll also help you to find out if it’s perfect for how far away you’re sat. But more on that later.

So, how are television screens measured? Well, to work out the size of any TV, you’ve got to do five different sets of measurements. And funnily enough, it’s not just all about the screen.

What’s the easiest way to do it though? Well, you could always pop into your local Currys store and measure a set there and then. That’s what we’d do!

Right, grab your tape measure, and let’s get to work…

Measure the screen diagonally

Take your tape measure and run it diagonally across the screen itself – being careful not to include the bezel. Start from one of the upper corners and move down to one of the lower ones. This’ll give you the size of the actual TV screen.

Measure the whole telly diagonally

It’s also worth measuring the whole of the telly like this too. Tons of people don’t bother, and then end up thinking that their TV’s screen size is the same as the dimensions of the whole thing. Which is wrong.

Make the same diagonal measurement but run your tape measure over the whole TV instead, including the bezel this time round.

Measure the width

Want to put the TV in a corner, or inside a bit of furniture. Better measure the width first!

Take your tape measure and run it from one corner (on the top or bottom of the telly) all the way across to the other side. Make sure you note down the full width going from edge to edge – and don’t forget to include the bezel.

Measure the height

With the height measured, you’ll know how it’s going to sit if you’re mounting it on a wall, or how low down it might be when it’s put on top of some furniture. Starting from the bezel, the height is the gap between the bottom and the top of the telly.

If you’ve got a stand, measure from the base of it to the very top. If you don’t you can just start at either bottom corner and measure upwards. Easy.

Measure the depth

This is the distance from the front of the TV to the back. If you’ve got a fairly modern flatscreen, this isn’t going to be a big measurement. But if you’re still rocking an old CRT, it might surprise you just how chunky they are. They didn’t make those things small!

To measure the depth, pop your tape measure at the very front edge and drag it backwards until you’ve hit the furthest point away from it.

Once you’ve got this number, you’ll know how much your new TV is going to stick out from the wall. Or whether it’s going to be poking out a lot from that entertainment unit you’ve got.

And that’s how to measure a TV screen. Now you should have five different measurements jotted down, which you can use to find a perfectly sized telly. Pretty simple, right?

TV screen size/distance calculator

So, you’ve found the TV you want. But is it going to be right for your room? And are you going to be sat at the right distance to suit how big it is? After all, TV size and distance go together like Ant and Dec. You can’t have one without the other.

To find out the best viewing distance, you can use our simple equation:

TV viewing distance (in inches)/2 = recommended TV size.

Hopefully you haven’t put your tape measure away just yet. Measure the distance between your sofa and wherever you’re going to put your TV. Let’s say that gap comes to 96 inches. Now, divide that number by two and you’ll know what TV sizes will match your space. In this case, 48 inch tellys will be ideal. Nice.

FAQs

What sizes do TVs come in?

TVs come in loads of different shapes and sizes – from small screens you can pop in the kitchen, to massive ones that could put your local cinema to shame.

Our television screen sizes range from 24” models, right up 80” behemoths. Hey, that’s one way to make your next movie night a proper blockbuster experience!

What TV size should I get?

The best TV size for you really comes down to the size of your room. You don’t want it to dominate the space, but you also don’t want it to be a tiny spec on the other side.

Ideally, you want to go as big as you can. For some more tips, check out our TV buying guide.

What’s the best height for a TV on a wall?

It’ll differ a little bit depending on the room, but the best height for a wall mounted TV is to make sure the middle of the screen is at eye level, or just below it.

Why? Lifting your eyes can be pretty tiring after a while. Especially if you’re midway through a multiplayer gaming session, or you’ve been binging that Netflix show everyone’s going on about.

So, most of the experts out there suggest that the middle of your TV should be about one metre away from the floor. Get measuring!

Source: CURRYS