TV size in cm: width, height and viewing distance for 32 to 98 inches

The inch figure on a TV is the diagonal of the picture, not the width. An inch is 2.54 cm, so a 65 inch TV has a 165 cm diagonal, but it is 144 cm wide and 81 cm high. The width decides whether the TV fits the wall or the cabinet, and the distance to the sofa decides which size is right.

How wide is a TV? Width and height in cm

Almost every TV has a 16:9 picture. The width is then 87 percent of the diagonal and the height 49 percent. The figures are for the picture itself: the bezel and the stand come on top, so check the manufacturer’s dimensions before buying furniture or a wall mount.

For other sizes use the inch to centimetre converter: the diagonal in cm times 0.87 gives the width and times 0.49 the height.

Which TV size should I get? Distance to the sofa

Choose the size from the distance between the sofa and the TV. Two guidelines from the film and television industry: SMPTE says the picture should fill at least 30 degrees of your field of view, THX recommends about 40 degrees for a cinema feel. Worked out from the picture width, that is about 1.6 times the diagonal for 30 degrees and 1.2 times the diagonal for 40 degrees. If you sit 2.5 metres from the TV, 55 to 75 inches fits.

With 4K resolution you can sit close without seeing the pixels, so the short distance in the table works. Older HD material that is upscaled looks better at the longer distance. There is no upper limit that is wrong: sit further away and the picture is simply smaller in your field of view.

Computer monitors in cm

Monitors are measured the same way, diagonally across the picture. Most are 16:9, but 34 inch ultrawide monitors are usually 21:9 and are wider and lower than the table shows.

How do you measure a TV?

Measure diagonally from one corner of the picture to the opposite corner, without the bezel. Divide by 2.54 for the size in inches: 140 cm is 55 inches. Measure with the bezel and the TV comes out a few inches larger than it is sold as. The centimetre to inch converter does it fastest.

The inch used for screens is always the international inch, 2.54 cm. The old Swedish verktum was 2.47 cm and is not used for screens.

Sources: width and height are calculated from the 16:9 picture format with 1 inch = 2.54 cm, the same factor as on the site’s inch page. The distances are calculated from viewing angles of 30 degrees (SMPTE) and 40 degrees (THX) on the picture width, rounded to one decimal.