When it comes to TV height, you can ask 20 people how they mounted their flat-screen TVs and you probably get 20 different answers. Find out the perfect viewing angle and height to get the best TV experience.
The last thing you want is to squint or get a headache while watching TV. The truth is that it is a combination of personal preference and trial and error.
Here are some quick tips to get the right TV height
- The middle 25 centimeters on the screen are 25-50 cm from the bottom of the TV. To get a comfortable viewing range of 90 to 115 cm, the bottom of the screen should be about 65 cm from the floor.
- Make a small mark on the wall to the left and right of where the center of the screen should be before you set it up to make it easier to hit right.
- Hold the bracket against the wall about 40 cm up from the marks and then make a new round of marks where the screw holes are.
- Provided that the bracket is connected to the TV in the middle, you should have a comfortable viewing height for the whole household here.
Display height
If you have not checked the screen size and viewing distance that is right for your home, be sure to do so first with this TV size guide.
Let us now concentrate on the ideal height. We emphasize “ideal” here because not all homes have perfect installation options, as we will describe below.
Most action on a TV takes place in the middle of the screen. So this is the part of the screen you prefer to have at eye level.
The most ergonomic is to have the center of the TV screen at eye level. But in most cases where there are several people watching TV, it is not practical (or fair) to have the screen height set to a single set of eyes. Because of this, you want to figure out a comfortable height for the whole family.
More factors
Of course, there are several factors that you need to keep in mind to calculate your “eye-level”. Your height, the height of the seat cushion, the distance of the screen from your seat, and the height of the TV screen to name a few. A math formula would drive you crazy, so doing your own research is what we’ll help with. Take a tape measure and measure your eye level from the floor. Say it’s 1 meter.
Most action on a TV takes place in the middle of the screen, so this is the part of the screen you should preferably have at eye level. If the height of your TV is 30 inches, these are the middle 10 inches you want at eye level. This is about 25 cm from the lower edge of the screen, depending on how much “framing” of plastic around the screen itself.
Example calculation of TV height
A quick calculation will tell you that the base of your TV (and the tabletop of your TV stand) should be about 65 cm from the floor. This gives you a comfortable viewing range of 90-115 cm and the center of the screen is right at your 1-meter eye level.
However, the only true test for comfort is to test the height. We recommend that you recruit at least two strong friends to help you. Then just sit in your favorite spot while your friends start low and gradually (and manually) lift your TV until it feels right for you. Sure, you can follow any number of formulas, but at the end of the day, you just need to be comfortable watching a screen often for hours (of course with popcorn breaks). Once you have calculated where your TV should be, mark the wall and calculate your installation from there (see tips below).
When it comes to horizontal angles, it is of course perfect to have the TV screen perpendicular to your eyes. But the newer TVs often have such wide viewing angles and high refresh rates that the “sweet spot” is not as necessary anymore to enjoy your TV. It is perfectly acceptable to have the screen at a + / 25 degrees horizontally. Comfort and reduction of glare are more important than the measure of the angle itself.
Hanging a TV over the open fireplace is not a good idea
A generally bad idea when mounting your TV is to place it above a fireplace. This applies both if it is used or just there to look nice. The electronics inside a TV are sensitive and can be destroyed by the intense heat generated by the fire and by smoke and soot that flies out and rises straight up into the TV.
Related: The recommended viewing distance for watching TV
The height of the fireplace is an unnatural angle to tilt your head
Secondly, the viewing angle of a screen mounted so high up will be uncomfortable, to say the least. The reason why the cinema’s front row is empty is that you get a stiff neck after looking up for extended periods.
The perfect viewing angle is, as we mentioned earlier, to have the center of the screen at eye level. But sometimes you have no choice, the shape of the room, the orientation of the furniture, and the habits of TV use can dictate that a mounting above an inactive stove must be done.
Just remember, in this case, you will want to use an adjustable mounting bracket that slopes significantly forward so that you do not become so stiff in the neck after watching a feature film. You will never get the perfect angle, but you can tilt the screen until it feels reasonably right.