Viewing distance calculator
A screen is comfortable when it fills the right share of your vision. Work it out either way round: how far back to sit from a size you have in mind, or which sizes suit the seat you already have.
- Sit
- 2.4 m – 2.9 m7 ft 9 in – 9 ft 6 in
- Field of view
- 28–34°The share of your vision a 65 inch fills at that distance.
This is one screen at a comfortable distance. To measure your own desk or wall, place several screens and see what fits: the TV size calculator.
How far to sit from a 55, 65 or 75 inch TV
General viewing (a 30° field of view) and a closer, more cinematic seat (40°) for movies — the two reference points this calculator's presets sit between:
- 55 inch: 227 cm for a wide, general seat, down to 167 cm for a closer, movie seat.
- 65 inch: 269 cm for a wide, general seat, down to 198 cm for a closer, movie seat.
- 75 inch: 310 cm for a wide, general seat, down to 228 cm for a closer, movie seat.
Monitor distance is capped by your desk
The field-of-view maths that sets a TV's distance range would put an ideal monitor distance well past what any desk allows, so the monitor calculator instead works within a fixed 40–120 cm range: close enough to read comfortably, far enough that focusing on it all day does not tire your eyes. A desk's depth reaches that ceiling long before the wide-room maths a TV gets would.
Where the 30° and 40° rules come from
Both are reference fields of view — how wide the screen's edges sit in your vision at a given distance — rather than one correct number. This calculator uses a range between them per use: 28°–34° for general viewing, up to 34°–40° for movies, wider still for gaming and sports where peripheral awareness of the whole picture matters more than immersion.
Common questions
What is the 30° and 40° rule?
They are two reference fields of view for how wide a screen looks from your seat. 30° is the wider, more general-purpose distance — comfortable for everyday viewing without the picture dominating the room. 40° is closer, favoured for a more cinematic, immersive feel where the picture fills more of your vision. Neither is "correct"; they are two ends of a comfortable range, and this calculator uses band presets between them (28°–34° for general use, up to 34°–40° for movies) rather than a single fixed number.
Should I sit closer for movies than for everyday TV?
Yes, if a more immersive picture matters more than a wide field of view for other things happening on screen — a sports scoreboard, a game’s UI. The calculator’s movies preset targets 34°–40°, closer than the 28°–34° general preset, for exactly that reason.
Why is the monitor distance range capped?
Monitor distance is capped between 40 and 120 cm because a desk enforces its own limit long before a field-of-view formula would: an arm's length is roughly the minimum before focusing gets uncomfortable, and most desks are not deep enough to push much past a metre.