“No one ever complains about buying a TV that’s too big.”
- John Dahl, THX Jedi Training Master

According to THX Certified Professionals, most consumers regret going too small with their TV purchase. Think about it. Are you happy with the TV size you picked out? Do you dream at night about that 50-inch THX Certified, Panasonic Plasma-beauty that you left behind at Best Buy?

Choosing the appropriate size TV size for your home comes down to seating distance—how far you sit from the screen. If you buy a massive TV and sit three feet away, you’re going to be staring at pixels and lines. If you buy one that’s too small, you won’t get an immersive visual experience in your living room.

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To determine the best seat-to-screen distance in your room, THX recommends dividing the diagonal screen by .84. For example, a plasma or LCD TV with a 65-inch screen divided by .84 equals a 77-inch viewing distance (6.5 feet). This should create a 40-degree viewing angle from your main seating position – filling your line of sight with the best visuals possible.

If your TV is going in a living room with limited space, THX recommends the following guide:

• 32 inch class TV = 3.5-5 feet away
• 42 inch class TV = 4-6 feet away
• 50 inch class TV = 5-7.5 feet away
• 60 inch class TV = 6-9 feet away

It seems like every time you turn on a cable channel, some design expert wearing leather pants and purple rimmed glasses is hanging a beautiful new flat panel TV high on a wall above a fireplace. While this might be aesthetically pleasing to an interior designer, it is not always the best advice for maximizing your viewing experience.

When mounting your new TV at home, think about the appropriate viewing angle. If you mount the TV too high on a wall, you will be constantly looking up to watch the programming, just like sitting in the front row of a movie theater. If it’s too low, you will be constantly looking down at the screen.

The experts at THX believe that you should have a clean line of sight to the display, without looking up more than 15 degrees or down more than 7 degrees. In a dedicated home theater, a good rule of thumb is to mount your TV in a direct line of sight from the primary seating positions. It should be high enough so those sitting behind you can see over or between those sitting in the front row.

Do it right, and TV mounting won’t be a pain in your neck.

Refer to the THX HDTV Set Up Guide or consult your THX Certified Professional for more details.