Now is the time for you to buy a new TV. You want to place your television in a cabinet, or between two objects, so you want to know how to measure your TV. It's as easy as tying your shoelaces to measure your TV, but there is some other information that might make it easier for you to find the television of your dreams.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Measuring Television
Step 1. Measure the television diagonally from end to end to get the factory size
You might think a 32-inch (81 cm) television is 32 inches wide, from bottom left to top left, but that's not the case. A 32-inch TV measures 81cm from bottom left to top right, or vice versa.
Step 2. Measure screen-to-screen, not bezel-to-bezel
Some people make the mistake of measuring their television from the outer end of the bezel or TV frame to the opposite end. This will give you the wrong number. Instead of doing so, measure diagonally from the corner of the screen to the corner where the screen ends. Since the bezel or frame of the TV is often larger than the screen, measuring the TV from bezel to bezel will give you incorrect measurement results.
Part 2 of 3: Placing Your TV in a Confined Space
Step 1. Get the length, width and height of your entire TV
Measure your TV as a whole, including the bezel, and not just the screen. This measure will come in handy when you are trying to place your TV into an existing location or into an entertainment centre.
Step 2. Allow some free space when you place the TV in a tight space
For example, you're considering buying a 46-inch (117cm) television. The television is 44.5 inches (113cm) wide and 25 inches (63.5cm) high. The TV may fit in your 45-inch x 45-inch entertainment center, but it may be too tight to be unsightly. Purchase a 40-inch (102cm) TV if you plan to fit it in your entertainment center.
Part 3 of 3: Measuring Aspect Ratio and Visibility
Step 1. Get to know the aspect ratio and its relationship to the size of the television
Aspect ratio is the ratio of the width of the television image to its height. The aspect ratio of the old standard television is different from the aspect ratio of the new widescreen television. Most standard televisions use a 4:3 aspect ratio on their screens, which means for every 4 inches of screen width, you have 3 inches of height. Widescreen TVs use a 16:9 aspect ratio, which means for every 16 inches of screen width, you have 9 inches of height.
- Although standard (4:3) and widescreen (16:9) televisions may have the same diagonal size, for example 32 inches, the total screen area may differ. A standard television will have a larger screen size and the picture will be more squared, while a wide-screen television will have a horizontal picture.
- Widescreen television came as TV producers started tweaking aspect ratios to get more people to watch movies. The 16:9 widescreen displays larger images with stronger background capabilities.
Step 2. Perform a simple calculation to match the size of a standard television with a widescreen television
If you currently have a 4:3 television and want to continue watching 4:3 content on a widescreen television, multiply the diagonal length on your old TV by 1.22. The result is the screen diagonal size that a widescreen TV must have to be able to display the same size as an older TV.
For example, say you have a 40-inch (102cm) television with an aspect ratio of 4:3, but you want to update your TV and don't want the picture size to decrease. You need a 50-inch (127cm) screen so you can watch 4:3 content without image reduction. This figure is obtained from the calculation of 1.22x40 = 49. Since 49-inch televisions are not widely manufactured, you should buy a 50-inch TV
Step 3. Know how far you should place your seat, depending on the size of your television
Once you know the size of the TV, you'll need to figure out how far you need to place the seat. Follow these guidelines when placing the seat:
| Screen | Visibility | |
|---|---|---|
| 27" | 3.25 - 5.5' | |
| 32" | 4.0 - 6.66' | |
| 37" | 4.63 - 7.71' | |
| 40" | 5.0 - 8.33' | |
| 46" | 5.75 - 9.5' | |
| 52" | 6.5 - 10.8' | |
| 58" | 7.25 - 12' | |
| 65" | 8.13 - 13.5' |
