At what height from the floor should you hang a TV and what should you consider when choosing a location for the TV panel?

When deciding where and at what height to hang a TV, many make a common mistake - they focus solely on the location of sockets and “seats”. But in order to choose the optimal point, you need to take into account many more factors: the height of the audience, the diagonal of the screen, the dimensions of the room and much more. After all, the convenience and comfort of watching TV shows depends on how correctly the location for the TV panel is chosen.

On average, the height of the TV from the floor should vary between 70-150 cm. And how to accurately calculate this indicator and choose the most favorable location is described below.

How to calculate height

Before moving on to calculating the height, you need to calculate how far the screen should be from the viewer's eyes. A special formula is used for this:

L = kD, where L is the distance from the TV to the “seat”, k is a coefficient depending on the resolution of the TV screen, D is the diagonal of the TV, converted from inches to centimeters.

The value of the coefficient depends on the type of device:

• HD – 2.3;
• Full HD – 1.56;
• UHD – 0.7.

For example, you need to calculate the optimal distance for a 48-inch HDTV.

Step 1.Convert inches to centimeters (1 inch = 2.54 cm).

48 x 2.54 = 121.92 cm.

Step 2. Use the formula L = kD.

L = 2.3 x 121, 92 = 280.41 cm.

Thus, the distance from the viewer’s eyes to the TV located on the wall/bedside table should be at least 2.8 m.

After this, you can move on to the second stage of calculations, and determine at what height the TV should hang. To do this you need to do the following:

1. Sit where you plan to watch TV.
2. Measure the distance from the floor to eye level.
3. Mark the resulting height on the wall where you plan to hang the TV panel.

The marked point should be 1/3 of the screen height. Let's look at an example where the distance from the floor to eye level is 110 cm, and the height (i.e. the distance between the top and bottom of the screen) is 75 cm.

Step 1. Calculate 1/3 of the height.

75:3=25 cm.

Step 2. Calculate the height of the bottom edge of the screen.

110–25=85 cm.

Thus, you need to hang the TV so that the distance from the floor to the bottom edge of the screen is 85 cm.

It is important to understand that the above calculations are approximate; when choosing a location for the TV, it is worth considering a number of other criteria.

What determines the height and location of installation?

When determining the location for the TV panel, in addition to the calculation results, you need to take into account several more factors and, if necessary, adjust the height:

• Viewing position of the audience. It makes no sense to measure the distance from the floor to the eye level of a sitting person if, for the most part, household members watch TV lying down or half-sitting.
• Proximity of heating devices. Do not place the TV panel directly above a radiator, fireplace or other heat source.But, if there is no other place in the room, the distance between the heating device and the bottom edge of the screen should be such that the TV does not heat up.
• Presence of small children and animals in the house. The equipment should be kept out of the reach of children and pets. If the height of the child/animal is such that at the height obtained as a result of the calculations, he can easily reach the screen and could damage it, it is worth hanging the TV higher.

When choosing a place, you should pay attention to the location of other furniture in the room. The best option for placing the TV panel is against the wall opposite the one near which the “seats” are located. But only if the distance from the TV to the audience is at least three screen diagonals.

At what height should I hang the TV in different rooms?

The height of the TV also depends on the room in which it is planned to be placed - in the bedroom, living room, kitchen or children's room.

Kitchen

There are 2 options for placing the TV in the kitchen, which is why you need to base your calculations on what height to install it at:

• In the work area. If you plan to watch TV while cooking, i.e. mainly in a standing position, you need to focus on the height of the viewer - the screen should be located at eye level. As a rule, in this case the height is 120-150 cm.
• In the dining area. When a TV is installed in the kitchen in order to watch movies and programs while eating, that is, while sitting, the rules described above apply. That is, the screen must be located at a height determined by the formula (viewer’s eye level minus 1/3 of the screen height).

When choosing a location, you should not forget about safety measures and follow several rules:

• Do not place the panel near a sink, hob, microwave oven, etc. This threatens to damage the device due to contamination, overheating or moisture.
• Install the TV so that it is not exposed to direct sunlight. This is harmful not only for technology, but also for vision - the picture on the screen will be “overexposed” due to glare and “sunbeams”.
• Place the TV only on stable surfaces. Ordinary kitchen tables are not suitable for this; it is better to place the device on a special shelf or hang it on the wall on a bracket.

It is also desirable that there is a separate outlet for the TV. This will help avoid voltage surges when, in addition to the TV, several other household appliances are turned on in the kitchen.

Living room

In the living room, as a rule, TV is watched in a sitting position, and the height of the placement is calculated using the above formula. Usually the figure ranges from 80-120 cm.

But, since the calculation takes into account the level of the viewer’s eyes, the question arises of what to do in the case when everyone in the household is watching TV in the living room and it is obvious that their height (and, therefore, the level of their eyes) is different. In such a situation, averaged data must be used in calculations.

For example, a family of 4 watches TV. You need to measure the eye level in a sitting position for everyone, then add these numbers and divide by 4 (that is, by the number of spectators). And based on the results obtained, make further calculations.

Bedroom

When choosing a place for a TV in the bedroom, you should take into account that household members will watch it lying down or half-sitting, and proceed from this. The optimal point in this case can only be determined experimentally:

1. Take the place from which you will watch TV and take the usual posture for such a situation.
2. Close your eyes for 20-30 seconds and relax.
3. Open your eyes and pay attention to the section of the opposite wall on which your gaze immediately concentrated. This is where the center of the screen should be located. As a rule, it is located at a distance of 120-140 cm from the floor, depending on the height of the furniture on which the viewer is located.

In addition to the height, when watching TV while lying down, it is important to take into account the angle of inclination of the panel - it should be 25-30°. It is not recommended to tilt it further; it will affect the image quality, making it darker, which will lead to increased eye strain.

Children's

When choosing a place for the TV in the nursery, in general you need to follow the same rules as for the living room, but with some nuances. The fact is that children quite often watch TV “out of the corner of their eye”, while going about their business, and it is important that viewing is comfortable from any position.

To choose the optimal point, you need to determine all the places where the child can watch cartoons, shows and movies (bed, floor, chair near the desk). Then measure the distance from the floor to his eye level at each point, calculate the average and calculate the height using the formula.

In addition, the following rules must be observed when placing the TV panel:

• The distance from any viewing point to the screen must be at least 2.5 m.
• The equipment must be placed at such a height and in such a place that the child does not damage it during active games, and if he is still very small, he cannot reach the screen and cable.
• The picture on the screen from each viewing point should be equally bright and clear, without glare or reflection.

It is also worth considering that children are growing, and the previous position of the TV panel will sooner or later become inconvenient. To prevent your child from experiencing discomfort when viewing, you need to periodically check how the height of the screen corresponds to his current height.

The dangers of incorrect placement of the TV panel

On average, people spend about 2-4 hours a day watching TV, and on weekends and holidays the amount of time devoted to the “blue screen” can increase significantly. For this reason, it is especially important to position the TV correctly; mistakes can lead not only to discomfort, but also to health problems.

The consequences can be different and depend on how exactly the screen is installed:

• Higher than necessary. The head is in an unnatural, thrown back position, tension occurs in the muscles of the neck and back of the head, which threatens spasms and pain in the cervical region and back of the head.
• Below what is needed. The head is lowered, a feeling of fatigue and discomfort quickly appears, as a result of which, as in the previous case, a headache or discomfort in the neck area may occur.
• Closer to what you need. When the TV is too close, the eyes quickly get tired of the flickering of constantly changing pictures, the load increases, which often leads to deterioration of vision.
• Further than necessary. In such a situation, in order to see the details, you have to constantly strain your eyesight. This not only causes discomfort, making it difficult to relax, but also leads to rapid eye fatigue.

To avoid health problems, it is better to immediately choose the most suitable place for the TV, following all the rules.There are not many of them, and determining the optimal point will not be difficult at all.