WARNING: Your TV may be too small! (Or too far away!)
Disclaimer: Not responsible for readers who buy larger TV from reading this article.
The local power utility here in the Montreal area puts out a monthly newsletter, to all it’s billing clientele, that encourages good electrical habits and recommends energy saving measures, as well as promoting energy star rated appliances.
In one of the recent newsletters they discuss the relative size of TV screens. Basically the bigger the screen the more energy it uses. And that’s about what you’d expect.
However they go on to give you a formula to calculate the optimum size relative to the distance it’s normally viewed from. This is where it gest interesting.
The formula is; Viewing distance (D) divided by 2.5 equals the recommended size (S).
So D/2.5=S , or S=D/2.5
That would mean for example; If you normally sat 8 feet away then you divide 8 feet (96 inches) by 2.5 and the screen size should be 38”.
You can apply the formula to any location or usage, and use any system of measure; feet, inches, meters, centimeters, etc.. TV’s are normally measured on thediagonal of the screen.
So you can also input the screen size and determine the correct distance to place furniture. S= D/2.5 . A little application of high school algebra converts this to; D = 2.5 S. or S (size) times 2.5 = the viewing distance.
This means, for example, that a 30 inch screen should be viewed from 75 inches away (on average). That's only 6' 3".
Now this is where the world appears to split in two.
There are two camps; The (S) size group and the (D) decorator group.
(S) Group: Those who determine the TV is nor big enough and want to buy a larger unit. This group seems to have more men and teenagers.
(D) Group: The second group interprets this as reason to rearrange the furniture, redecorate or even relocate the TV. There is a greater number of women in this camp.
SO which group are you in? Is your TV too small? Or is it too far away?
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