How To Know The Diagonal Of The Tv In Inches

When choosing a new TV, the screen diagonal can become a weighty argument in favor of a particular model. It turns out that this parameter is no less important than the technical characteristics. In addition, you need to know the size of the display, for example, when replacing an old device with a new one. After all, you need to understand whether it will fit in a designated space or not. Therefore, before starting the search, it is recommended to find out how to measure the diagonal of the TV and how to choose the best model based on this characteristic.

Why measure the diagonal and why in inches

The dimensions of the TV are determined not by length or width, but by the diagonal of its screen. So, only this parameter will help you determine the dimensions of the device. But why can not they be measured in a standard way. along the vertical and horizontal axis? There are several answers to this question:

1. In the middle of the last century, the image on the TV screen was displayed using a round tube. a kinescope. And since the diagonal of the resulting image was equal to the tube diameter, this particular variable was of greater importance than length and height.
2. Modern monitors have a standard aspect ratio: 4: 3 or 16: 9. Therefore, to determine the size of the display, using only one variable instead of two is more than enough.

As for units, everything is quite simple. For the first time, televisions appeared on the American market. And since the USA does not use the metric system, the diagonal was indicated exactly in inches. However, in the modern world, this unit of measurement is widespread, and therefore the release of electronics indicating inches in technical specifications is convenient for the international market.

How to measure the diagonal of the TV

The easiest way is to look at the information of interest on the box from the device or in the instructions for it. If you can’t find either one, you can go online and find out the size of the diagonal by specifying the brand and serial number of your TV in the search bar.

However, there are situations when none of these options is suitable. For example, if the instruction has long been lost, and there is no access to the back panel, which, as a rule, shows all the information about the model, because the device is mounted on a wall. In this case, it remains only to measure the diagonal yourself. You can do this in the following ways:

Take a tape measure and measure the distance from the lower corner of one side to the upper corner of the opposite. Please note that the measuring line should not go along one axis, but obliquely. For example, from the bottom left to the top right or vice versa. The frame of the TV surrounding the screen is not taken into account.

When measuring, the frame of the TV is not taken into account

If the screen diagonal is so huge that the length of the tape measure is not enough to measure it, you will have to use a slightly different method. Take a tape measure or thread and measure the length and height of the display. Next, to calculate the diagonal, you have to use the Pythagorean theorem. To do this, square each obtained value into a square, then add them and extract the square root of the sum obtained (a² b² = c²). For convenience, when making calculations, use the calculator.

In order to measure a monitor with a convex display, instead of tape measure, take an elastic tape centimeter or thread.

Convert inches to centimeters

Since the screen diagonal is measured exclusively in inches, the result, expressed in centimeters, will not be as useful as we would like. Of course, you can initially use a ruler with a scale that immediately shows the necessary units. But, such a tool may not be at hand. In this case, you will need to independently convert centimeters to inches. This is very easy to do. it’s enough to know that 1 inch is 2.54 cm. So, to find out the diagonal of the screen, the number obtained as a result of its measurements must be divided by 2.54 and round the resulting result down. For example, the screen diagonal is 82 cm. If you divide this number by 2.54, you get 32.28. Accordingly, the diagonal of the TV is 32 inches.

If you do not want to calculate everything manually, you can simply use the ready-made table.

Diagonal comparison table. Aspect ratio, diagonal and resolution

The whole image on the TV is formed from individual points. pixels. On modern devices it is impossible to distinguish each of them, however, the more of these points, the higher the clarity of the picture. Screen resolution is a parameter that shows how many pixels are contained in each inch on the display of a particular device. Accordingly, the higher this indicator, the better the resolution. This means that the image that you see on this monitor will be colorful and realistic.

Aspect ratio is the ratio of the height of an image to its width. The most common indicator is 16: 9. The fact is that the visual range of most modern films and games is created in this proportion. And if the TV has a different aspect ratio, then the user will see black stripes cropping the frame. This does not affect the quality of the picture, but can cause discomfort when watching programs. Therefore, it is recommended that devices with an aspect ratio of 16: 9 or 16:10 be selected. For such models, the picture is evenly distributed over the screen area, while distortion of the proportions inside the frame does not occur.

Which TV to choose

What the screen resolution or aspect ratio will be does not depend on the diagonal of the TV. The modern electronics market is a direct confirmation of this. after all, there are devices on sale with a small diagonal, but high resolution, and vice versa. However, on how the diagonal, resolution and sides of the monitor correlate, the user’s comfort in the perception of the depends. There are a number of rules that will help you choose the best model and not regret your purchase the first time you turn on the monitor:

1. The larger the diagonal, the higher the resolution. On large-screen televisions, any flaw is easy to see. If the TV’s diagonal is more than 81 cm, but, at the same time, its screen resolution is lower than Full HD, then when watching programs at close range, the image will appear cloudy. Perhaps even individual pixels will be visible.
2. The larger the distance, the larger the diagonal and the higher the resolution. From a distance of up to 1 meter, it’s easy to see any picture. The situation changes if from the monitor to the viewer about 2-3 meters. To keep the image clear at any distance, you need to choose a large display with high resolution. For example, if you plan to watch TV from a distance of four meters, then its diagonal should be 90-100 inches. At the same time, the resolution should be at least 1080p. However, if at the same resolution the diagonal of the display is 20 inches, then the visibility range will be reduced to one meter.
3. The smaller the aspect ratio, the smaller the diagonal. If on a huge TV the aspect ratio is 4: 3, then the black frames will “eat up” almost the entire area of ​​the screen.
4. The optimal diagonal for a standard room is 40 inches. If the display is larger, then when viewing content at a short distance from it, your eyes will instantly get tired. And if less, then the user is unlikely to be able to enjoy the clarity of the smallest details and high image quality.

When choosing the right device, pay attention to your needs and priorities. A universal solution will be a model with a resolution of 1920 × 1080, an aspect ratio of 16: 9 and a diagonal of 32-40 inches.

Popular TV models

Once you have decided on the width of the diagonal, it remains only to compare the characteristics and of popular models. This approach will help narrow your search and choose the right device, even if at first glance all the televisions seem alike.