How to measure
Use these guides to identify the measurements the calculator needs. Drawings are not to scale.
B · Viewing distance: horizontal distance from your eyes to the screen plane, not the sloping sight line.
C · Proposed center height: floor to the middle of the screen for the optional distance-and-angle check.
Screen center is not the bracket or drilling position. Check your TV and mount instructions before installing.
Start with your actual seat
Sit where you usually watch and measure from the floor to your eyes. Enter that height and the screen diagonal. This uses a 16:9 display and places its center at your measured eye level. Sony recommends eye-level screen positioning as a general starting point; room layout and viewing posture still matter.
With eyes 42 inches from the floor and a 65-inch 16:9 screen, the screen is about 31.87 inches high. Its center is 42 inches, its bottom about 26.07 inches, and its top about 57.93 inches from the floor.
How the screen edges are calculated
Screen height = diagonal × 9 ÷ √(16² + 9²). Subtract half that height from eye level for the lower edge, and add half for the upper edge. All lengths use the selected unit. Changing units converts both entered values.
Screen position is not a drilling template
The calculation describes the active screen, excluding bezel and stand. Mounting-hole positions and bracket offsets vary by model, so do not drill at the displayed center without the TV and bracket instructions. Check physical clearances, wall suitability, and the manufacturer’s installation requirements. This tool does not specify anchors, support loads, or fireplace heat clearance.
A 16:9 screen is an explicit assumption, not a model lookup. Other aspect ratios and curved or unusual displays need their actual dimensions. Tape out the screen outline and check it from your usual seat before committing to a position.
Check a higher or lower placement
Open Distance and viewing angle, choose Proposed height, and enter the horizontal distance from your eyes to the screen plus your proposed screen-center height. The result uses that proposed height and shows the angle from horizontal to the center. Positive means looking up; negative means looking down. It is not the tilt setting for a bracket.
For eyes 42 inches above the floor, a proposed center 60 inches high, and a horizontal distance of 96 inches, the rise is 18 inches. The angle is arctan(18 ÷ 96), about 10.62° up. Moving farther away reduces this angle for the same height difference. Eye-level placement has a zero center angle at any positive distance.
See the placement shows the screen and floor heights in a proportional drawing. It resizes to fit the panel, so it is not actual size. How to measure explains the inputs before you start.
Distance also affects how large the picture looks. Sony’s viewing-distance guide discusses screen size and resolution. That is a different question from the vertical angle caused by mounting height. Try the position from your usual seat and follow guidance for your particular TV; this calculator does not label a measured angle as universally comfortable.