When choosing a TV, consumers are primarily interested in its technical specifications and screen dimensions. It depends on its size how comfortable watching TV shows will be. In the article, we will consider how to measure the diagonal of a TV if it is not possible to find out its technical characteristics from the documents.
To measure or not to measure?
You can measure the diagonal of the TV with a tape measure. How to do it? Read about it below. To calculate the desired value, a normal meter will go. However, you can go and a simpler method, in which you do not need to take measurements.
For example, on the device’s case you can find the corresponding marking, where one of the numbers indicates the size of its diagonal. In the case where the designation SyncMaster 2232BW is present on the panel, the first pair of numbers indicates the diagonal size of the TV in inches. If it is important to calculate the diagonal in centimeters, a simple mathematical calculation is done: the size in inches is multiplied by 2.54.
The diagonal of the monitor is quite simple to determine, without even resorting to external inspection. When you turn on the computer, go to the Settings tab, where the name of the device with the corresponding numbers is indicated. So, in the program Windows 7 or Vista, anywhere on the desktop you need to right-click and select the line "Screen Resolution". In the window “Screen” that opens, the name of the monitor and its size will be indicated.
Tip 1: measure diagonally
If the box from the TV has long been thrown away, the passport is lost and you need to know the dimensions of the TV, you can do this by measuring its diagonal. To do this, you need: the TV itself, tape measure, paper and pencil.
How to measure the diagonal:
- A tape measure is stretched from the lower left corner to the upper right corner. It is important to clarify that the TV frame is not taken into account, and only the screen is measured.
- The measuring tape should not sag, but be a stretched string.
- If there is no meter at hand, the measurement is carried out with a thread, the end is marked or cut, and then its length is calculated using a ruler.
- The data obtained in centimeters are recorded on paper.
- Now the result needs to be converted to inches. Based on 1 inch = 2.54 cm, the number in centimeters is divided by 2.54. The answer is calculus and will be the size of the TV diagonal.
Tip 2: calculate side lengths
If for some reason it is not possible to measure the entire diagonal, you can use the side-by-side calculation method.
How to measure the diagonal of the TV:
- To do this, measure the height and width of the screen.
- Then a simple mathematical calculation is made on paper. Both known numbers are squared. For example, if these are numbers 30 and 50, in the square they are 900 and 2,500.
- The numbers add up and get the sum equal to 3,400, divide this number by 100. And then the result is translated into inches, that is, divided by 2.54.
Tip 3: help Pythagoras
Many owners of TVs are so careful about it that when measuring the diagonal, they are afraid of damaging the picture tube or matrix. In this case, school knowledge of the Pythagorean theorem will come to the rescue.
How to measure the diagonal?
- For calculus, it is necessary to determine the length and width of the screen, and calculate the answer by extracting the root from the addition of the squares of the obtained numbers.
- Sometimes this method is most preferable because it guarantees the safety of the screen.
- If you need to know the screen size in inches, as in the methods described above, the resulting value is divided by 2.54.
The nuances of measuring TVs: CRT, LCD, plasma
In the absence of any documents on the device before measurement, it is necessary to take into account some nuances. First of all, what type of TV is determined: liquid crystal (LCD), plasma, kinescope.
The nuances of how to measure the diagonal of TV screens:
- If this is a CRT, measurements are made on glass flasks. It is enough to stretch the centimeter diagonally from the lower corner to the upper.
- Before you measure a liquid crystal or plasma TV, you must turn it on. Move one and a half meters from the device and fix the location of the extreme luminous pixels in the corners. This is due to the fact that in liquid crystal and plasma TVs, the image is limited to a thin black frame around the perimeter of the screen. Therefore, it is important to measure at the most distant from each other pixels. In the on state, a centimeter is approached and applied to the TV from the extreme luminous pixel diagonally through the screen to the other extreme pixel. The result is recorded and calculated from centimeters to inches in an already known manner.
Convert centimeters to inches correctly
How to measure the diagonal of the TV in inches, we figured out. But what if you still don't understand what an inch is and how to find it?
In the modern world, an inch is not the most common unit of measurement, however, it continues to be used for various calculations. Based on the new calculus systems, it is planned to withdraw this unit of measure from circulation. But to date, this has not happened yet, so inches continue to be used mainly to indicate the size of the TV screen.
As mentioned earlier, 1 inch equals 2.54 cm.
Consider a simple example:
- The measurement results are obtained: the length of the monitor from corner to corner diagonally is 101.5 cm. Divide the value by 2.54. 101.5 / 2.54 = 39.9. So, the diagonal of the TV is 40 inches.
- The obtained values are: width - 49 cm, length 88 cm. We square 49 2 = 2 401, 88 2 = 7 744. Add: 2 401 + 7 744 = 10 145. We divide: 10 145/100 / 2.54 = 39.9. So, with a monitor width of 49 cm and a length of 88 cm, the diagonal in inches is 40.
- The values of the width and length are squared: 49 2 = 2 401, 88 2 = 7 744. Add: 2 401 + 7 744 = 10 145. We find the root: √10 145 = 100.72. We find the value in inches: 100.72 / 2.54 = 39.65.
However, you can measure the diagonal of the TV and in centimeters. A key parameter of the device screen is the distance that is measured between the opposite corners of the matrix.
With the help of numerous online services, you can quickly convert centimeters to inches and any other units of measure. Before buying a TV, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the basic screen size in inches and centimeters. Depending on the size of the room and the distance at which it is planned to watch TV, its dimensions are selected.
Relationship between TV size and diagonal
How to measure the diagonal of the TV, we examined with examples. Why is this needed? Many consumers are asking this question.
Two main points that affect the choice of the diagonal of the TV:
- distance from the screen to the viewpoint;
- screen resolution.
Their relationship is a proven fact. The higher the resolution of the TV device, the closer you can view it without losing image quality. Therefore, with a small resolution, the diagonal of the TV should be smaller, or it is recommended to view it at a distant distance. In practice, anyone can verify this. When you watch a television show with a poor quality image, image defects are visible nearby. If you move away, they become less noticeable.
For example, if the diagonal of the TV is 40 inches, then to watch the air channels this distance is multiplied by 3, it turns out the number 120, we translate it into centimeters. This means that the distance from which you can watch TV programs should not be less than 3 meters. If the resolution is 720 pixels, the distance is reduced to 1.9 m, and if it is a Full HD model, then the distance is reduced to 1.3 meters.
Therefore, deciding to buy a new TV, you need to make a choice based on a combination of technical characteristics and dimensions of the device. In the store, you can ask to measure the diagonal of the TV, if it is not indicated on the device.