Is My TV Too High?
If you post a picture of your wall-mounted TV, you are likely to receive a chorus of, “TV too high” comments. It really doesn’t matter where you mount the TV, someone will insist it is too high. But why? Is it really too high or is it just the Internet being a terrible place again? Well, it is mostly the latter, but that’s not the real question. What you really want to know is what is too high for a TV? Where should it go? Let’s discuss.
Make Sure You Get the Right Size TV
We’ve already covered how to buy the right size of TV. But if you get one that is too big, it being too high will not be the issue. What you don’t want to have to do is move your eyes (much) to see the entire screen. If you think back to the last time you were at a movie theater and got your “perfect” seats, you probably could see most of the screen without moving your eyes. Maybe you had to move them slightly to see the corners. But that’s about it.
If you buy a TV or projection screen that is too big, you’ll have to move your eyes to see much of the image. And forget about fast-moving scenes. They’ll be a blur. This will cause eye fatigue and eventually headaches. While we don’t want you to buy a screen that is too small, too big is always an issue.
Look At the Percentages
Now that you’ve gotten your TV, it’s time to think about where to place it. Before we go further, the perfect mounting height can be very personal. You get 10 people in a room and you might end up with 10 different answers. That said, there are some guidelines we like to follow.
A good rule of thumb is that your eyes should be no higher than the middle of the screen. We find that most people prefer their TVs to be slightly higher than that. We like our eyes to line up with the bottom third of the screen. This feels comfortable for most people and gives you some flexibility in your mounting height.
Don’t Forget the Angles
Now, when we are talking about your eyes, we are not talking about their distance from the ground. If you line up the middle of your TV with the distance your eyes are from the ground, you are unlikely to find the experience pleasant. Most people recline in some way on their couches. Even on non-reclining couches, people don’t sit straight up. They lean back. We were are lining up your eyes and your screen, we are talking about your resting eyeline.
Sit on your couch the way you would while watching TV. Now, relax your eyes and look straight forward. That is your resting eyeline. Your TV should be mounted so that your resting eyeline falls on the TV at the middle of the screen down to the lower third.
What About Mounting a TV Above a Fireplace?
The reality is that most TVs mounted above most fireplaces are too high. It requires you to actively look up to see the screen, increasing eye fatigue. There are mounts out there that will bring the TV down to a better level, but you are better off just mounting it somewhere else. If you must mount your TV higher, invest in some recliners. The more reclined you are, the less eye fatigue you’ll feel.
Have you mounted your TV too high or low? Let us know below or on our Facebook page!
