43-Inch TV Viewing Distance: How Far Away To Sit? 

Sitting at an optimal viewing distance from your 43-inch TV is important for getting good picture quality, immersive experience and eye-comfort.

But if you look at the web for answers, you might get confused by the varying answers and some of the answers are outdated. This is why we have put together our 43-inch TV viewing distance guide.

We will answer the question according to latest recommendations from ITU, THX and SMPTE.

How Far Away Should You Sit From A 43-inch TV? 

The answer will vary a bit depending on your TV resolution and your main usage type. The 8k and 4k TVs are high resolution and they have smaller designed viewing distance. So you can sit closer to these TVs without seeing the pixels which results in a more immersive experience. Similarly, the recommended viewing distance varies for your main usage and level of immersion you want.  

43- Inch TV Resolution	Minimum/ Design Viewing Distance	THX 40 FOV Viewing Distance	SMPTE 30 FOV Viewing Distance
43-inch 8k (UHD)	2.3 feet (96 FOV)	4.3 feet	5.9 feet
43-inch 4k (UHD)	2.95 feet (58 FOV)	4.3 feet	5.9 feet
43-inch 1080p (HD)	5.58 feet (32 FOV)	4.3 feet	5.9 feet

43-inch TV Viewing Distance For 4K

For Mixed TV Usage in Living Rooms/Bedrooms: For mixed usage in Living Rooms or bedrooms, the recommended 43-inch 4k TV Viewing Distance is 5.3 to 5.9 feet based on SMPTE. 

For Home Cinema:  For theater-like immersive movies experience,  the ideal 43-inch TV Viewing Distance is 4.3 feet based on THX 40 FOV. So this should be the distance from your TV to your first row of seats. You can also go for a bit less immersive 4.8 feet viewing distance which is based on THX 36 degree FOV.

For Gaming: If you are buying TV for gaming only, you can sit as close as 2.95 feet to your 43-inch 4k TV. This will give you the most immersive gaming experience. It is like sitting in the front rows in the Cinema. You might have to move your eyes around. 

43-Inch 4K TV	Recommended By	Viewing Distance
Minimum/ Viewing Distance  (For Gaming & Front Row Theater-like Immersion)	ITU 1.5 Picture Height based on 60 PPD (Around 58 FOV)	2.95 feet
Ideal Distance for Movies (Home Cinema)	THX (40 Degree field of view)	4.3 feet
Acceptable Viewing Distance for Home Cinema	THX (36 Field of View)	4.8ft
Distance for Mixed UsageLiving Rooms/Bedrooms)	SMPTE ( 30 Degree Field of View)	5.9 feet

43-inch TV Viewing Distance For 1080p

You should sit around 5.58 ft or 5.9 ft away from your 43-inch 1080p HD TV to get perfect image quality and viewing experience. 

43-Inch 1080p HD TV	Recommended By	Viewing Distance
Minimum/ Design Viewing Distance	ITU 3 Picture Height for 60 PPD  (32 FOV)	67 inches (5.58 feet)
Distance for Mixed Usage(Living Rooms/Bedrooms)	SMPTE ( 30 Degree Field of View)	5.9 feet

43-inch TV Viewing Distance For 8K

You can sit as close as 2.3 feet to 7 feet away from your 50-inch 8K TV to get the best viewing experience. 

43-Inch 8K TV	Recommended By	Viewing Distance
Minimum/Design Viewing Distance	Based on 96 FOV (0.75 Picture Height)	2.3 ft
Ideal Distance for immersive gaming & Cinema	Samsung & THX (40 Degree field of view)	5 ft (1.52 m)

Science Behind Viewing Distance

Human system has certain visual limitations. We have a horizontal field of view of around 180 degree and resolving power of 1 arc minute or 60 pixels per degree (60 PPD) for a healthy eye with 20/20 visual acuity.

Both of these factors vary with distance from the screen, therefore maintaining an optimal viewing distance becomes critical. 

Let me outline at the outset, the optimal viewing distances are trying to balance 3 desired factors. We want to sit at a distance where we can get the full benefit of resolution or at least avoid screen door effects, we want a good level of immersion and a comfortable experience.

1-Picture Quality (To Take Full Benefit of Resolution & avoid screen door effect)

2-Immersion (To get an immersive viewing experience)

3- Comfort  ( To Get Comfortable experience)

1- How Resolving Power of the Human Eye Relates to Viewing Distance?

Human eye has the resolving power of 1 arc per minute or 60 pixels per degree. This is the maximum detail our eyes can see in the display. And TV manufacturers design their TV for viewing at a distance where you get 60 PPD so you can get the full advantage of resolution without missing any details. 

If you go closer to the screen, you get fewer than 60 pixels per degree. And you can see the individual pixels and lines between them. This results in a screen door effect. 

While if you go away from the screen, you get more details than the 60 pixels per degree. As a result, your eyes can’t resolve the extra details and it is like you are not taking full advantage of the screen resolution.  

2- How  Field of View Relate to Viewing Distance?

Our total vision consists of around 135 degree of vertical and 180 degree of horizontal field of vision. For TVs, the horizontal field of view is important. 

The field of view is also dependent on the distance from the screen or any object for that matter.

Closer you get to the object, more of your field of vision is taken up by the screen or object. So the field of view determines the immersion. 

And away from the TV you are, a lesser part of your vision is taken up by the TV screen. So away from your TV you are, the less immersive it gets and more details you lose. But if you get too close to TV you might not be able to get the full view of the TV. 

Many Cinema Standard and Certification Organizations like THX and SMPTE did their research to know what is the right angle of vision for watching movies.

Their recommendations for maximum and minimum angle of vision are very helpful in determining the viewing distance for the best experience.

 Let’s have a look at the table. 

Organization Name	Recommended Angle	Recommended For
ITU, TV Manufacturers	32 FOV for HD, 56 FOV for 4k, 92 FOV for 8k	Different For Different Resolution
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE)	30 Degree field of view	1080P TVs, adopted widely for 4k as well.
THX	36 Degree field of view	1080, 4k, 8k
Samsung & THX	40 Degree field of view	1080p, 4k, 8k

Is 43-inch TV Too big?

It is important to know how big and how wide is 43-inch TV to know if it will fit your TV shelf or TV stand. A 43-inch TV is around 37.5 inch wide and 21.1 inch tall. It has total area of 791 in². You need to maintain 4.3 feet to 5.9 feet viewing distance from your TV. The 4.3 inch TV distance is based on THX 40 FOV which recommends sitting closer to TV to have more immersive experience. While 5.9 feet is based on SMPTE 30 FOV which most people prefer and find really comfortable for day-to-day mixed usage.

So a 43-inch is good TV size for 10×10 room or kitchen or RVs. It is too big if you have smaller rooms like 8×8.