Screen Height

The center of the screen belongs at your eye height, measured while sitting where you actually sit. The rest of this page exists because a wall stud does not care where that is.

Deciding factors

Seated eye height at the seat you use, not a standard figure taken from anywhere
The height of the panel itself, which is not its diagonal
Whether the bracket tilts, and how much of the panel that lets you lift
What stands under the screen, and whether it enters the picture
Where the studs are, which was decided by whoever framed the wall

How to measure

Sit down firstSit in the seat you use, in the posture you use it, and have someone measure from the floor to the center of your eye. Measuring while standing and subtracting a guess is where most of the error comes from.
Measure the panel, not the diagonalRun the tape up the panel from the bottom edge of the picture to the top edge of the picture. A diagonal figure is a marketing size and it is not directly usable here.
Mark the center height on the wallLow-tack tape at the height the calculator gives you. Step back, sit down, look at it. This is the cheapest correction available at any point in the project.
Find the studs and mark them tooUse a stud finder and mark both edges of each stud it reports. Stud positions are a fact about the wall. They are not something to work out by ear.
Compare the bracket against both marksThe bracket documentation states where the panel sits relative to the wall plate. Hold that offset against your center mark before anything is drilled.

Screen height from the floor

Inputs

Seated eye height from the floor (in)

Range 30 to 50

Height of the panel itself, picture edge to picture edge (in)

Range 14 to 48

Mount type

The result shown is calculated for the values above. Changing the fields needs JavaScript; the printed formula lets you run the same calculation by hand.

Result

Screen center from the floor: 3 ft 6 in
Bottom edge from the floor: 2 ft 4 in
Top edge from the floor: 4 ft 8 in

A wall stud will not necessarily land at this height. Find the studs with a stud finder first, then decide what the bracket can do. Do not move the number to suit a hole you already drilled.

Formula

Flat mount: screen center = seated eye height
Tilt mount: screen center = seated eye height + (panel height × 0.25)
Bottom edge = screen center − (panel height ÷ 2)
Top edge = screen center + (panel height ÷ 2)

Does not account for

Thickness of the bracket and the gap it leaves behind the panel
The angle the panel is actually tilted to
Where the studs are in your wall
Height of furniture standing under the screen
Reclining, lying down, or any seat that is not upright

Without buying anything

A height problem is usually a furniture problem. Work through these before accepting the figure the calculator gave you.

Move the seat before you move the screen. A foot of seat position changes the angle more than any bracket adjustment will.
Clear the top of the furniture underneath and check whether the bottom edge was ever the problem.
Live with the height as tape on the wall for an evening. Nothing is bought and nothing is drilled.
Lower the furniture instead of raising the screen, when the furniture is what is in the way.

Common errors

Common errors when measuring Screen Height
Error	Consequence	What to do
Marking the height while standing at the wall	The screen ends up above the seated sight line and the neck angle never settles.	Mark the height from the seat, with someone else holding the tape.
Using the diagonal as the panel height	The center lands several inches away from the number that was calculated.	Measure the panel from picture edge to picture edge and use that figure.
Moving the height to line up with a stud	The measurement that started the whole exercise is discarded to suit a hole.	Keep the height and change the bracket, or choose one whose plate adjusts.
Forgetting what stands on the furniture below	A console, a speaker, or a plant covers the bottom edge of the picture.	Measure from the top surface of the furniture as well as from the floor.

Before drilling

Stop

The wall holds the panel; the bracket only connects the two. If a stud finder cannot locate studs, or you are unsure what the wall is built from, stop and bring in an installer.

Stop

In a home with children or animals, treat the panel and everything climbable beneath it as one problem. Anything that can be pulled on eventually is.

Note

No fastener torque figure appears anywhere on this site. Tightening figures come from the documentation for your bracket, and nothing here substitutes for it.