Home Theater Seating Arrangement

Choosing the right seats is only part one of home theater seating design. Proper placement also is essential to maximizing your home theater viewing experience. Even the comfiest home theater seats will lose their appeal if they’re not properly positioned. If you’re not sure how to arrange your seating, here are some home theater layout tips to help you out.

Distance

Sit too close to the screen and you can see the pixels, sit too far and it loses its visual impact. Many Canadian home theater pros will go into complex equations to compute the ideal viewing distance, but the general rule is three times the diagonal size of your screen. If you have a 60-inch TV set, your front row should be placed approximately 180 inches in front of it.

Angle

If you sit too far to the side, the colors and shapes on the screen may appear distorted. Ideal viewing angles vary by the screen type and manufacturer, so it’s best to consult your manual for the exact figures. However, an angle of about 30 degrees from the midpoint of the screen is considered ideal for most Canadian home theater setups.

Height

Most Canadian home theater systems have a floor-standing TV, but it’s best to mount it at least 6 inches from the floor for optimal viewing height. Putting the screen at floor level makes it hard to view detail at the lower end. If your seats are arranged in rows, place the back rows on a riser the same height as the screen mount.