Now there’s an answer: The Viewing Distance Calculator takes in your viewing distance, screen shape and TV diagonal size/width and spits out a whole bunch of useful numbers.

This, of course, disregards two established rules of thumb:

1. Buy the largest TV you can comfortably afford.
2. Viewing distance = (Diagonal measurement of the TV) x 3

So, taking into account my apartment’s layout, we’re talking 148.8 inches from the sofa to the TV stand, or 12.4 feet. Plugging in those numbers with a prospective 42″ widescreen TV nets me a maximum recommended viewing distance of 15.8 feet. I am, however, outside the maximum viewing distance for an immersive THX experience (6.6 feet). A 46″ TV might do the trick…