CSGNetwork.com Free Information

Monitor Image Size Calculator

This calculator requires the use of Javascript enabled and capable browsers. One of the most important aspects of any video presentation system design is determining what is the optimum viewing screen size. This calculator is designed to provide that information. Unlike a movie theater, or a home theater installation, the information content on the screen is much more critical in a presentation system. The written material will contain important information that either supports, or supplements, the presentation. Of course the font size used has a great deal to do with legibility. Commercially produced television material sizes the fonts to be legible at about 10 feet on a 19 inch television, but in commercially produced material, printed or video taped, adjustment of the font size is not possible. Even with computer based presentation software displays, there is a finite limit of the font size. If the screen is too small for the depth of seating, the image will be too small to easily read written material. While a viewer can still resolve a picture at very small sizes, text legibility offers the potential for error. This is one of the greatest failings of school media presentation systems that typically use 27 to 31 inch televisions, the screen is not large enough to resolve text at viewing distances in average classroom environments. This limits the material to videos, and does not provide the potential for use of computer graphics and text. Projection of computer data has become a standard requirement for many corporate and educational environments. In days of old, when we sat through filmstrips and other vintage multimedia material in school, this material was developed for projection on a large screen, and the font sizes were chosen appropriately. In many teaching environments, the computer images being shown are not Power Point® presentations, but are actual computer applications, running with standard screen fonts. This may include spreadsheets, drawing or mapping software, wordprocessors, web browsers and other classic applications. For these applications the old rules of acceptable screen size for pictures does not apply, the information is in written form, not in the pictures. For someone to resolve a large screen computer display to the same fidelity that you are able to view this screen in front of you, the images have to be much bigger than a television image. This calculator will provide the dimensions for a projection screen with the equivalent image size to a 15 inch computer monitor at normal working distance. This would be the optimum size for viewing computer applications running at a maximum of 1024x768 resolution. This applies to aspect ratios of 3:4:5 relating to the screen characteristics of height, width and diagonal sizes. So long as the measurements remain consistent, any measurement designation will work correctly.

Unit
Number
Required Data Entry
Desired Viewing Distance Measurement Designation
   


Calculated Results
Optimum Diagonal Screen Size Measurement Designation
Minimum Diagonal Screen Size Measurement Designation
updated 8.15.11


Leave us a question or comment on Facebook
Search or Browse Our Site
Free Information Calculators and Converters

International Copyright Violation
Registered® Trademark™ and Copyright© 1973 - CSG, Computer Support Group, Inc. and CSGNetwork.Com All Rights Reserved