How to Measure a 36 Inch Sony TV Screen

TV screens are measured across the diagonal.

If you own a television or computer monitor, you might notice that it is described as a "36-inch" screen but isn't 36 inches tall or 36 inches wide. Television and computer screens are measured diagonally: your 36-inch screen measures 36 inches from corner to corner. To verify that your screen is the correct size, you can use a tape measure to check its length.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure

Instructions

1. Place one end of your tape measure at the lower left corner of your television screen. Be careful not to scratch the glass of your screen with the metal hook at the end of the tape measure.

2. Stretch the tape measure to the upper right corner of your television screen.

3. Read the measurement on the tape measure to confirm that your television has a 36-inch screen. Depending on the age of your screen, the visible area of the screen may be slightly larger or smaller than 36 inches; this is normal.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure not to measure the plastic frame around your television screen. Measuring from one corner of the television frame to the opposite corner will give you an inaccurate measurement.

• If you're upgrading your television to a new HDTV and want a picture that is roughly the same size as your old television, measure the vertical distance from the top of the screen to the bottom of the screen and purchase an HDTV with the same vertical measurements. HDTV screens are wider than standard definition screens and will display smaller standard-definition images than a standard definition television with the same screen size.

References

• Screen Math: The HDTV Screen Size Guide