So you have decided to make use of a TV as a monitor. You quickly realize the challenge you have on your hands – its large size, fuzzy text and images, and miscellaneous issues like viewing distance, reflections, and glare are problems you may need to deal with.

A larger, blurrier TV strains your eyes when viewed up close. You need to correctly set up your TV workspace and make an effort to minimize reflections and glare, reduce blue light, and so on. But you also need a TV of the right size and resolution, such as a 4K TV.

Here, we’ll cover how you can improve the ergonomics of your TV monitor workspace, with 8 practices.

How a TV compares to a laptop or monitor screen

You probably have a TV in your house, and that large screen is just sitting there in your living room – waiting to be turned into a giant monitor. If you are traveling, you may be tempted to utilize the smart TV in your Airbnb for productivity, given the lack of access to a desktop monitor.

If you tried, you would have realized that using a TV as a monitor is not as straightforward as using a laptop or monitor.

Unlike a laptop or monitor, a TV is not designed for close-up work. Typically, TV screens pack fewer pixels per inch, leading to blurrier images and text; TVs are less capable of displaying fine details. Most TVs come with glossy screens with more noticeable reflections that can cause eye strain.

Screen resolution

TVs are not built for close-up work – they pack fewer pixels per inch than laptops or monitor screens. 

This means that compared to laptops and monitors of the same resolution, the pixels on a TV are more spaced out due to the larger screen size. As a result, text and images

are blurry when viewed from a close distance.

Here are the common types of screen resolutions available for TVs:

• 720p
• 1080p (full HD)
• 2K
• 1440p
• 4K (Ultra HD)
• 8K

To use a TV as a monitor, you would need a TV with a display resolution of at least 4K. 

A 4K TV works because it has 4 times the pixel count of full HD displays, which is very common in TVs but inadequate for close-up computer work. The higher resolution of a 4K TV makes text and images sharper and easier to read.

Important note: Be sure to invest in a 4K TV if you want to make use of it as a productive screen. Anything that you use daily deserves to be the highest quality tool you can afford. This has ramifications on your productivity and health so it is not wise to make do with a lower-resolution screen. Otherwise, stick to using monitors as they have numerous advantages compared to TVs.

Size of TV

A larger screen is great for multitasking – but that is only if you know how to organize it.

These are ways in which the large screen size can become a problem:

• The larger screen requires time to get used to; you need to adapt to it for computer work.

• Your TV monitor can get cluttered easily, especially if you are displaying multiple apps and programs. Organizing a large screen is a skill.

• If your TV is too large (or if you are sitting too close), you may need to physically turn your head to view the text that is at your screen’s edges. This is a recipe for eye strain and neck or shoulder tension.

• If your apps do not fully occupy the large screen, you should beware of potential contrast issues. For example, if you are working on a bright white webpage but your TV has a solid black background, the contrast can be taxing for your eyes.

Glossy screen

Most TVs come with glossy screens, since they offer better contrast and color. When watching TV from a distance, the images will appear richer. This is unlike monitors or laptops, which come with matte screens.

Yet, glossy screens are much more susceptible to reflections. You may notice these reflections way more when using a TV as a monitor. Other sources of light in the room may enhance those reflections. Thus, avoid having any light sources pointed toward the TV. In order to minimize reflections and glare, there are some things you can do to improve the ambient lighting in your room.

TV monitor ergonomics: Best practices

So you insist on using a TV as a monitor… what next? No doubt, some advantages are very appealing, but to effectively utilize a TV, you need to counter the disadvantages outlined.

Specifically, using a TV as a monitor requires proper TV desk setup and daily habits to counter these disadvantages: a fuzzy low-quality screen that makes reading difficult, a large display size that can harm ergonomics, and a glossy screen that can produce reflections and glare.

This article was originally published on unboundist.com. If it is now published on any other site, it was done without permission from the copyright owner.

1. Set your TV up on a large desk

First and foremost, you need a large desk. Not only must it be wide but also deep enough to create enough viewing distance between your eyes and its screen.

What are the advantages of smaller TVs?

• Smaller TVs, compared to larger TVs (at the same screen resolution, e.g. 4K), require a smaller depth desk for viewing texts/images and maintaining the same field of view. 

• Smaller TVs can weigh almost half as heavily as larger ones. Thus, consider if your desk can handle the weight of larger TVs. This is especially important if you are including other desk accessories as well, or if you are looking to install a monitor mount to elevate your TV.

2. Sit further away from the TV

The American Optometric Association recommends that the optimal distance from the computer screen to your eyes is 20 to 28 inches.

For a TV monitor, you may want to experiment or leave some room for a greater viewing distance, up to 35 or 40 inches away from your eyes. 

By sitting further away, you also eliminate the need to turn your head left or right, in order to read things off the screen edges. You avoid neck and shoulder tension.

There are ways you can sit further away from the TV. 

• A desk with a greater depth helps. 
• Shift the TV to the back of your desk. 
• Use a keyboard tray. Placing your keyboard and mouse on a sliding keyboard tray, attached beneath your desk, helps you sit further away from the TV.

3. Mount your TV on a monitor arm for flexible adjustments

You can mount your TV on a stand, wall, or monitor arm. 

Many TVs come with stand mounts, which carry disadvantages; stand mounting occupies a lot of surface space and does not allow you to flexibly adjust your TV’s position or height.

On the other hand, wall mounting saves space. However, like stand mounting, you cannot adjust your monitor. Wall mounting a TV may require professional installation and adds to the cost of your setup.

The third option is using a monitor arm. Mounting a TV on your monitor arm frees up your desk space while allowing you to adjust the position of the TV. You need to know your TV size (measured diagonally) to find a suitable monitor arm – your TV must fall within the arm’s size and weight limits. You need to select the right monitor arm and learn how to mount your TV.

4. Reduce the contrast on your large TV screen

Due to the large size of a TV, you may not fully utilize the entire screen height/area of your TV when displaying your windows and apps. 

Therefore, the background of your TV will come into play; it may interfere with your viewing comfort. 

If the background is not right, there may be high contrast issues that can lead to eye strain. Avoid browsing a bright white webpage with a solid black background, or a bright wallpaper on your TV.

Instead, use a softer wallpaper with a more neutral shade of color, avoiding bright white or solid black. Examples are burgundy, navy blue or deep purple.

5. Minimize reflections on your TV screen

Since most TVs have glossy screens, they are more susceptible to reflections. You want to avoid light sources pointing towards the TV, coming from desk lamps or other task lights. Bright ambient lighting in your room can also be a bad idea.

Here are some tips to deal with reflections on your TV screen:

• You may need to close some blinds
• Dimming the lighting in your room a little may help
• Have a well-lit room overall with sufficient ambient lighting
• Use a monitor light bar, instead of a desk lamp. Monitor light bars serve to provide the lighting you need, while not causing screen reflection and reducing glare.

6. Learn how to organize a large screen

Organizing your TV screen is important since visual clutter leads to strain. Too many windows and apps littered across a large screen result in visual clutter, which can kill productivity.

Thus, you need to have good organizational skills. You can make good use of free software tools to keep your windows neatly tiled across your TV screen.

The FancyZones utility feature of the application Microsoft PowerToys allows you to divide your big TV screen into a number of smaller zones (determined by you) – so that you can tile programs across the screen akin to a multi-monitor setup. You will have multiple apps neatly organized and adjacent to one another.

7. Reduce blue light from your TV in the evenings

If you are using your TV as a single device for both work and entertainment, it can be an issue.

You are likely to spend long hours on it. Maybe you work late into the evenings. The TV emits blue light which can mess up your circadian rhythm and sleep.

Thus you want to filter out blue light via the following means:

• Some TVs have a blue light-reducing setting: Adjust your settings to reduce blue light
• Turn down the TV brightness: This can impact the amount of blue light entering your eyes. But if you do this, you may also need to dim the ambient lighting in your environment a little.
• Use blue light blocking glasses: These glasses are designed to filter out blue light. Wearing them gives you a ‘single’ solution for using all screens and devices at night – you no longer worry about any blue light emitted from screens.

8. Get a 4K TV (43-inch and below for better clarity)

If you do all of the above, your efforts will remain inadequate without the right TV. If you have a lower resolution (below 4K) on a large 40-inch TV, you will still struggle with text and images on your screen.

You should find and invest in the right home office 4K TV that serves you well, both work- and entertainment-wise.