Screen sizes are always measured across the diagonal.
Trading standards requires TV's to be advertised indicating the visible picture size. In Europe Metric sizes must be indicated.
If it's a CRT (cathode ray tube) the manufactured tube size is quoted in inches but the visible picture must be quoted in centimetres.
This is because part of the glass tube is generally fitted behind the front cabinet moulding. So the visible picture if measured in inches is generally less than is implied by the televisions model number (which tends to prefix with the imperial size).
28" tube = 66cmV (visible picture).
32" tube = 76cmV (visible picture).
LCD and Plasma are commonly described in inches, as the panel size in inches is all visible picture. However, they should also be quoted in centimetres.
22" = 56cmV (visible picture)
26" = 66cmV
32" = 81cmV
37" = 94cmV
42" = 106cmV
Cobweb, March 2005