I received some interesting information from Peerless last week. This is one of the companies that makes top quality mounts for flat panel televisions. I was curious about how many people actually use mounts these days; the conventional wisdom from about five years ago was that fewer than 25% of all sets got mounted on [...]
We bought a 46 LCD 18 months ago and mounted it on a swing/tilt wall mount. It is in a corner and can be pushed flat against the wall for entertaining, but is pulled out and swiveled for viewing.
Most people mount their displays because they don't know any better. They see it in magazine and think "Oh, that looks cool", so they do it. What they don't realize is that in most cases that places the display at an undesirable height. The ideal height for the vast majority of displays is at a level where your eyes (when seated) are between 1/3-1/2 up the screen. In most situations that means the center of the display will be about 4' high, but people routinely mount their displays 6' off the ground.
This results in most people constantly looking up at their display which can get a bit painful during a long movie, not to mention that it probably doesn't provide the best picture in terms of PQ. Additionally, many of the same people that mount their displays (too high), still use some type of low boy cabinet underneath it to place the rest of their gear.
Just place the display on top of that cabinet instead, and your display will probably be at the right height.
If nothing else, Americans are suckers for slick Marketing.
I agree that you want to look square on to the flat panel, but I'm not sure that looking up is so bad. Do you stay out of movie theaters because you have to look up at the screen? I find that a wall mount with a vertical tilt feature is fine, provided the seating lets you lean back and get comfortable.
I also agree that American consumers are swayed by marketing -- why else the fascination with thin flat panels? -- but in this case I'm not sure that it's to their detriment.
This analysis/statistic of the higher % of large panel installations on walls did not mention some valid reasons that are beyond the preference factor of the “wall over tabletop” choice, I mention just a few:
a) The extra cost of the typical entertainment unit that can hold these larger TVs cost generally several hundred dollars (thousands in some elegant models), compared to the lower cost of the bracket for self installations,
b) The installation could be in a room that already has furniture for the A/V equipment but is not designed to hold the set (a rack style for example),
c) Some large panels charge separately for the stand (Pioneer Elite Monitor, when available, had an optional $500 stand). I installed several 60” non-monitor Elites, although these models included stands; one customer spent $2000 on the under cabinet. None were on walls, due to proper advice.
d) The common (wrong) approach of installing panels too high on the wall, such as above a fireplace mantel, for which a wall bracket is the most common solution and a cabinet is not an option, even when there is no restriction of wall space under it (no fireplace cases), and even when the viewing angle would decrease the quality of the image (considerably on LCDs) when fixed brackets are used. Regardless, the neck effect of viewing with the head inclined back should be a concern on prolonged viewing, even when the panel bracket can be aligned to reduce the vertical viewing angle as close as possible to 90 degrees,
e) The commonly pushed sales speech for the higher priced installation labor of the selling store, which in many cases creates more revenue than the TV markup, however, on some angled situations (90 degrees of two walls joining) the installation could not be done with most reasonable priced wall brackets.
Do you stay out of movie theaters because you have to look up at the screen?
Nope, but I don't sit in the front row either. Additionally, most theater seats recline. When reclining, you can get away with the display being a bit higher.
Of course the nightmare of most homes is the idiotic "for the resale of the house" fireplace in the middle of where entertainment should come from. Yea we used to be entertained (and in some moments it still works) watching a fire and having a good discussion about global warming (don't yell at me, at least burning wood is carbon neutral).
BUT, if you are stuck mounting the TV over the fireplace (heat damage notwithstanding), simply having a more reclined couch-chair, can make the natural head position work. In fact that is generally the case in all bedroom viewing -mounting. So if you are stuck with a Fireplace there, then it really works very well.
My wife took the chainsaw away from me when she saw me heading for the fireplace in our house when we bought it, so I turned the orientation away from the fireplace. It is on the side, ignored as it should be (as air leaks up and out of the house). So I have, I think followed the rules and have one on a Stand, on a TV shelf unit in the living room (with relatively straight back couch. And mounted over the fireplace in the bedroom. No neck aches - but I am getting wider from all the sitting (I love movies and good TV).
At least in California - but really everywhere, securely mounting the TV is critical and mounting makes that easy. After all, we want our dogs and children in 3D, not 2D after a tip over.
spartanstew - we should start a national campaign. Fireplaces should banned from being installed in houses by default.
IF a fireplace at all, it should be in a corner - and with a fully closing damper. Even better, a freestanding corner one that can be taken to the dump or storage when the reality sinks in of how useless they are. (and if you need the corner for a low end damping tube).
I'm all for fire, a Blu-Ray of a fireplace on a toasty plasma display would do just fine!
If burning wood was "carbon neutral" then why does California restrict wood burning fireplaces on "spare the air" days, but I digress...
I have a Peerless wall mount for a 58" Panasonic Vieja Plasma and the bottom edge is 3"10" off the floor. The room was designed from the ground up for a media room and all of the wiring and speakers are built in. There are even dedicated electric circuits for the media equipment as well as 2 hardwired internet connections. I have to agree with other posters that too high an installation is a bad idea in the long term. I am not so sure that the heat from the fireplace is good for the electronics either. I bought the heavy duty Peerless so I could get 3 studs as the plasma weighs 140 lbs.
I did my homework and all of the components are mounted for optimal performance, including the speakers. Even the flooring was "tuned" so there are no resonances I realize that most of you will not have optimal conditions for a true home theater installation.
My set generates almost a kW of heat and has 4 cooling fans built in.
I have a solid wall in the family room 14' wide with the fireplace on one side. I mounted a 52" LCD on the wall - bottom is approximately 4 feet off the floor. I bought a 3 shelf console and put together a small PSB speaker system on the top shelf with the components on the middle shelf and storage on the bottom shelf. This is for casual viewing only and normal viewing position is about 13' away so the angle is fine (mount does not swivel).
I put a 32" lcd in the daughter's bedroom and mounted it about 6 feet up because she watches from bed and wanted it there.
I have a 40" in the entertainment center.
What I need is a mount that doesn't cost more than a TV set that will support a very large monitor up to 40" that will allow me to use it at the desk in the shop, but raise, move forward, and swing out of the way without getting in the way of something else. The mount would have to be at least 4 to 5' long and articulated as well as support 10# to15# (give or take a tad- I don't know what the new, large monitors weigh). I may have to weld up something.
A 40" TV is going to weigh closer to 40 lbs, not 10 or 15. 5' articulation is a lot but could probably be done with a large, expensive double hinge arrangement. But getting it to also move up and down will be a challenge.
It would probably be cheaper and easier to buy a smaller second set for the desk in the shop.
Well... It's not the 40" I need the mount for. It's currently the 24" computer monitor (which weighs between 10 and 15#) for one of the computers in the shop. I need to be able to swing it out, move it forward and back as well as up and down. It controls a number of pieces of equipment as well as a ham radio station plus it's how I get on the internet from out there. Unfortunately to use it from the desk it blocks the view of about half the equipment on the desk and most of the radio station so to operate the station, it needs to be off to the side and up a bit.
I also use it for HD satellite TV with the second DISH receiver where it gets pulled around in front.
I'd like to replace the 24" with at least a 37" 1080p, if not 40". If I build a mount it will be a double arm something akin to those magnifying lights that are on a swing arm. They are relatively simple to make with the exception of getting the spring placement and tension correct. I'd use 1/2" or 3/4" 12 gauge square steel tube, 1" round tube for the pivot hinge on the wall. Course it'd be slick to motorize it and just use a little joystick or couple of push buttons to position the set. OTOH some limit switches and a bit of circuitry and use one button for in front, one for using with the radio, one for up on the wall and one for stored <:-))
I point out that I can make a LOT more for wall-mounting FPTVs, but I ALWAYS point out that "Once it's there... it's there."
If a customer is even vaguely interested in rearranging their room, occasionally, it's much easier to accomplish if the TV isn't bolted to the wall.
The other point is that, unless the source devices are going to be located elsewhere (a closet or shelving away from the display = more wiring $$$ + more RF remote $$$), they're probably going to have some kind of cabinet or rack under it anyway.
I just try to give 'em all the options, before selling the design.
In the cases of fireplaces, bedrooms, kitchens, etc., there often aren't many other options, so I just go with it.
btw... My own 50" HT-PDP is mounted on an open component rack, with a tall 'spine', which allows swiveling up to 170 degrees & moving it whenever & wherever I (or my wife) might want. But the 24" LED in my bedroom is tilt-mounted 7 ft. up, on an 8 ft. wall.
The vast majority of homes have the TV mounted where ever due to pre existing conditions.
We are used to viewing things straight on. If the TV is elevated then the screen should be tiled to be perpendicular to the viewer's eyes, BUT the viewer should be tilted...ok, reclining so the line to the TV screen is perpendicular to the axis of the resting head/neck. Even then, while in a semi reclining position, looking up is not natural. It may be a whale of a lot easier on the neck, but it's still not natural. Of course it seems as if most doctors offices no have a large screen mounted at about 8 or 10 feet so you can go to the "bone cruncher" to get your neck fixed after leaving there.
Our 40 inch is mounted in a build in entertainment center that is close to 23 years old. There is room for a panel with outside dimensions of a current 40" screen IE about a 46 in borderless screen which may be available in a year or two. Yes, it's dated, but to change would be a major rebuild of the living room. The living room is like my 12 year old car. It does what I want so why spend all that money to change it?
As to the corner location, both the living room (ground floor), and the family room (basement) have fireplaces. Both "could" be working fireplaces except we have the chimneys capped, and dampers sealed. There are no drafts from them in winter or summer. They could be made functional in about 10 minutes. Two hours if we had to pay for it. <:-)) The living room dictates the TV be on the same end as the fireplace in either corner, but the basement allows for the TV to be on the opposite end of the room.
Ah, flat screen TV … just what so many were waiting for to put on the wall, mostly inspired by Hollywood and television programs over the decades. Yep, putting that flat screen on your wall is the Buck Rogers thing to do for so many of us. What most people don’t know is that by doing so you have made yourself responsible for additional services and charges if the product fails.
