The main advantage of LCD and Plasma TV’s over older televisions is of how much thinner and lighter they are. Being so much lighter means that they can be mounted on a wall using a wall bracket or wall mount. Mounting a TV on a wall looks great and takes up much less room than using a TV cabinet.
There are 3 main types of wall brackets that you can used to mount a flat screen TV.
Fixed Wall Mounts – Fixed brackets are the easiest type of mount to install and are also the least expensive. They are designed for flat screen TV’s that are to be fixed parallel to the wall straight in front of the seating area. As this type of mount cannot be adjusted after installation it is very important to that it is placed on the wall at the right height and the right angle for optimum viewing from the viewing area. It is also important to ensure that there is no glare on the screen from the lighting in the room.
Tilting Wall Mounts – Tilting brackets are very similar to fixed brackets except the TV can be tilted up and down on its horizontal axis. This type of mount is most useful in the situation where the TV is not on the same level as the seating or viewing area, when this occurs the image quality can appear to be poor. If you use a tilting mount the TV screen can be tilted to an angle where there is perfect picture quality for the viewers. There is a hinge style mechanism in the bracket which allows the screen to be tilted up and down, however is can only be tilted so much so it still important to consider the positioning of the TV on the wall.
Articulated Wall Mount – Brackets which are articulated offer the most versatility in positioning a flat screen tv to the wall. The mount has a folding arm style mechanism which is made up of several joints connected together. This style of brackets means that the TV can be pulled away from the wall, it can be moved from side to side and also up and down. It is really useful if you are trying to position the TV in a corner or an awkward space in the room, or if you want to continually reposition your viewing area.
Each style of bracket has its advantages and disadvantages, the articulated wall mount is probably the most popular due to its flexibility in positioning the TV, but it can be the most time consuming to install and often tends to be the most expensive. In general wall mounts can be purchased for anywhere between $40 to $300.