Wall mounting a flat screen TV is a great way of saving space, protecting the TV and getting a good position where the view isn’t interrupted. Setting up a wall mount for best effect involves a bit of planning, but it’s well worth doing. The best brands, like Sharp, Sony and Samsung LCD TVs are easily mounted, and it’s no major operation.
Wall mounting basics
When doing a wall mounting, before you do anything at all, you need to make some decisions:
- Where’s the best spot? You need a place where the TV is easily viewable, about half way up the wall or slightly higher. You should have a good view from every seat in the room, and the TV should be at young kid-proof height to avoid any unintentional encounters.
- What about the ambient light? Does sunlight hit the area? That can make a difference to viewing quality. Although good TVs have ambient light sensors, the idea is to get the best picture.
- How to set up the peripherals, like DVD players, games, and a PC hookup if required? You need space under the TV for these things, and a good set of shelving or TV unit is ideal These things can be easily managed, so you don’t suffer from the sort of clutter which fills the living room. This is another advantage of wall mounting, space management.
- Are you happy about doing the wall mounting yourself, or do you want someone else to do it? Not everyone is a handyman. If you don’t feel comfortable with it, don’t do it. This work can get complex, and involves some wiring issues and fishing wire through beams and wall spaces. Installers and tradespeople can get this job done in an hour or so. With big LCD TVs, “doubtful” mounting is definitely not a good idea. Any damage probably won’t be covered by warranty. Just make sure you’ve got good strong brackets for the mounting, particularly with bigger TVs.
Wall mounting space management
The great advantage of wall mounting is freeing up a lot of cubic space. You’ll be surprised how much space a TV can use. If you’ve got TV shelving, that whole area is now free for all your additional things, and you’ll find that you can reclaim a lot of living room space.
When setting up, you can integrate all the additional equipment into one area. This is a good, efficient setup that will start making itself useful immediately. It’s particularly good for games and wireless PC hookups, reducing the amount of cable around the TV area. This is also a good safety measure if you’ve got kids who can get into these spaces, because the wiring and cables are much easier to make inaccessible. The most modern TVs, with motion sensors for games, also benefit from the free space.
Wall mounting is a really useful option in any situation. It removes floor clutter, manages cables, and creates space to enjoy your TV.