TV Mounting

[347Mike]

How far up from the floor do you guys mount your tv's? I don't have a fireplace but would like to put my TV in the living room on the wall. The room is is almost a perfect sqare in a 20x20ish room.

I also have a TV stand the TV is on, would it look alright ot keep it once it is mounted or should I get a new stand?

I am horrible when it comes to decorating so what may look alright in my eyes may really look like shit or goofy. The wall the TV will be on is also pretty large with not a lot going on. What are some things you can put around the TV to fill in the space? Ill post pictures in a moment.

[347Mike]

[jluv]

In a living room, keep the center of the screen as close as possible to eye level. A stand is fine unless you need the footroom around the TV, and if you hang it, you'll still need somewhere to put your components.

I hang mine a little higher in the bedroom so I can see over my toes and don't have to sit up in bed.

In game rooms you want to hang it higher so there are no obstructions in line of sight.

Above a fireplace in a living room is too high.

As for the blank wall, just figure out some art or sconces or whatever. I'm OCD about symmetry, so I'd want two matching things, but the options are endless, and you gotta make that your space. Just don't put anything else on that wall that is bright or colorful or distracting. When you watch a cool movie with the lights out, you want to be able to focus on the screen and not have other random shit in your field of view.

[LS1Goat]

Crutchfield has a very thorough write-up on wall mounting. Excellent read for people who don't have a lot of experience in this area.

Scroll down and start reading the Where to mount your TV section, especially the paragraphs on height and screen glare. And the associated optimum viewing article.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-qKQDQ6ATigv/learn/learningcenter/home/flatpanel_install.html

[FATHERFORD]

I would hang it maybe 1' higher then you have it now. You don't want to have to look up when watching TV.

[2K2 LS1]

Above a fireplace in a living room is too high.

I have hung dozens of TV's over the fireplace in living rooms. Hell mine at my house is that way. With a tilting wall mount they can be quite enjoyable to watch above a fireplace. It is all about the setup of a room and aesthetics of whether or not it will work in that location with the furniture and other obstacles to work around.

[jluv]

I have hung dozens of TV's over the fireplace in living rooms. Hell mine at my house is that way. With a tilting wall mount they can be quite enjoyable to watch above a fireplace. It is all about the setup of a room and aesthetics of whether or not it will work in that location with the furniture and other obstacles to work around.

No doubt that tons of people choose to do it that way, just like a lot of people put speakers in the ceiling. That doesn't means it's a good place for it. Tilting or not, it's too high.

Besides, a fireplace is a strong enough focal point that it should have it's own part of the room. There are tons of things that can work well above the fireplace that don't have to compete for the eye's focus like a TV would, just like a TV can almost always go somewhere else where it won't have to share an area with another strong focal point like a fireplace.

[2K2 LS1]

In our house it was either build a huge custom built in for an alcove in the family room....which I was not sinking the money on our first house, or mount above the fireplace. I like where it is and the furniture layout is perfect for the setup.

The whole in ceiling speaker comment is hilarious to me. If you that all in ceiling speakers sound like crap and can't give you a true surround sound feel you are silly. There are plenty of setups out there that when installed and calibrated properly sound simply amazing.

I mean to put it into perspective; where are the speakers you see in the movie theaters? They are above your head and positioned towards your sitting location. Do you think an in-ceiling speakers with a rotating(movable) basket and tilt-able tweeters can't be angled properly and then the surround receiver be adjusted properly to fill the room with a true to life sounding surround experience?

[dville_gt]

did mine over the fire place and love it. it is tilted down (hard to see in the picture) but we have had no complaints over the past 1.5 years it's been like this (believe it or not, thats a 60", room is just freaking huge which makes the tv look small).

[jluv]

In our house it was either build a huge custom built in for an alcove in the family room....which I was not sinking the money on our first house, or mount above the fireplace. I like where it is and the furniture layout is perfect for the setup.

The whole in ceiling speaker comment is hilarious to me. If you that all in ceiling speakers sound like crap and can't give you a true surround sound feel you are silly. There are plenty of setups out there that when installed and calibrated properly sound simply amazing.

I mean to put it into perspective; where are the speakers you see in the movie theaters? They are above your head and positioned towards your sitting location. Do you think an in-ceiling speakers with a rotating(movable) basket and tilt-able tweeters can't be angled properly and then the surround receiver be adjusted properly to fill the room with a true to life sounding surround experience?

I never said that speakers in the ceiling can't sound okay, just that it's not the best option, and neither is mounting a TV above the fireplace. Are you saying that either is the best way?

As for the "I've done mine this way and I like it" thing, well of course you like it. It's your shit and you did it that way. You're going to be proud and defensive of your own decision.

As for the "never had anyone complain" thing, well of course you haven't. Do you really think people are going to come over to your house and tell you that your giant flat screen TV is lame because it's over the fireplace?

I don't say that shit to people when I visit them, but if someone comes in asking for advice, they obviously want to know that kind of shit before they do it. If they didn't care about the best option they wouldn't have asked.

[Chili]

Not sure how this:

No doubt that tons of people choose to do it that way, just like a lot of people put speakers in the ceiling. That doesn't means it's a good place for it.

Leads to this:

The whole in ceiling speaker comment is hilarious to me. If you that all in ceiling speakers sound like crap and can't give you a true surround sound feel you are silly. There are plenty of setups out there that when installed and calibrated properly sound simply amazing.

I mean to put it into perspective; where are the speakers you see in the movie theaters? They are above your head and positioned towards your sitting location. Do you think an in-ceiling speakers with a rotating(movable) basket and tilt-able tweeters can't be angled properly and then the surround receiver be adjusted properly to fill the room with a true to life sounding surround experience?

Mike is asking for advice, I think it would be difficult to dispute that the BEST location for a TV is center screen at eye level. Same thing with speakers being at a similar height.

Just like Jared, our bedroom TV is mounted higher than optimal, angled downward, so that we can see it better when laying down (over the foot of the sleigh-bed).

[2K2 LS1]

Not sure how this:



Leads to this:





Mike is asking for advice, I think it would be difficult to dispute that the BEST location for a TV is center screen at eye level. Same thing with speakers being at a similar height.

Just like Jared, our bedroom TV is mounted higher than optimal, angled downward, so that we can see it better when laying down (over the foot of the sleigh-bed).

The comment got to there because Jluv has used that excuse in several threads and it amuses me every time I read it. Sure the screen level makes sense at eye level in a lot of case/scenarios just not all. I never stated that wasn't the case just that it can't always be that nor is it always everyone's preference.

Saying the same thing with speakers at similar level is also a preference and not a necessity if you calibrate the audio and have a room with good acoustics. Not everyone wants huge ugly black boxes mounted on their wall. That is why they go with an in wall/ceiling speaker; and installing them in the proper location and calibrating them properly to accommodate such install will neither hurt appearance nor sound quality.

[jluv]

The comment got to there because Jluv has used that excuse in several threads and it amuses me every time I read it.

Excuse? What excuse? Several threads?

Craig, it was a reference to another thread where someone asked for advice on speaker placement and after some people pointed out that mounting them
in the ceiling is not the best option, this guy says something almost identical to what he said in this thread - something along the lines of "I've installed a bunch of speakers in the ceiling and they sound great".

Sure the screen level makes sense at eye level in a lot of case/scenarios just not all. I never stated that wasn't the case just that it can't always be that nor is it always everyone's preference.

Actually, you came in defending - heck, even promoting the idea of putting one above the fireplace.

Saying the same thing with speakers at similar level is also a preference and not a necessity if you calibrate the audio and have a room with good acoustics. Not everyone wants huge ugly black boxes mounted on their wall. That is why they go with an in wall/ceiling speaker; and installing them in the proper location and calibrating them properly to accommodate such install will neither hurt appearance nor sound quality.

If your system is properly calibrated and you have a room with good acoustics, mounting the speakers at/near ear level can still sound better and more accurate than placing them in the ceiling. Do you really dispute that?

[2K2 LS1]

Excuse? What excuse? Several threads?

Craig, it was a reference to another thread where someone asked for advice on speaker placement and after some people pointed out that mounting them
in the ceiling is not the best option, this guy says something almost identical to what he said in this thread - something along the lines of "I've installed a bunch of speakers in the ceiling and they sound great".



Actually, you came in defending - heck, even promoting the idea of putting one above the fireplace.



If your system is properly calibrated and you have a room with good acoustics, mounting the speakers at/near ear level can still sound better and more accurate than placing them in the ceiling. Do you really dispute that?

I stated they can sound just as good; not better but just as good. Honestly I am not sure if you have ever installed a set or even messed with them in general. I have actually installed and calibrated several hundred pairs. All the way from the cheap ones you can but at Lowes or Monoprice up to the $900 a pair Sonance Architecture series.

I really don't care to keep arguing the fact that in ceiling or in wall speakers can sound just as good as an ugly box speaker you mount at ear level because you simply will only convince like minded people in this forum.

Brad H
aka 2K2 LS1