TV wall mounts guide

With the advancement of TV technologies resulting in both larger, lighter and higher quality viewing, more and more people are choosing to mount their televisions to the wall rather than place them on a TV stand or entertainment unit.

While much consideration is often given to whether to buy a LCD or Plasma TV along with the size, make and model - it's often the tv wall mounts that are overlooked. While they may not be quite as important as the TV you choose, they still play a big role in getting the most out of your TV viewing experience.

While you can be forgiven for not getting quite as excited about researching TV wall mounts as the actual television itself - it's important to get the right one. Picking up a TV wall mount as an after thought can be a recipe for disaster resulting in an unsatisfactory installation or the unthinkable crash to the floor.

This Hub will outline the different types of wall mounts availble as well as give you the basics of how to do an installation yourself. The more time you put in advance to decide the room, placement and screen size and type will put you in a better place as to choose a wall mount that will meet your needs. As you will learn below, there are many different mounting options - and even mounts that claim to be 'universal' may not fit with your particular TV.

So what do you need to know before you buy a wall mount for your new TV? Not only should you have all the specific details for your TV including size, brand, type (LED, LCD or Plasma?) as well as the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) holes for mounting the wall mounting bracket to the back of your TV. The VESA measurements may be given in inches or millimeters - so make sure you're using the right unit of measure when mating a bracket to the TV.

There are several types of mounting brackets available today that are either fixed and close to the wall, or over a variety of tilt or telescoping positioning. Keep in mind that the more options that your mounting brackets offer, the more they're going to cost. When choosing the right location for your TV you need to take into consideration the lighting in the area and the distance from where you'll be viewing. If you mount your screen high up, you may require a bracket that allows you to tilt the screen downwards. If you room is designed in so that the TV screen is tucked out of sight, you may require a telescoping mount that can be directed around bookcases or other structures that may otherwise block your view.

Regardless of the particular qualities of your room, it's a safe bet that there's a TV wall mount bracket that can accomodate it.

One of the first decisions you'll need to make is whether you want to mount your TV to the wall yourself or hire an expert. Installing a flat screen TV to a wall is a relatively simple undertaking for someone with a certain amount of do-it-yourself talent. While there aren't many tools involved in the process and many mounts that you buy come with installation videos these days, there's still the fact that a wrong installation job could destroy the amazing flat screen TV you just bought.

No matter how handy you are, you'll need at least one extra set of hands prior to mounting the bracket directly to the wall - so don't go it alone. If you're not confident that you can pull the installation off yourself, look into hiring an installer instead. Most of the major big box television retailers will offer delivery and installation for a modest fee.

Check out the video below, if this installation overview intimidates you, you might want to pass on doing this yourself.

The three main types of TV mounting brackets are detailed below. Keep in mind that prices will vary based on the materials, size, type and brand of wall mount used. Using a plastic wall mounting system isn't necessarily a bad move as long as it is the proper size and weight rating for the particular TV that you're using it with. While metal wall mounts are definitely more durable.

As far as brand names are concerned Peerless TV wall mounts are consistently rated among the best as the video above already mentioned.

Fixed or Low Profile Mounting Brackets

If you just want to put your TV on the wall and aren't concerned about being able to change the tilt, then a fixed flat pane TV wall mount is all that you need. These mounts are the least expensive and are also known as low profile brackets because they hold the TV closest to the wall.
Having a flat screen TV close to the wall is a great look, but can be a hassle if you need to readjust any wires behind it. To get unfettered access you'll generally have to remove the TV from the bracket, which can get old real fast.

Tilting TV Wall Mounting Brackets

The next rung on the wall mounting ladder are tilting TV wall mounts. These have the same basic functionality as the flat mounting brackets except that they allow for upward or downward tilting. This type of wall mount is crucial if you have no other choice but to mount the TV higher up on the wall; by tilting it downward and position the right angle to the seating area you can maximize the viewing experience without having family and friends strain their necks while watching TV. Tilting wall mount brackets cost a little more than flat mounts, but are well worth it if you require the extra functionality.

Cantilever TV Wall Mounting Brackets

These wall mounts are the top of the evolutionary ladder for mounting your TV. They allow for the full range of motion including horizontal and vertical tilting as well as extending as far as two feet from the wall. As you may have expected, the extra functionality of these mounts makes them not only more complicated but also more expensive than the other types available. What cantilever wall mounts make up for in versatility, they lose in the depth of their profile; don’t expect one of these mounts to hold your television as close to the wall as either the flat or tilting TV wall mounts.