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According to the Consumer Electronics Association
(CEA), December and January are the two months with the highest
digital television sales -- due to the holiday season and
television upgrades in advance of the Super Bowl and March
Madness.
However, many eager consumers leave mounting
and installation of their new flat screens until the last
minute, unaware of the size, scope and safety issues surrounding
the display of a very heavy electronic purchase. Premier Mounts
created www.MountingTips.com to assist consumers with their
mounting challenges.
The following tips are
provided with permission from www.MountingTips.com.
When it comes to installing your flat-panel
display mount, it pays to listen to the pros. To help you
successfully mount your mount, we've included a few professional
tips that may come in handy. Of course, these suggestions
are not a substitute for reading the directions and may not
work in every case. If you have questions, get answers from
a reliable source before you begin. And remember, unless you're
completely sure of what you're doing, it always pays to call
in the pros.
Wall Mounts:
Eliminating "cable"
TV. Nothing looks sillier than a beautifully
mounted screen with cables dangling beneath. Many mounts make
accommodations for hiding the cords within the mount itself.
Or, if that's not the case, you can cut a hole in the wall
behind the screen and snake the wires through it, and then
put another hole near where your A/V gear is. But since most
building codes forbid running a power cable inside a wall,
you should get an electrician to install an AC outlet behind
the television set. Another option is to hide the wires behind
something on the floor but this seems of defeats the whole
purpose of having a wall mount in the first place.
Whatever you decide to do, obtain all your cables--even
ones you may not immediately use, such as a DVI cable--and
connect them at installation time, suggests Netzer Martinez,
senior installer for 6th Ave Electronics in New York. That
will make adding new devices later considerably easier.
Time is money
(well spent) Don't rush things: Give yourself
plenty of time to do the job right. A professional installation
typically takes around 2 hours--3 if it involves snaking cables
inside walls. Do-it-yourselfers should set aside twice that
amount of time.
Picture the possibilities.
To visualize what your TV will look like once
it's up on the wall or on the stand, one thing to try is hanging
a poster or picture in the space selected for your TV. Then
live with it for a while. If it still looks good after a few
days, chances are, so will your TV.
Breathing room.
When choosing a wall mounting location, make
sure the wall is at least twice the width of the television
so you have room to hang speakers or art to complement your
entertainment center of attraction.
Does this make
me look short? When it comes to wall mounts
and the right height for comfortable viewing, avoid the temptation
to, like Clint Eastwood, hang 'em high. In general, there
are two schools of thought: If you will be watching the TV
while sitting on the couch, then the center of the TV should
be at eye level when sitting up straight on the couch. However,
this could make the TV seem low when standing next to it.
If you wish to install the set to make it more appealing as
a room decoration, raise it to the point where the bottom
of the screen is at eye level while sitting and the top is
eye level when standing. Again, tilt mounts do wonders for
relieving neck strain.
That's close enough.
As a general rule, proper lighting is the most important aspect
in healthy TV watching. However, proper viewing distance is
also very important for comfortable viewing. When mounting
your TV, take into consideration the proper viewing distance,
in other words, how close should you be to the TV. Sitting
too close can cause unnecessary eye strain and fatigue.
To find the distance that will be most comfortable
for viewing your flat-panel TV, .
Keep an eye on
the kids. If you find that your children seem
to be sitting too close to the TV, it could be a sign that
they might need to get their vision checked.
VESA sets the
standards. All LCD flat-panel televisions
and mounting brackets should be VESA compliant. This is a
standard rule of measurement for wall mount kits.
Universal appeal.
Universal mounts are wonderful things - if your monitor happens
to be in the right galaxy. So even though universal mounts
can accommodate most, if not all, mounting hardware, you still
need to check weight and size compatibility with your specific
brand and model of TV.
Avoid altering
the mount or adding components. I know what
you're thinking; if I just add a bolt or two here and here,
I think I can hang a platform beneath the mount that would
be just perfect for my DVD player. Before you start improvising,
we have a word of advice - Don't! Altering the mounts or adding
components that the mounts are not designed to hold will,
in most cases, void the manufacturer's warranty. Also, this
could cause you to exceed the stated maximum load capacity,
which then presents an important safety issue. In plain English,
your TV will fall off the wall. It is critical to install
the mount as it was designed, using the fasteners provided,
and to only add accessories that the manufacturer indicates
work with that particular mount.
Read the instruction
manual. OK. Chances are you're probably a
guy and of course you know what you're doing but, please,
please, please - for my sake - read ALL the instructions anyway.
Installing a heavy piece of electronics in a home involves
significant safety precautions. The manufacturer's design
team takes this factor into account when designing the product
and includes detailed installation instructions to eliminate
any guesswork and avoid common mistakes.
Make sure you have proper clearance. It may
seem like a no-brainer, but be sure to check for clearances
when installing the flat-panel to the mount. If the mount's
adapter plate slides into or hooks onto the wall plate from
the top, make sure there is enough space above the mount and
the screen. And if you are installing an articulating arm
mount, make sure there is clearance for full movement of the
arm. This is a simple step that will reduce the chance for
errors and maintain your efficiency. Mount manufacturers can
usually provide technical specifications to help you with
this process.
Ceiling Mounts:
Always, always,
always be sure the ceiling or structure can support
both the weight of the mount (or lift) and the projector with
a minimum 4X safety factor.
Ideally projectors
should be mounted at the same plane as the top of
the screen unless the have lens shift adjustment.
Use an adjustable
mount to allow for maximum flexibility during the
installation.
Keep aesthetics
in mind. Cable management also plays into the final
look of the installation. Consider mounts that allow the cable
to be hidden inside the mount.
A cathedral ceiling
may require the use of a special bracket that can
be attached to an angled structural support.
A suspended tile
ceiling usually requires replacing a tile with a
rigid mounting plate.
Allow at least
a 3-foot radius around a projector for ventilation.
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