The nostalgic picture of TV viewing always involves a gently glowing box in the corner of the room; depending on your vintage that might even include a flickering black and white picture too. That kind of cathode ray TV is distinctly antique these days, replaced by a huge range of choices in flat panel TVs. While mounting old CRTS was always an option, it was mostly the province of shopping centres or GP’s offices or the like rather than in our homes.
An increasing number of Australians are opting for a wall mounted TV to minimise the footprint of their TVs in their home décor. But it’s not quite as simple a process as thumping up a picture hook and hoping for the best. It’s wise to know the ins and outs of TV wall mounting before you start.
Benefits of Wall Mounting Your TV
Requires less space
Unless you live in a tent, you’ll have a wall somewhere that your existing TV is probably quite close to anyway. Wall mounting removes the need for a TV stand or cabinet taking up space, leaving you with a less cluttered living room – and one that’s a little easier to clean and dust too.
Less risk of toppling
One issue with flat panel TVs, especially larger panels in the 75 inch and above space is that even with solid bases, they can be toppled over accidentally. If you’ve got small kids or inquisitive pets, putting the TV up on the wall removes the temptation to see what happens when you hit the back of the TV (Spoiler for the kiddies: No, Bluey doesn’t come out into your living room.)
Better viewing angles for everyone
When you go to the cinema, for nearly every seat you’re looking up at the big screen in some way. Raising your TV gives you that more immersive cinema screening view, plus it removes a lot of issues such as other people getting in the way of the screen – or the cat choosing to walk across the TV cabinet right as the movie hits its dramatic climax. With some screen mounting options, it’s even possible to have your TV at an angle to the room, which can open up new viewing spots or allow you to more easily avoid sunlight through windows hitting the display and blowing out the picture.
Can reduce cable clutter
We all spend most of our time with our tellies staring at the front, because that’s where the TV viewing action is. Round the back, that’s where you’ll find the cable action… and it’s often not pretty, with a twisted mix of HDMI cables, speaker cables, antenna cables and power cables. Simply keeping them from becoming a knotted mess can be a chore itself, but wall mounting can make it easier to hide all that clutter, whether you use a higher end-TV that may rely on a single cable solution, or tuck cables neatly into wall cavities to make them tidier and better behaved.
Considerations Before Wall Mounting
Can limit access to ports
Depending on your TV usage habits, you might only have an antenna going into the TV – or you might have a wide mix of streaming dongles, pay TV set top boxes, gaming consoles and everything in-between hooked up to your TV right now.For some TV models, wall mounting may make it quite difficult to access the rear ports on the TV if you buy a new games console or have to replace an old set top box.
You’ll often find at least one side-mounted HDMI port on many TVs, and that does open up some options for hooking up additional devices using an HDMI Switch, though that won’t suit connection for every device, and some may be quite fussy about going through a Switch in the first place – Sony’s PlayStation consoles are notably picky this way, for example.
Other devices still have to be placed somewhere
The odds are pretty good that you don’t just have a TV, with most Australian homes having at least one games console for example. Unless you’re only using the inbuilt TV sound, then speakers or a soundbar will also need placing. They will still need some kind of placement spot, be that a shelving unit, the existing TV cabinet or similar. If you’ve got the funds for larger renovations of course much of this could be built into cavities in a wall, though that’s a more permanent solution.
Does the viewing angle work from everywhere in the room?
Wall mounting isn’t a magic solution that will make every spot in your living room a viewing paradise. It’s well worth considering exactly where your head rests while you’re binge watching Netflix (we won’t judge!) to ensure comfortable viewing. Then consider the other positions that everyone else might be using as well. For some rooms that might require higher or lower mounting positions, or the use of a more mobile mounting arm that gives you the flexibility to place the TV in a corner or at an angle if you’ve got a large group of mates coming around for the Grand Final.
Mounting requires drilling
Flat panel TVs are still quite heavy, even in larger sizes, and mounting does involve permanently affixing a mounting bracket into wall studs – which means modification to a property. If you’re renting, you’ll need landlord permission for that kind of work, but even if you own your own property, you need to carefully consider both your current and future TV needs before deciding on the right TV mounting space.
Can I mount any size TV to my wall?
In nearly every case, the answer here should be yes… with a couple of qualifications. There are some TVs, typically those with really unusual sizes or those that utilise devices like roll-up screens that aren’t designed for wall mounting, but in the vast majority of cases, if you look at the back of the TV, you’ll typically find a set of four holes on the back spaced out with an set horizontal and vertical distance between them. Those are your TV mounting points, but if you’re in doubt, it’s wise to check the manual for your TV, because it should have a section relating to what’s needed for TV mounting.
There’s a standard in play here, called VESA, which defines the distance between these four holes as horizontal distance times vertical distance. Most TVs work to the VESA standard, making it possible to pick from a range of TV wall mounts, but again it’s a wise matter to check precisely around your particular TV’s needs. In some cases, the manufacturer may recommend (or even mandate) a very specific mount to ensure safe and secure mounting for a given TV panel.
The other aspect to consider here is that you can’t just whack a TV screen mount into straight plasterboard and hope for the best, unless you truly hoped to see your precious TV tumble to the ground and shatter. TV mounts do need to be securely mounted themselves into wall studs, which means you’ll need a clear enough area with identified wall studs behind it that work well enough for where the mounting holes correspond on your TV. For smaller TVs this is rarely a problem, but if you’re looking at some of the truly gargantuan TVs – 85 inches and above – this can become a more challenging affair to find the right sweet spot for mounting.
Can I remove a TV once it’s been wall mounted?
If you needed to, yes, it’s usually possible to take a TV off a wall mount. The precise mechanisms can vary a little, with some mounts, especially those that allow for more flexible movement or placement needing to be removed as part of the process. For all but the smallest TVs, you really do need to have at least two people working on this; even if you’re entirely capable of handling the weight of a larger TV by yourself, it only needs the smallest slip for matters to go badly wrong.
Still need to know more about TV wall mounting? Geeks2U’s TV Wall Mounting service team can help you with every step of the journey towards getting your TV professionally and safely mounted – and then it’s just up to you to choose what it is you want to watch!
