TV stand or wall bracket?

[westlondon]

Will be buying a flatscreen TV for the first time and am unsure whether to put the tv on a stand/tv table or maybe use a wall bracket.
I've always had my 28" TV on a stand in the corner of the room next to the patio doors( where the aerial socket is situated). I can get a slightly bigger flat screen TV if I use a wall bracket but I don't know whether you'd get neck ache by having to look at a tv halfway up the wall, or whether it would be off-putting seeing it on a bracket sticking out.
What thoughts do you guys have ? Do you prefer a TV on a table stand or do you find a wall bracket is better ?

 

[Marc]

Re: TV stand or wall bracket ?

I don't have a protractor handy to give an approximate angle but when I did have a TV it was mounted pretty high. It was only a 27". Having it a bit high never bothered me. A few friends commented about how high it was when they first saw it years ago but none that watched with me ever complained. A few said it was nice once having watched it (they were expecting neck issues).

That said, I had chairs and a couch that lean back a little bit so it was a relatively 'natural' viewing angle.

 

[Ron Rompen]

Re: TV stand or wall bracket ?

I also had my 'old' tv on a stand at about waist height, but when I bought my new flatscreen, I got a wall bracket to mount it so that the middle of the screen is at approximately eye level.

One piece of advice; do NOT cheap out on the bracket; get one that is fully articulating, and that mounts solidly to the wall studs; #10 wood screws will not be sufficient to hold up that tv over time.

 

[somerqc]

Re: TV stand or wall bracket ?

I have mounted on the wall as well! I will do this forever.

1. Great viewing angles - no neck issues
2. You gain a ton of floor space
3. Easier to hide the wiring (they end up in the wall)

Oh ya - to second Ron's comment. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON THE BRACKET! NOT WORTH IT!

 

[Dommy]

Re: TV stand or wall bracket ?

Wall mounts look nice if you do it right. If you can hide the chords and wiring then it looks beautiful. Also, if you are renting, it may not be worth it to put holes in your walls. Just a thought.

 

[tomvehoski]

Re: TV stand or wall bracket ?

I have both of mine on the wall. The 52" in the living room is on a tilting/articulating mount so it can be angled. It also helps to be able to pull it away from the wall to access the back. The bedroom 32" is on a cheap flat plate mount since I want it as flush as possible.

The problem with a stand is that if you want to angle the TV at all, the usually rectangular stand rotates too and may not fit on normal depth furniture. I also prefer my TV higher up - especially since my dogs like to stand in front of it trying to block the view.

monoprice.com is a great source for mounts in the US. Do NOT buy from a retailer as they will charge triple or more compared to what you can buy online.

 

[westlondon]

Re: TV stand or wall bracket ?

Thanks for your replies especially about getting a good quality wall bracket. I'm not that technical with this kind of thing so...

What happens with the leads from the TV ? Will they hang down or is it best to attach them to the wall somehow.Somerqc said they can be hidden in the wall...is that easy to do ?I also want to have a dvd to watch/record films etc so I guess will need a small table to put it on so the leads will go to that before the wall socket. Thanks for your reply Tomvehoski, my new tv will be only a 32" much smaller than your 52" tv but I think I understood the points you made.

It seems from the replies that most prefer having a tv on a bracket from the wall and I can understand the saving of space but just wonder if anyone still has a preference for their TV to be on a stand/table and their reason why ?

 

[tomvehoski]

Re: TV stand or wall bracket ?

I just cut a retangular hole the same size as an outlet box behind the TV and another lower behind the bookcase the audio components sit on. You can run all the cable through there. This is probably not a good solution on an exterior, insulated wall. There are various wire channels and other products you can use to hold the cables flush to the wall for a neat appearance if you don't want to start cutting holes.

In the end I didn't need to go through the wall it as the bottom edge of the TV ended up only about 1/2 inch above the top of the center speaker that sits on the bookshelf. The cables are pretty much invisible if they run behind the speaker.

One thing to watch if you use a flush mount bracket is the angle that the power and HDMI ports are at. My 32" has them coming out horizontal, so I had to use several spacers on the mount to have enough clearance for them to exit and bend down. You can also get right angle adapters that help.

 

[Ron Rompen]

Re: TV stand or wall bracket ?

I strongly recommend against running your cables through the wall unless you are absolutely sure that you will not be moving the TV in the future. The screw holes from the bolts used to anchor the wall bracket are bad enough to fix; filling in a 3x6" hole is even worse. There are numerous types of wire channels available on the market, and with any luck you can purchase some that will match your wall color as well.

As for having it on a stand, a small unit such as yours would probably do very well. Much easier to do, easier to move around, and better access to the rear inputs.

 

[Eredhel]

Re: TV stand or wall bracket ?

In a more permanent setting I definitely prefer wall mounts. If I were living in an apartment or thought I might be moving the TV in the future I would go with a stand.