Flat Screen TV Mount or Stand Buying Guide

After spending a considerable amount of time and money to pick out the best plasma or LCD flat panel television set that your budget could handle, you can now turn your attention to buying a suitable stand or mount. You might be tempted to skimp on this particular purchase, but that would be a mistake. Just as a beautiful painting benefits from a gorgeous frame, so too does a television look better when paired with a lovely stand or mount. Here are a few points to keep in mind as you shop.

Flat Screen Stands

Today’s flat screen stands are far more sophisticated than the cheap wood cabinets your parents used for their CRT sets. Manufacturers realize that an expensive, high-tech piece of equipment such as a plasma, LED or LCD television needs a handsome display unit to go along with it. That’s why many entertainment consoles now feature a remote controlled lift mechanism that hides your television within the unit when it’s not in use, and raises it to the surface when you want to watch something. These pop-up flat screen stands really give you the best of both worlds, as you’ll have an attractive storage unit for your electronic equipment and media without the hassle of having a big screen out in the open around the clock.

If you can’t afford to splurge on a pop-up stand, there are plenty of more traditional choices out there as well. Below are some additional options to consider when purchasing a flat screen TV stand.

·         TV consoles and credenzas: Consoles and credenzas make excellent flat screen stands, being fairly small and broad enough to support most TVs. One of the greatest traits of consoles and credenzas is the amount of storage available. There is an ability to store the television along with other living room essentials, like blankets and pillows.

·         Platform TV stands: Platform flat screen stands feature one or more uprights for shelves, but their frames are usually free of backs, sides or doors. Glass and metal are their most common materials, though wood is also available.

·         Corner TV stands: These TV stands are wonderful for small living spaces. Many times a corner flat screen TV stand can be found built to the specifications of a console TV stand or a platform TV stand.

Buying a TV Wall Mount Many shoppers elect to skip the stands altogether in favor of wall mounts. These plasma TV mounts attach to studs in your wall, giving you a secure place to hang your television. Wall-mounted units are very much in vogue right now for a couple of reasons. First, they represent the ultimate space-saving solution since your television will be completely out of the way. This makes wall mounts a great choice for those in smaller living quarters or those that already have a bunch of other furniture in their living rooms. Second, hanging your television on the wall just looks cool! Your home will instantly have the look and feel of a theater when you watch movies this way, and you’ll never want to go back to a stand again.

Types of Wall Mounts

·         Under-cabinet or Flip-down mount: Designed for kitchen use, under-cabinet TV flat screen mounts are also useful in small spaces like dorm rooms, offices or anywhere else where space is restricted. They fasten underneath cabinets, allowing your TV to flip out of the way when not in use.

·         Platform mount: These wall mounts are used primarily for CRT (otherwise known as traditional tube) televisions. The TV sits on a shelf or platform, which is supported by an arm attached to the wall or ceiling. These mounts can also come with multiple shelves, holding a DVD player or cable box.

·         Swivel: Swivel TV mounts move from side to side and may also swivel up and down. Styles vary, including or excluding a support arm with one or more joints. This type of flat screen TV mount can extend the set from the wall and turn the TV over 180 degrees.

·         Tilt: Tilting mounts need to extend farther from the wall (generally 3 to 5 inches) to provide room for the tilting method. A tilt flat screen or plasma TV mount generally move the screen 5 to 15 degrees up or down, with the ability to lock the ideal position in place. This option works well if the TV is desired high on a wall above the seating area.

·         Low-profile: The simplest, most economical flat screen TV mount option. Basically, it's a metal frame with two upright posts or plates where the TV attaches. Profile mounts may pull out just one inch from the wall. This option does not move; it simply holds your flat screen directly to the wall like a picture.

What kind of flat screen TV mount or TV stand should you buy? That depends on how much control you need over adjusting the television once it’s placed in an ideal location.

When shopping for a flat screen TV mount, it’s important to know the exact weight and dimensions of your television to ensure you buy hardware that is strong enough for the job. There would obviously be some significant safety ramifications if you neglect the manufacturer’s specifications in this regard.

Basically, selecting a plasma TV stand or mount comes down to form and function. What do you want your stand or mount to be able to do? How you want it to look? There’s enough variety out there that you can expect to get precisely what you want at a price you can afford.