Did you just buy a new TV, and you are wondering where to put it? Then you have come to the right place! We all love new gadgets, and a big flat screen with powerful speakers is every cinephile’s dream.
So, once the initial thrill of unboxing dies down, you have to consider the best place to put it in. There are many factors you need to consider for optimal viewing position, such as angle, height, distance from the couch, TV screen size, type of wall you want to mount the TV to, etc. In this guide, you will find the best tips for mounting the TV, so you may have the best viewing experience possible.
Height
Knowing the size of your TV will help you determine the optimal height for a TV mount. You can find a wide range of screen sizes, with the most popular varying from 24-inch to 60 inches or more. If you have an older screen and do not remember the size, you can sometimes find it on the back of the TV, or you can measure it yourself (diagonally, only the screen, not the frame).
After, you have to include your eye-level height into the equation. Remember that you are not judging the height from the floor to the top of the TV, but rather to the center of the screen, ergo the eye level. Don’t forget that your eye level is calculated when you are sitting, not standing. Watching the TV that is mounted too high will give you a stiff neck and make doing it for a few hours painful.
As a result, if the height of your TV is 30 inches, the middle 10 inches are what you’re generally focused on. This is approximately 10 inches from the bottom edge of your screen, depending on how much plastic “framing” is around the visible screen. A quick calculation that will be helpful in most cases states that the distance from the floor to the base of your TV should be around 25 inches.
This rule should be kept for both wall mounts and TV stands. However, in many cases, a TV stand is much more practical, so you may want to browse high gloss TV stands and check out if they won’t benefit your space more than a wall mount.
Viewing Distance
The perfect viewing distance is also based on the TV size. You can easily calculate it by dividing your TV size by 0.55. As a quick reference, a 55-inch TV will be ideally mounted with the optimal viewing distance of 100 inches away from the couch.
Viewing Angle
In most cases, you don’t want the viewing angle to be more than 15 degrees. Additionally, the more you go, the harder it will be to hide all the cables needed. The only exception is when you have to mount it really high for many people to see. If you want to hang a TV inside a pub, you may want to go higher and steeper. It will allow all the guests to see it correctly, and the height will reduce the risk of touching it without permission.
Reclining Angle
The reclining angle will also affect the height of mounting your TV. If you sit up straight at your seat or couch while watching TV and your torso forms a 90-degree angle with the floor, then the reclining angle is zero. If you lay back, then the reclining angle is not zero and is measured from the vertical. In other words, the more you recline, the higher the TV mounting height. Usually, the reclining level for casual sitting is 10-15 degrees.
Mounting Above Fireplace
It may not seem like the same topic, but many people think that mounting your TV above the fireplace is the best idea. It may look fantastic, but there are a lot of reasons why you should rethink that. On most occasions, the TV will be too high up to watch it comfortably. Moreover, it exposes the screen to the harmful effects of smoke and heat, damaging parts inside of it.
Unfortunately, sometimes it’s impossible to avoid it due to the size of a room or other furniture. The best way is to stop using the fireplace and leave it only as decoration.
The Bottom Line
The ideal TV position depends on the personal preferences of every person. You can use the formulas mentioned in this article to get the basic concept of where your flat screen should be. The most important thing to think of is positioning it where you can watch it for hours without getting tired from leaning back too much. Also, remember about choosing the right side of the room so that you won’t see so much glare from the sun.
Suppose you find yourself unable to figure out how to position your TV for comfortable viewing. In that case, you can always hire professional television engineers, which will help you choose the right spot and mount it properly.
