One of my favourite holiday traditions is to sit back with some pizza and a pop and watch Christmas themed movies like Home Alone and Elf in the lead up to the big day. Watching these movies each year helps me and my family to get deeper into the Christmas spirit, and it also gives us a few big laughs at this stressful time of year (yes, even after multiple viewings).

This year, however, our traditional holiday viewings will be somewhat different, and by that I mean bigger and better thanks to our recent installment of the Sanus Full Motion TV Wall Mount. I received and reviewed this amazing TV mount recently right here on the Best Buy Canada Blog, and today I’ll share how you too can elevate your home theatre experience this holiday season with a brand new TV mount. Read on for full details as we discuss TV Mounts & Stands.

Why Install a TV Mount?

The best reason I can think of to install a TV wall mount is so that you can get a better view of your big screen TV from virtually anywhere in the room simply by tilting it or twisting it to face you more directly. Having a direct view of your screen makes everything you watch easier to see and thus more enjoyable.

Of course, there’s also the advantage of no longer having to have your TV sit on a special table or stand, freeing up those furnishings to do other things, as well as opening up additional floor space in the area where they used to sit.

For instance, by mounting your TV higher up on the wall, you can adjust it to be out of the way when it’s not in use, and yet still have it front-and-centre come movie time. This is especially true of full motion mounts with long outward extension, such as the Sanus mount that I recently installed with a 28 inch extension and the ability to tilt in every possible direction.

TV mounts also contribute to a more attractive layout of one’s TV room or living area. Having an elevated TV that can be pushed flat against the wall when desired is almost like having a huge picture hanging on the wall—it contributes nicely to the room’s decor without being cumbersome or in the way.

Finally, a TV mount secures your TV firmly in place so that it can’t easily be knocked over in the event of a household incident, an earthquake, or some other accidental scenario. With today’s TVs being so big (and potentially heavy), the last thing you want to experience is yours being knocked from its perch and onto your pooch (or, worse still, your child) by accident.

What about the Installation Process?

Having very recently installed the Sanus Full Motion TV Wall Mount myself, I can 100% assure you that the process is neither difficult, intimidating, nor time consuming. The only hitch to the entire operation was that I needed to borrow a couple of tools (a drill and a stud finder) to complete the job. The rest was easy and took no more than 25 minutes or so to accomplish.

The first step was to determine the location of my wall studs. This was a quick and easy job with my borrowed stud finder, and I marked the ideal drilling spots with a pencil. I then used the very handy wall guide (basically a cardboard outline) that was provided with the mount to make sure that everything would align properly if I drilled in the desired locations.

There were 4 massive (3-4 inch) anchor bolts that were used to secure the wall plate to my wall. Drilling guide holes, holding the wall plate in place, and securing the anchors was literally the biggest part of the job, and it might have taken 10 minutes. Of course, the wall plate is the section that everything else, beginning with the assembly arm, attaches to, so you want to make sure that it’s secure. If you have concrete walls where you live, the procedure is slightly different but still rather straightforward.

Placing the assembly arm section of the mount was next, and this was simply a matter of lifting it into place over a ridge in the wall plate that holds it securely in place. Once this 10 second job is done, you simply screw in a (provided) securing bolt to keep the arm from lifting clear of the wall.

The final step is to hang the TV onto the assembly arm via the TV bracket (the part that bolts onto the back of your TV). This bracket is adjustable in all directions, and the mount I was installing came with bolts in every possible size for virtually any TV imaginable. Attaching the bracket to the TV and then hanging the whole thing on the wall was another easy task, which was followed by a few tightening tasks to keep everything firmly and securely in place.

Bottom line: Installing a TV wall mount is a relatively simple job that virtually anyone can do in a short period of time without the necessity of calling in any professionals. Also, I am happy to report that my Sanus TV mount is holding firmly in place and making every hockey game I watch a whole lot more fun and exciting since it gives me a closer (because it extends out) and perfectly direct (because it has a full range of tilt) view of all the action no matter where in the room I may sit.

Some Excellent Examples

Since I reviewed it myself, the best example I can give of a TV mount is the Sanus Full Motion TV Wall Mount (shown in most of the photos above). Counted among the features of this mount are a left/right swivel of up to 90 degrees, an up/down tilt from +4 to -15 degrees, a 71cm extension/reach out from the wall, and even the ability to slide side-to-side along the wall plate itself (for an even greater placement range). Additionally, this mount boasts a solid steel construction (for added strength and stability), is VESA compliant, and can hold monster sized flat-panel TVs ranging from 42 all the way up to 90 inches in screen size (and weighing up to 150 pounds). It’s basically the perfect wall mount for virtually any large TV.

Of course, not all TV mounts have to be wall mounts, as is proven by the Sanus Swivel TV Base for 32 to 60 inch TVs. This stand, which was reviewed by TV & Audio Editor Erin Lawrence just a few weeks ago, provides 20 degrees of left/right swivel, up to 8 inches of TV height adjustment (to accommodate a sound bar), and easily sits/fits on most TV furniture/tables. Capable of accommodating TVs with screen sizes ranging from 32 to 60 inches and weighing up to 60 pounds, this stand is the ideal choice for anyone not interested in getting a wall mounted model, though it does unfortunately lack forward/backward tilt. I also have it on very good authority that this stand is relatively quick and easy to assemble. And best of all—no holes to drill in your wall!

That’s all for today’s blog, but you can always learn more about the many fine TV Mounts & Stands that are currently available simply by visiting Best Buy online. Similarly, you can find great gift ideas for everyone on your holiday shopping list by clicking on the image below. Thanks for stopping by!

 

Leonard Bond
Leo enjoys writing about everything from secret agents to tech toys and gadgets to professional hockey. Find his reviews and other product related commentary right here on the Best Buy Blog and his latest hockey rants at www.hockeycontroversial.com.