Mounted-TV.jpgSo, you’ve just purchased a brand spanking new, top of the line 65” 3D HDTV. You can’t contain your excitement. All you want is to get this new addition to your family out of the box and plugged into the wall so you can get started on your House of Cards marathon. I don’t blame you. In fact, I’m a little jealous. Now comes the question—to mount or not to mount? The ideal situation is to mount your TV on the wall above a TV stand that holds all your home entertainment components, but you can also go the TV-stand-only route. Here are the pros of mounting your TV on the wall, and some mount and TV stand options.

Why mount your TV?

Outside of the fact that a flat panel TV looks super slick when mounted on a wall, there are a few other reasons why mounting is a good idea. First, when your TV is on the wall, you can create valuable space on top of your furniture to get that sleek, modern look in any room. Second, research has proven that it is actually safer to mount your TV on the wall than it is to have it sitting on a piece of furniture, which is a great benefit for klutzes like me who have almost lost their TVs to dusting disasters. Third, and perhaps most important of all, mounting your TV on the wall allows you to adjust the angle so you always have the best possible picture and vantage point. This is because the majority of wall mounts can extend, tilt and swivel, making it easy to find your optimal viewing “sweet spot.” Being able to adjust the angle of your TV also means you have the power to reduce glare that might result from lights or windows.

Sanus-Mount.jpgWith all that said, it is important to select a quality wall mount, as not all are created equal. One great option is the Sanus Tilting Flat-Panel TV Wall Mount. Ideal for TV’s ranging in size from 51” – 80” this mount is a great mid-range option. It features Sanus’ patented “Finger Touch” tilting that lets you tilt your TV up 12 degrees and down 7 degrees so you can find the perfect angle whether you are sitting on the couch or the floor, and allows you to slide your TV from side to side so for perfect wall positioning. I can see the latter feature being a fantastic option for those among us who like to rearrange furniture from time to time. With the ability to slide your TV, you can rework your furniture arrangements without having to uninstall and reinstall your mount. It’s also made of solid steel and has a locking system that actually “clicks” into place so you can be confident your new baby is firmly attached to the wall.

Sanus-Mount-Full.jpgTaking things a step further is the Sanus Full Motion Flat-Panel TV Wall Mount, which, as its name suggests, offers more than just tilt up and tilt down functionality. Designed for flat screen TVs ranging in size from 37” to 84” this mount also allows you to pull your TV out from the wall as much as 9” to optimize your viewing angle even more. Another pretty cool feature of this mount is that it positions your TV a mere 1.36” from the wall (vs. a still impressive 2.15” for the Sanus Tilting Flat Panel Mount). Think about that. An entire mounting system that lets you tilt and yank your TV to your heart’s content, yet also lets it sit virtually flush to the wall. It also features a cable management system that keeps all those loose cables organized so you don’t need to contend with an ugly mess of wires running down your wall.

Enter the TV stand

Here’s the deal folks … Like it or not, TV stands are essential. Situation #1, you have ample wall space to mount your TV like a boss. I’m jealous again, but regardless, you still need to store all your home entertainment components in “something.” Well, that’s unless you’ve got some super high-tech system where all your components are contained within a hidden panel in your wall. Situation #2, you do not have ample wall space and need something to store those components and support the weight of your TV. Regardless of which situation resonates with you, you need a TV stand to house your Blu-ray player, home theatre receiver, stereo system, gaming console, set-top box … the list goes on.

TMarcus.jpghankfully, TV stands these days are a whole lot less intrusive and utilitarian than they were a couple of decades ago. Take for example the Marcus TV Stand. With its rich mahogany look, it’s obvious that “Marcus” is less an old-school TV stand and more a piece of furniture. In fact, it is eerily similar to what I have at home and I absolutely love it. With its two shelves and two doors it’s a fantastic piece of furniture in which to store your entire home theatre system, plus all those CDs and DVDs you’ve accumulated over time. I also have a box in my (very similar) stand to store random items like decks of cards, candles, and incense. Whether your TV is floating on the wall above this stand or situated right on top, it’ll look pretty darn good in any room.

Insignia.jpg

Another example is the Insignia TV stand. It features two cabinets with safety-tempered glass doors and adjustable shelves, plus two shelves in the centre of the unit to house all your audio-visual equipment. It also features an integrated cable management system that helps organize the plethora of cords and wires that are unavoidable with any home entertainment or home theatre system. It’s a little narrower than the Marcus TV stand, but will still do a fantastic job of making a home for all those components you know you have.

“To mount or not to mount” is still a question you need to ask yourself when you bring home a new TV. If you have the wall space, mounting is absolutely the route you should go down. By mounting your TV, you can adjust the angle as you see fit, and display your “baby” for everyone to admire. But if you don’t have wall space, you can place “baby” on a really lovely piece of furniture that you can repurpose for myriad uses in the future should you want to. Regardless, unless your home entertainment components are invisible, you need a TV stand. Thankfully the 90s are long gone and that doesn’t mean you are tied to something made entirely of glass and steel.

Check out the full range of TV mounts available at BestBuy.ca here.

 

Stacey McGregor
Stacey McGregor is a marketing and communications professional based in Vancouver, BC. She has a passion for the written word, loves learning about new technology and gadgets, and enjoys sharing what she learns through Best Buy's Plug In blog.

4 COMMENTS

  1. Nice article. You might like to know there was a little typo in the second paragraph, seventh line. Just a heads up. 🙂

  2. I have some bad news for you…most tv stands let you adjust the viewing angle too. Plus you can just roll it across the room if you want.

  3. Love the flexibility of those full motion wall mounts.  Especially to access the cables on the back.

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