If you bought a brand new TV for entertaining in the course of the holidays: Congratulations. Before you dive into all of the enjoyable stuff, you must work out the place you are going to put it. Even if it is not a lot greater than your final TV, you continue to have to be sure to set it up correctly.
Whether you wall-mount or use a TV stand, there are some vital, and sometimes unintuitive, features to contemplate. For occasion, do you know that unhealthy TV placement can scale back a TV’s obvious image high quality, trigger neck ache and extra? You undoubtedly do not wish to mount your TV too excessive, too distant or at a bizarre angle.
Issues created by unhealthy TV placement won’t be obvious instantly, however over weeks and months, they may very well be noticeable, annoying and probably even painful. The time hole may very well be sufficient that you simply won’t even understand it is the TV’s placement inflicting the problems.
Is this hyperbole? Not actually. Consider that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has requirements in how your work atmosphere is ready as much as decrease the prospect of repetitive stress accidents. If you are watching 4 to 6 hours of TV at evening, it is attainable you can be prone to lots of the identical points. Also, most TVs look far worse “off axis,” as in too far above, under or to the aspect of the middle of the display screen. So all that cash you spent on a brand new TV may very well be wasted by not it from the angle it seems to be finest.
Mounting a TV above a hearth can also be a foul concept, as is the toilet. A slight seating shuffle, or adjusting your most popular pedestal placements, might yield higher image high quality or permit for a bigger TV. So earlier than you mount a TV or purchase an costly TV stand, take into account these dos and don’ts for TV placement.
Do these 5 issues earlier than you arrange a brand new TV
Do verify TV topÂ
There’s no set top for TV placement, however ideally, you do not need the TV to be too excessive. Staring up at a TV is like sitting within the entrance row of a movie show. It’s not preferrred, not snug and never conducive to lengthy viewing classes. Generally talking, you need the middle of the TV to be about eye stage, and even barely decrease. This is true whether or not you are mounting the TV or placing it on a stand.
For extra on this, try my information on how excessive it is best to put your TV.
Nice couches make a fairly good TV placement look even higher.
Do verify the space out of your sofa to your TV
It’s unlikely anybody studying that is going to be sitting too near their TV. Sitting nearer to your TV has two advantages: It fills extra of your area of view (so it is extra immersive), and you may see extra decision (the picture is extra detailed). If you possibly can’t or do not wish to sit nearer, you possibly can alternatively get a bigger TV. Check out this text on how huge a TV you should purchase for more information.
Do look out for sources of TV glare
Room lighting and reflections are the No. 1 killer of TV photos in response to a examine I simply made up. The reality is sort of each fashionable TV has a reflective display screen, and I do not care how superior your lamps are, they don’t seem to be as attention-grabbing as what’s on TV. Sure, you possibly can simply flip off the lights (or shut the blinds), however typically that is not straightforward or attainable. If it is not, try our piece on find out how to rid your HDTV of reflections.
It’s good when your view can outdo your TV.
If you are considering of wall mounting, have in mind all of the Do’s talked about to date. Plus, should you’re considering of getting an LCD, be sure to get a wall mount that is capable of pivot or modify. With few exceptions, LCDs have worse efficiency should you’re not sitting instantly in entrance of them. Being capable of pivot or transfer a wall-mounted TV so it is aimed instantly at your eyeballs will likely be an enormous enchancment in image high quality (in comparison with the identical TV not aimed toward you). It’s value mentioning at this level that TV weight shouldn’t be a limiting issue in terms of mounting.
Always take into account glare.
Do take into account greater than fashion
When it involves TV stands, there are numerous choices. Consider the TV top along with no matter fashion you want. Most stands are pretty uniform in top, and some inches above or under preferrred is not going to matter, however a big TV on a tall stand is not an amazing concept.
Do take into account security, particularly when you have younger children
Turns out that falling TVs injure lots of children yearly. Find out find out how to preserve your TV from falling over should you’ve bought children or energetic pets.
Don’t make these seven frequent TV placement errors
Reflections is likely to be an issue right here.
Don’t mount your TV too excessive
A TV on the appropriate top goes to look actually low while you’re standing. Which is ok, since more often than not you will not be standing while you’re watching it. Mounting a TV too excessive can actually be a ache within the neck. If you desire a good chortle, there is a energetic subreddit dedicated to footage of people that have mounted their TVs too excessive.
Don’t mount a TV above the hearthÂ
Seriously. Don’t mount a TV above a hearth. For the above purpose and extra — not the least of which is that warmth is the enemy of all electronics. Even should you by no means use your hearth, mounting a TV above it’s virtually at all times too excessive to look at from a sofa.
Though clear wanting, a bookshelf or different cupboard can scale back sound high quality and restrict the scale of a TV you will get sooner or later.
Don’t really feel restricted by a cupboard, bookcase or leisure heartÂ
If you will have a cupboard, bookcase or leisure heart the place your TV has at all times been, it is value contemplating shedding it. That’s a giant ask, particularly for a brand new TV, however take into account two issues. First, it not solely limits the scale of the TV you will get, however the high quality. If your cupboard can solely match a 42-inch TV, know that higher TV tech like native dimming, OLED and Mini-LED are virtually solely out there in bigger sizes. If they are often present in smaller sizes, there are often just one or two fashions. Second, relying on the place the TV’s audio system are positioned, a cupboard might severely scale back the TV’s sound high quality and quantity. (If you will have a 5.1-speaker system or soundbar, this would possibly not be a difficulty.)
Don’t put your indoor TV outdoors
Don’t mount a “common” TV outdoors. There are TVs made for simply that. Or, should you do not wish to spend the cash on a TV designed for the outside, simply know that any TV you permit on the market is not more likely to final lengthy (even when it is below an awning). Best to carry it in while you’re not utilizing it.
Pro outside projector tip
If you actually wish to watch TV outdoors, take into account a projector slightly than a TV. The finest outside projectors, just like the Anker Neblula Mars II Pro, are simpler to tote than a TV, run on batteries and have built-in streaming and audio system.
Details
Don’t really feel you want a ‘actual’ TV
For kitchens and loos, a wise show like a Google Nest Hub or Amazon Echo Show would possibly get you every little thing you want with out the scale and problem of a full-size TV.
Don’t sit too distant out of your TVÂ
You can get a bigger TV to compensate. At 10 ft away, you can get the most important TV in the marketplace and nonetheless not see pixels.Â
Don’t put your TV at a bizarre angleÂ
If you must flip your head to see the display screen, it is simply going to result in sore necks. Twisting your head a bit might not appear to be a giant deal, however preserving it that manner for hours at a time could be a ache — actually.
I’d suggest a subwoofer.
Bottom line
Let’s take two rooms as examples. First room: You have an amazing TV, mounted excessive on a wall close to the nook, with the couch and adjoining lamps, on the opposite aspect of the room within the different nook. These poor people have a small-seeming TV, plenty of reflections, and stiff necks from turning and searching up on the TV. Second room: The TV is mounted at eye stage, the couch is 8 to 9 ft away and there are not any lamps to replicate on the display screen. In which room would you wish to watch a marathon of Andor?
Proper placement can decide a good portion of the general enjoyment of a brand new TV. It’s value contemplating adjusting your room to be extra conducive to snug TV viewing. Not solely will you acquire potential image and luxury enhancements, however within the course of, you would possibly release extra space for different issues. Like a rug that actually ties the room collectively.Â
Once you have bought the location found out, this is find out how to arrange your new TV. If you have already bought it arrange, listed here are some vital image high quality settings to regulate, together with turning down the sharpness management. If you are having hassle listening to dialogue, there are some settings you possibly can modify which may assist.
As effectively as masking TV and different show tech, Geoff does picture excursions of cool museums and places world wide, together with nuclear submarines, huge plane carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile highway journeys, and extra. Check out Tech Treks for all his excursions and adventures.
He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, together with a sequel. You can comply with his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.
