Even I have to admit that when I first got a flat screen I wanted to mount it above the fireplace but we rent and frankly it would be pointless because we never know when we’re going to move and that would be a lot of work. Now I’m excited that we ended up going with a entertainment center instead. Why?
It’s Bad for the TV
First and foremost, the heat and soot generated by a fireplace can raise the operating temperature of the set, and reduce its usable life span. If the damage to the internals is noticeable, the manufacturer could even refuse warranty service. This won’t really matter if you rarely use the fireplace, but it’s a non-starter if you do.
It’s a Pain in the Neck
Even if you aren’t concerned about damaging the TV, you’ll still strain your neck watching it it if it’s mounted too high. Geoff Morrison at CNET likens it to sitting in the front row of a movie theater every time you watch TV, and suggests placing the center of the screen at eye level from your standard sitting position, or even slightly below. Apartment Therapy offers similar advice, recommending that the top of the screen should only be about 15 degrees above your horizontal plane of vision. By either measure, hanging your screen above a fireplace isn’t remotely close to an optimal position. In fact, you’d be better off mounting it inside the fireplace.
It Hurts Your Image Quality
If this weren’t enough, most LCD and LED-backlit sets still suffer from poor viewing angles, so looking at them from below can spoil your experience. An exhaustive 2008 DisplayMate studyfound that every LCD TV they tested suffered from noticeable color shifts at less than 15 degrees, far less than the angle from your couch to the top of a fireplace-mounted screen. LCD technology has improved somewhat in recent years, but unless you have a plasma screen or an expensive IPS display, you’ll never get as vibrant a picture from a mantle-mounted TV as you would from one at eye level.
If you spent good money on a new flat panel, you want to put it in a position to shine. So avoid the fireplace and find another wall to mount it lower, or set it on an entertainment center. Your TV, neck, and eyes will thank you for it.
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