When leveling up your viewing experience, finding the right TV for your needs is the first step. However, the journey doesn’t end there – properly installing your new TV is just as important. There are a lot of traps that are easy to fall into that many people don’t consider when mounting their TV, which can lead to serious mistakes and problems down the line.
If you don’t have the skills, time, or energy to set up your new TV on your own, you can always pay for a professional TV installation service and let the experts do all the legwork and take care of everything for you. However, we’re going to cover a couple of the most common mistakes people make when setting up a new TV, so you can avoid them if you decide to take matters into your own hands and make the most of your shiny new picture box.
You’re probably eager to sit back and start enjoying your new family-favorite toy, so let’s get straight to it!
1. Not Thinking Things Through
Let’s address this right off the bat: when setting up a new TV, you need to have a plan in place. Otherwise, you risk having your brand-new, thousand-dollar gadget you spent months saving for landing on the ground or placed in a way that will hinder your viewing experience. Before mounting your TV, you want to know precisely what you’ll be doing and arm yourself with the tools and other equipment necessary to pull it off.
Your instincts are probably telling you to rip the packaging open, ditch the instruction guide, and start setting up your new gadget as soon as possible. However, a TV is a long-term investment, so rushing into things without a plan or at least thinking everything through might save you time at the moment but can cost you a lot more down the road.
2. Choosing the Wrong Placement
You’re obviously going to pay attention to the aesthetics and how your new TV fits into its surroundings. However, that’s not the only reason that should go into installing it, as failing to position your TV properly can completely ruin your viewing experience.
Unfortunately, once you mount a TV, it’s pretty much fixed where it’s at. So, if you don’t factor in elements such as the light, the location of the nearest power outlet, or your viewing angle, you will beat yourself up over it sooner or later. Hang the TV too high or low, and your neck will hurt. Ignore the exposure to the sun, and you’ll get glints and a washed-out picture.
Trying out these things before you actually mount your TV to ensure it’s in a perfect position is crucial. The general rule of thumb is that the center of your screen should be positioned around the eye level from where you watch it most.
3. Failing to Consider the Load Your Walls Can Bear
Today’s modern flat-screen TVs are much lighter than their precessors used to be. Nonetheless, this isn’t something you just want to wing, cross your fingers, and hope it all pans out. Regular drywalls usually can’t support the weight of a TV, so you need to make sure your wall mount hits a stud to ensure it’s securely fastened to the wall, or find a wall made out of something substantial.
Some TVs can weigh over a hundred pounds, depending on the size, and if you don’t find the right location and locate a stud that can support that weight, you risk your precious new toy ending up on the ground, shattered in pieces.
4. Mounting the TV Over Your Fireplace
Although tempting, hanging your TV above a fireplace is not a good idea, as counter-intuitive as it might sound. It will usually turn out to be too high for comfortable viewing and have you craning your neck all the time. On top of that, you don’t want to risk the heat damaging your screen.
As aesthetically pleasing as marrying these two focal elements might be, it’s best to play it safe.
5. Choosing the Wrong Wall Mount
Today, TVs come in various shapes and sizes – they can weigh anywhere from 60 to over 100 pounds, and that can make a big difference in the mounts you’re selecting. Many people fail to consider that not all wall mounts are created the same, and they’re only designed to handle as much.
So, another key consideration is choosing a mount that will support the weight of the TV that you’ve chosen, so it doesn’t come tumbling down. Think about quality, too – you want to pick a high-quality TV mount that will support and hold your new flat-screen baby up for years to come yet be as visually noninvasive as possible.
6. Leaving the Picture Settings on Default
When you buy a new TV, it will probably be pre-set to default picture settings or whatever made it look good in the store under showroom lighting. However, the lighting in your room, the viewing angle, as well as your personal preferences all play a part in adapting it to your viewing conditions. Are the settings optimized enough?
You don’t need to spend a fortune to get a better picture from your TV – simply tweaking some basic controls and custom-calibrating it can take your TV viewing experience to a new level.
Adjust the brightness, contrast, colors, and sharpness to your preferences. Here are a few tips to keep in mind and help you get the ultimate home theater experience:
- Too much sharpness will exaggerate contours and lines instead of giving you a clear picture.
- Too little saturation will wash out the color of the image, while too much will oversaturate it.
- Too much backlight can strain your eyes, and if the contrast is too low, it may flatten the scene.
- Turn off any unnecessary picture features such as the one meant for gaming or live sports, to make day-to-day viewing more pleasant.
Approach Your TV Installation Wisely: Get the Perfect Viewing Experience
In today’s fast-paced world, watching TV is one of the universally-favored ways to unwind after a long day.
By avoiding these common TV mounting mistakes and following our tips, you can rest assured knowing your new gadget will be safe and your TV viewing experience on another level.
May you enjoy it for years to come!