# articulating plasma mount



## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

I'm getting my new Panny P54G25 next week and am thinking of mounting it on the wall. The wall I'm putting it on is in a niche and is 30 inches deep. With the TV being 3.5 inches thick, I need a mount to bring it out about 27 inches more or less, including depth of the mount.

I'm also looking to attach on-wall speakers to the side so it needs to be able to have an optional speaker attachment.
TV weight is 65 lbs, speakers are 23 total.
Anyone with experience?


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

A mount to come out that far for a 54" would cost about $500. Better to build a wall only a few inches deep and use a much simpler mount.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

Agreed. And few TV mounts have mounting points for speakers.


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## tgater (Jul 24, 2007)

Check this site out. I don't have any experience with them, but I've been lurking.

http://www.chiefmfg.com/


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

I've used Chief brackets in the past. They are very well built and if anybody had one that would fit all your needs, *dmspen*, they would.

$500 would be a good starting point for a bracket as specific as you want, with both the depth and speaker brackets being killer requirements.

You'll never use a standard depth TV in this spot again, dmspen. It's time to call a carpenter. $200 worth of labor, 2x4s and sheetrock can solve this problem. Build it out. It's the way I'd do it.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

Over a morning cup of coffee, I've been thinking what an engineering disaster this could be if you do this the way you want to, dmspen.

Every try holding a 10 pound weight at arms length for even a minute? It's tough. Now imagine you're holding a 100 pound weight, which would be your TV and speakers, at arms length for 10 years. While you wouldn't have to deal with muscle fatigue, metal fatigue is very real. Add onto that the constant strain on any lag bolts you use to mount the bracket to the wall and you are just asking for trouble. The TV would shift with time. Of that I can be sure. Whether it would crash to the floor in the middle of the night, I can't say, but that very easily could happen, too.


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## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

Hmmm. I found this mount:
http://www.sanus.com/us/en/products/visionmount/full-motion-mount/VMAA26

with optional speaker brackets:
http://www.sanus.com/us/en/products/visionmount/speaker-mount/LAS1A

Adding a wall is not quite so trivial as it seems. It's a former wet bar and there are power outlets and a wall switch to move as well as an ovehead light fixture.

Maybe I could get a floor standing mount that slides under the AV stand...
Or put a brace under the mount after its extended to relieve the strain.

Shoot. Now I'm nervous about the whole thing...


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## Michael H.. (May 31, 2007)

dmspen said:


> I'm getting my new Panny P54G25 next week and am thinking of mounting it on the wall. The wall I'm putting it on is in a niche and is 30 inches deep. With the TV being 3.5 inches thick, I need a mount to bring it out about 27 inches more or less, including depth of the mount.
> 
> I'm also looking to attach on-wall speakers to the side so it needs to be able to have an optional speaker attachment.
> TV weight is 65 lbs, speakers are 23 total.
> Anyone with experience?


2 of the 6 HDTV's I've got are wall mounted. One of those mounts is the top-of-the-line tilt / left-right rotating Omnimount, and the other is a simple tilt-forward wall mount. The first is a $600 list mount that I got for $300 with the purchase of the HDTV which is mounted to it, the second is a typical $100 mount. I NEVER use the pull-out / left-right rotate function of the Omnimount... but... I wish that I'd gotten that mount for the other location simply because getting behind the TV to connect / disconnect, see what the heck I'm doing, even just the few times I've needed to, is a royal PIA. My background is in aerospace structures, the fully extended (cantilevered) mount configuration does impart significant pull-out loads on the fastener attachments, but is designed to comfortably withstand those. Still, it makes me nervous to leave it out like that for any period of time, and I don't live in a seismic-active zone. I would build a support in the niche, mounted to the inside top-bottom and/or side-to-side rather than to the rear, if it is easier... it will certainly be more stable. Since you're building out from the niche, I'll forgo mention of the heat dissipated in a confined volume, but is one reason I avoid putting anything in those... as well as closed cabinets for electronic hardware, I strictly use open glass shelves.

There is a commercial mount company I've come across in the past (the name escapes me) so you'll have to do a search. They make an extensive line of convention-center type supports/displays such as wheeled structures that support 4 (and 6 or 8) elevated outward-facing (NSEW) large sets with equipment/speakers/etc. As I recall, they had dozens of different supports. Try this company if you can't find what you need.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

dmspen said:


> Adding a wall is not quite so trivial as it seems. It's a former wet bar and there are power outlets and a wall switch to move as well as an ovehead light fixture.


If you get stuck, I do custom work in the area on a regular basis, though I'm actually in the East Bay. 



Michael Hilley said:


> I wish that I'd gotten that mount for the other location simply because getting behind the TV to connect / disconnect, see what the heck I'm doing, even just the few times I've needed to, is a royal PIA.


When I hang a TV, I try to convince my customers to pay for cabling for all TV inputs. It costs a little more up-front, but EVERYONE ends up adding components eventually, and it costs a LOT more to run them after the fact. Plus, you never have to get behind the TV again.

Some customers are stubborn (or cheap), and have had to pay me to come back later and run additional cables at a much higher cost (one guy has had me back TWICE, yet won't pay for a full set of cables!), but most see the advantages of this policy and take advantage of it once I explain things to them.

I think I'm the only person in the business who recommends this, though, because I almost universally see a single HDMI or set of component cables, and *maybe* an RG6 cable, going to hung TVs. I have to bite my tongue everytime I go someplace and they've got a single HDMI cable to the TV, and the customer has an HD-DVR, PS3, Apple TV, and Roku, and wants them hooked up. I usually have to explain the problem 2 or 3 times before they get it...


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## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

Excuse me for being simplistic, but why don't you settle on some sort of A/V furniture for mounting your TV and speakers (and any addional components you may have)? To me, this is the most logical and probably the most economical solution.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

I agree in general, but dmspen may have a specific need to have the TV mounted and nothing underneath.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

dmspen said:


> Hmmm. I found this mount:
> http://www.sanus.com/us/en/products/visionmount/full-motion-mount/VMAA26
> 
> with optional speaker brackets:
> ...


That is the mount I have been using for just over 3 years. It supports 93lbs (50" NEC PDP) without a problem. Got it on a "price mistake" for $120 off Amazon.

BTW, I think "Chief" (brand) mounts are the same company as Sanus. It's their "custom installer" brown box brand IIRC.

Edit: The mount weighs almost as much as the TV.  It is mounted with 4 lag bolts 12" apart and about 5" off center as the beams are not centered on that small 48" wall which backs up to the kitchen pantry.


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## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

Cool. How far do you extend the TV? I'm looking at full extension or just less...about 24".


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## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

Cholly said:


> Excuse me for being simplistic, but why don't you settle on some sort of A/V furniture for mounting your TV and speakers (and any addional components you may have)? To me, this is the most logical and probably the most economical solution.


That was my original plan. The problem I've run into is finding a TV stand that will fit in the area with enough room for components and center speaker (30 in wide). The opening is 62" with floor opening a bit less due to 3/4 in baseboards. I had actually found a beautiful BDI stand (Icon 9429http://www.bdiusa.com/theater/icon_9429.shtml), but the very bottom extension would hit the baseboards. Also, it's EXACTLY 62 inches. I figure that all 62 inch measurements are not identical so had concerns about it fitting.

We're also remodeling our living room in contemporary style so I also needed something in an open glass/steel/chrome style. The BDI would have been awesome.

Another issue is what to do with the speakers. With the BDI stand they would have fit nicely on the stand. As of right now, they have to be mounted on the TV mount. I've looked for some type of 90 degree solution, but have come up empty.

So what I'm trying to do is a compromise between a TV stand and wall mount. I got a Bello AVS-4601HG stand which will fit all the components as long as the center speaker goes on the top shelf.

I stilll toy with the idea of getting the BDI and 'making' it fit. Although the wife will probably have a small bovine if I cut into the NEW baseboards.


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## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

I'm somewhat more fortunate than you insofar as stand is concerned. My recess ia around 12 feet wide -- more than enough to accommodate my Sony 55inch LCD rear projection TV on a metal and glass stand, metal and glass equipment stand, Paradigm front speakers and sub, a CD rack and a DVD rack. My center speaker is on a shelf on the TV stand. I'd previously had my Yamaha receiver, TiVo and HD DVD/Blu-ray player on the TV stand as well, but with the advent of switched digital video, it was a bit too tight for the Cisco SDV adapter and I was concerned about air cirulation around my receiver.

Perhaps you can convince your wife that the TV stand is too nice to pass up and the baseboards might have to be cut in order for it to fit.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

dmspen said:


> Cool. How far do you extend the TV? I'm looking at full extension or just less...about 24".


 Mostly as you see in the photo. Even though I KNOW it will hold if I extend it full straight out I start to feel as if my entire house is going to tilt forward on the rare occasion I have done it (and not for TV watching, just for working behind it). :lol: I would imagine most people don't use these things full straight out. Doesn't really make much sense unless it is a non-standard situation like yours.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

Cholly said:


> I'm somewhat more fortunate than you insofar as stand is concerned. My recess ia around 12 feet wide --


 12' wide! That's not a recess, that's a room!


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## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

Thanks everyone. I've decided (with my wife offering her opinion) to build a faux wall of sorts. Basically a couple of braced 2x4s that will be attached to the studs on the side walls (with suitable anchoring). We decided that structural integrity was probably the most importat aspect of this installation.
See the attached photo.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Drucifer said:


> A mount to come out that far for a 54" would cost about $500. Better to build a wall only a few inches deep and use a much simpler mount.





dmspen said:


> Thanks everyone. I've decided (with my wife offering her opinion) to build a faux wall of sorts. Basically a couple of braced 2x4s that will be attached to the studs on the side walls (with suitable anchoring). We decided that structural integrity was probably the most importat aspect of this installation.
> See the attached photo.


Yep my suggestion does seem to be simplest and cheapest. Don't forget to use the rear of the wall to run your cables.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

^ Nice way to share credit with everyone else that had the same idea. 

Good solution, dmspen. :righton:



TBlazer07 said:


> BTW, I think "Chief" (brand) mounts are the same company as Sanus. It's their "custom installer" brown box brand IIRC.


Yes, Sanus owns Chief, but they existed as separate companies for years before that, with Chief tackling the pro market while Sanus had the consumer one. It was an ideal marriage. Certainly there has been more cross fertilization since then but still their separate identities and product lines remain. Chief is much more than a rebranding of Sanus products.


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## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

Thanks all,
BTW, I got a new TV stand to go under the TV for components. It's a Bello. IMO, I will never get a Bello again. I should listen to the wife - she always tells me - "You get what you pay for".
The Bello stand looks good, but is poorly made. Screw holes dont align, extra material around welds...
I had originally looked at a BDI Icon, but it was about $700, the Bello? Only $169.
I'll post some pics when I get construction going.


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## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

I got the TV today and promptly yanked all the equipment out og the old wood cabinet and put it on my new Bello TV Stand. We put the NEW TV on the stand and everything looks pretty good except the speakers. They were going to be mounted on the 'faux wall' along with the TV, but since all the equipment fits on my rack, I think I willl just figure out how to mount the speakers on the wall. 

Anyone mounted wall speakers at a 90 degree angle?


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## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

dmspen said:


> I got the TV today and promptly yanked all the equipment out og the old wood cabinet and put it on my new Bello TV Stand. We put the NEW TV on the stand and everything looks pretty good except the speakers. They were going to be mounted on the 'faux wall' along with the TV, but since all the equipment fits on my rack, I think I willl just figure out how to mount the speakers on the wall.
> 
> Anyone mounted wall speakers at a 90 degree angle?


From what I can tell from your picture, you don't really have space in the niche for speakers. I wouldn't want to mount speakers above the TV. The combined heights of the stand plus TV really would set your front speakers too high. Depending on the make and size of the speakers, if possible, I'd be inclined to mount them on the wall in front of the niche or on stands. In all the discussion, you haven't indicated whether you have a surround system or just stereo. Obviously, the number and size of the speakers and the room layout will dictate speaker placement.


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## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

There actually is enough room to mount the speakers inbetween the walls and the TV - barely. It will definitely be a squeeze.

With regard to speaker height, I tend to agreee that they might be a little high if centered horizontally with the TV. I may align them with the bottom of the TV which would put them near ear height.

I would like to mount the speakers on the front wall parts, but the wife vetoed that idea.
Oh, I have a 5.1 system. Surronds are behind the couch opposite the TV, one on an end table and the other on a stand.


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