1) Low-Profile Mount
Famous for its simplistic design, the low-profile bracket mounts your TV directly to the wall. It offers an inexpensive and simple way to mount your TV with minimal protrusion. Unfortunately, even the lowest profile aftermarket TV mounts can’t make your TV flush with the wall. Once you have the TV, the low-profile mount and any necessary spacing for cables, your TV can protrude 3/4” of an inch in the best situations and as much as 3.5”, depending on the mounting style, width of the TV and how much spacing is needed for wire management.
Low-profile mounting brackets are great for TVs mounted in cabinetry or niches. We wouldn’t recommend it in places where you would commonly be parallel with the TV, which would only accentuate the protrusion.
2) Flush Mount TVs
There are a small handful of TVs that come with flush mounts. Unlike low-profile mounts, these flush mounts allow the TV to sit perfectly flush with the wall with no additional hardware (besides cable management hardware). Although the selection is small, our most popular flush mount TVs include the Samsung Frame TV and LG Gallery Series OLED TVs. These TVs’ thicknesses are 1” and 0.9” respectively. We also rated the Frame TV one of our favorite TVs of 2021.
Of course, the selection here is somewhat limited. One TV is a top-of-the-line OLED screen, and the other is a unique TV that acts as artwork when not in use. If you want the face of your TV even closer to the wall, there is an even better solution.
3) TV Niche
What is a TV niche? A TV niche is a recessed part of the wall where you would put the TV and sometimes even a soundbar. This prevents the TV from protruding off the wall and can decrease the visual impact of the TV, especially from the side. It can make the room feel more complete since the niche is designed precisely for your setup.
There are a few downsides to a niche. Niches are easiest to build above a fireplace due to their unique design. However, TV niche’s on other walls require specialized framing changes. If you want a TV niche, you’ll have to consult with your builder to prepare your home. In some cases, the home’s architecture may prevent you from installing one. If you need two inches of depth for the mount, another two inches for the TV, and another two inches for the backbox, then you need a total of six inches of wall depth. The actual required wall depth will depend on your setup, but not everyone has enough depth to fit everything in the wall to create a proper niche.
4) Articulating TV Mount
The articulating (swivel) mount can give you some of the best aesthetics and they allow you to comfortably enjoy the TV in more places. The articulating mount gives you more viewing flexibility and allows any TV to sit flush against the wall. When SoundVision installs your articulating mount, we recess the mount itself into the wall. It takes up less space than an entire niche but still requires some fabrication.
An articulating mount can allow you to enjoy the same great TV in multiple places. If you don’t have speakers in the walls or ceiling, we can add a soundbar so that the audio is always pointing in the right direction. You can swivel your living room TV towards a nearby dining room or kitchen if you have an open floor plan. Alternatively, you can use an articulating mount to get the TV perfectly flush with the wall.
The motorized articulating mount allows you to easily move your TV at the press of a button. You can have predefined positions set for quick adjustment to wherever you may be watching. Press one button to have it face your kitchen. Press another button to have it face the window seating area and a third button to have it return to the flush position.
5) Lowering mount
It’s pretty popular to mount the TV above the fireplace. Unfortunately, this commonly places the TV too high for comfortable long-time viewing. Without being reclined, we believe the center of the TV should level with your eyes. The further a TV deviates from your natural eye gaze, the more eye and/or neck strain you’ll feel while watching TV.
The motorized lowering mount allows you to enjoy the aesthetics of your TV above the fireplace while not compromising on viewing height. When it’s time to watch, the lowering mount can lower up to 30 inches to bring your TV to a more optimal viewing height. The manual lowering mount has a helper spring to make moving the TV easy. Alternatively, an electronic version will lower your TV as you turn it on and put it back above the fireplace when you’re done!
6) Cabinet Lift
The cabinet lift is a great way to hide your TV in places where it would otherwise be difficult to have one. Most commonly seen in front of windows or at the edge of beds, the cabinet lift hides your TV in a cabinet and rises out of the top when it’s time to watch. Because TVs are so thin now, most of the cabinet will remain stationary and can still have stuff put on top of it.
Cabinet lifts are great because the cabinetry is custom built to perfectly match your space. Cabinets can also be put in places where TVs would otherwise look weird, like in front of windows, in the middle of an open space, or at the foot of a bed.
Which Solution is Best For You?
The honest answer is that it depends on what you like and your space! We can work with you and your design team to think of unique ways to integrate the TV into your space. Give us a call at 415-456-7000, so we can learn more about your home and what you’re looking for.