LCD on the wall on top of fire place?
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HDMeister,
I have read a few places that have had repair guys posting that they have been fixing a lot of sets that were above the fireplace and they were wondering if the added heat was leading to premature failure. I had the propane gas guy out recently doing a deliverly, and he said that yeah, it would probably put out enough heat to damage electronics.
A couple of days later I ordered this:
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-T...7504593&sr=8-1
One of the coolest toys I've gotten in a while. We just bought this house, and it has helped me cut way down on drafts and heat leaks. But I tested it a lot around the fireplace, and sure enough, it gets really hot on top of my mantle above the fireplace. I actually had my PS3 sitting on the mantle, and when I went to lift it up, it was kind of stuck to the mantle from the heat.
So now I'm thinking even if I find a really cool mount like we have been talking about above, it might not be a good idea to put the TV there.
I have read a few places that have had repair guys posting that they have been fixing a lot of sets that were above the fireplace and they were wondering if the added heat was leading to premature failure. I had the propane gas guy out recently doing a deliverly, and he said that yeah, it would probably put out enough heat to damage electronics.
A couple of days later I ordered this:
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-T...7504593&sr=8-1
One of the coolest toys I've gotten in a while. We just bought this house, and it has helped me cut way down on drafts and heat leaks. But I tested it a lot around the fireplace, and sure enough, it gets really hot on top of my mantle above the fireplace. I actually had my PS3 sitting on the mantle, and when I went to lift it up, it was kind of stuck to the mantle from the heat.
So now I'm thinking even if I find a really cool mount like we have been talking about above, it might not be a good idea to put the TV there.
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242 Posts
We have our Sony XBR8 above the fireplace and its been fine. Before that, I had my Sharp up there for 4 years and no issues.
you just get a neck ache from craning your head up to watch at an unnatural angle. To me plasma over the fireplace is so 2001......when the first flat panels were out all the builders were saying "cool...look....you can have a TV over your fireplace....ooooohhh ahhhhhh"
same here it looks like it will hurt my neck after awhile.i am moving into a new home that the only location for the tv is over the fireplace the already have the opening for the wires to pass through the wall to the bottom were the plugs are. lucky i will have another room as well with a tv but looks like im stuck with atleast one over the fire place.
same here it looks like it will hurt my neck after awhile.i am moving into a new home that the only location for the tv is over the fireplace the already have the opening for the wires to pass through the wall to the bottom were the plugs are. lucky i will have another room as well with a tv but looks like im stuck with atleast one over the fire place.
searching the word "fireplace" yielded many threads. here are two:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...ight=fireplace
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...ight=fireplace
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...ight=fireplace
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...ight=fireplace
Problem is that the fireplace usually occupies the best place to put the tv so your only option is to place the tv above it. I'm in the same situation and will end up mounting my tv over the fp. The couch will be about 12' away so I don't think neck strain will be an issue for me.
Obviously every house is different, but IMO fireplace is worst place to put it, so therefore statement that fireplace occupies best place for TV is opposite. If you mean that the fireplace is in the center of a main wall, then yes I see your point. I'd rather have the TV in one of the corners then, at eye level.....just me
Obviously every house is different, but IMO fireplace is worst place to put it, so therefore statement that fireplace occupies best place for TV is opposite. If you mean that the fireplace is in the center of a main wall, then yes I see your point. I'd rather have the TV in one of the corners then, at eye level.....just me
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5,088 Posts
TVs mounted over fireplaces look tacky and ridiculous.
For those that say that they would buy a house solely based on the where they would put their FP TV don't live in reality. Everything is a compromise. I would pick other features that are much more important than the position or location of my TV.
I live in a house that has a family room connected to the kitchen and the wall at the end of the family room that has a fireplace in the center. I plan to put a 55" Samsung 8K TV over the FP because it is the best place for the family to watch it. If I want to watch serious TV/movies, I have a media room in my basement with a FP system. I have taken thermal measurements while the FP, which is wood burning, is running and the temp above the mantel does not exceed 85F, which is well within operating conditions.
If you are to place a FP on a wall over the FP, please make sure that there is a significant mantel below the TV to help block the heat. I have done thermal measurements below the mantel and the temp exceeds 100F, which will likely cause shortened life or operational issues if both the TV and FP are operating at the same time.
Don't listen to the bunk about making the panel dirty. I have a wood burning FP and there is NO residue on my walls, ceilings or anywhere that result from operating a FP. If someone is having this issue, then they don't know how to operate a FP or there is something else wrong the the FP installation.
The viewing angle is a valid concern because some panels lose a lot of color and punch as your vertical or horizontal viewing angle varies. In my case, the seating is about 14' away, so the viewing angle is not very much. I did the calculations a while ago and I checked the TVs I was interested at a similar angle and I saw no noticeable decrease in picture performance.
Do what is best for you in your situation, but I would only recommend it if you have a mantel to help block a significant portion of the heat. I have made measurements that confirm this in my particular setup. Your situation may be different.
Good luck
Steve
I live in a house that has a family room connected to the kitchen and the wall at the end of the family room that has a fireplace in the center. I plan to put a 55" Samsung 8K TV over the FP because it is the best place for the family to watch it. If I want to watch serious TV/movies, I have a media room in my basement with a FP system. I have taken thermal measurements while the FP, which is wood burning, is running and the temp above the mantel does not exceed 85F, which is well within operating conditions.
If you are to place a FP on a wall over the FP, please make sure that there is a significant mantel below the TV to help block the heat. I have done thermal measurements below the mantel and the temp exceeds 100F, which will likely cause shortened life or operational issues if both the TV and FP are operating at the same time.
Don't listen to the bunk about making the panel dirty. I have a wood burning FP and there is NO residue on my walls, ceilings or anywhere that result from operating a FP. If someone is having this issue, then they don't know how to operate a FP or there is something else wrong the the FP installation.
The viewing angle is a valid concern because some panels lose a lot of color and punch as your vertical or horizontal viewing angle varies. In my case, the seating is about 14' away, so the viewing angle is not very much. I did the calculations a while ago and I checked the TVs I was interested at a similar angle and I saw no noticeable decrease in picture performance.
Do what is best for you in your situation, but I would only recommend it if you have a mantel to help block a significant portion of the heat. I have made measurements that confirm this in my particular setup. Your situation may be different.
Good luck
Steve
Nowhere did I say I would buy a house SOLELY on that factor. It would be one factor among many. I've said this before, but when we were looking to build our house 6 years ago, we had a list of about 30 things that were deal breakers. Since we spend more time in our living room (awake) than any other room in the house, a good living room set up (spot for display, 5.1 audio) was one of those considerations. Took us around a year to find the perfect house to build, but it was time well spent. We now have/had the perfect house. Every deal breaker on our list was satisfied. A house is a major investment, not something to compromise on -- especially now when it's a buyers market.
If you were a chef, you wouldn't buy a house with a small, crappy kitchen. You're on this site, so I'll assume you care about A/V, so why would you compromise on that? And yes, a display over a fireplace is a compromise.
Nowhere did I say I would buy a house SOLELY on that factor. It would be one factor among many. I've said this before, but when we were looking to build our house 6 years ago, we had a list of about 30 things that were deal breakers. Since we spend more time in our living room (awake) than any other room in the house, a good living room set up (spot for display, 5.1 audio) was one of those considerations. Took us around a year to find the perfect house to build, but it was time well spent. We now have/had the perfect house. Every deal breaker on our list was satisfied. A house is a major investment, not something to compromise on -- especially now when it's a buyers market.
If you were a chef, you wouldn't buy a house with a small, crappy kitchen. You're on this site, so I'll assume you care about A/V, so why would you compromise on that? And yes, a display over a fireplace is a compromise.
What you say is true Stew but building a house and buying from what is available are two different things. Hell if i was working from an unfinished basement that would be different as well because I wouldn't purposely put a fp in the position that would be best for the tv.
But for alot of us we work with what is available. I could set up my finished basement/rec room to have my tv at eye level on one wall but then I would be sitting too close. If I moved the couch back to the middle of the room I would lose valuable space for other purposes.
My current 46" rptv sits in the corner and because of that we sit at a 45 degree angle to watch tv and then fight for the furthest seating position between my wife and myself. Not exactly ideal.
So ya, I work with what I have to get the best outcome for everything including watching tv. In this case it will be to have the tv over the fp.
But for alot of us we work with what is available. I could set up my finished basement/rec room to have my tv at eye level on one wall but then I would be sitting too close. If I moved the couch back to the middle of the room I would lose valuable space for other purposes.
My current 46" rptv sits in the corner and because of that we sit at a 45 degree angle to watch tv and then fight for the furthest seating position between my wife and myself. Not exactly ideal.
So ya, I work with what I have to get the best outcome for everything including watching tv. In this case it will be to have the tv over the fp.
To each his own.....
I also wouldn't reject an otherwise good house just because it didn't have a perfect living room for TV and 5.1 sound. Would I pick between two generally similar homes for the better TV arrangement? Sure.
I am fortunate to have my big screen and 5.1 set up in the basement. Don't use that TV as much as the smaller 32" in the living room.......but that's ok. For movie night, or when I watch Lost or other things, I'll do it on the better TV. For the kids watching Barney and Wiggles, its easier for them to use the 32" living room anyway, as nobody can figure out how to get the whole basement setup turned on anyway but me.......
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I also wouldn't reject an otherwise good house just because it didn't have a perfect living room for TV and 5.1 sound. Would I pick between two generally similar homes for the better TV arrangement? Sure.
I am fortunate to have my big screen and 5.1 set up in the basement. Don't use that TV as much as the smaller 32" in the living room.......but that's ok. For movie night, or when I watch Lost or other things, I'll do it on the better TV. For the kids watching Barney and Wiggles, its easier for them to use the 32" living room anyway, as nobody can figure out how to get the whole basement setup turned on anyway but me.......
Hogan,
Get a good remote. I had the same situation with my basement HT setup. It was overwhelming for my wife and impossible for my young kids. I have a FP, Video Processor, multiple DVD players, DVR, AVR, Wii, etc.
I purchased a Marantz RC9500, spent some time programming it on the PC and now I have single button operation for every activity except Wii (kids have to manually turn the Wii on). All of the inputs are switched via macro, all devices are in their proper power state. A single button switches everything off when they are finished.
My six year old can operate the HT system on her own when she wants to play Wii and that itself will make your system more enjoyable for the whole family. When everyone can enjoy it, you get more latitude to get more toys and the wife won't mind as much.
Get a good remote. I had the same situation with my basement HT setup. It was overwhelming for my wife and impossible for my young kids. I have a FP, Video Processor, multiple DVD players, DVR, AVR, Wii, etc.
I purchased a Marantz RC9500, spent some time programming it on the PC and now I have single button operation for every activity except Wii (kids have to manually turn the Wii on). All of the inputs are switched via macro, all devices are in their proper power state. A single button switches everything off when they are finished.
My six year old can operate the HT system on her own when she wants to play Wii and that itself will make your system more enjoyable for the whole family. When everyone can enjoy it, you get more latitude to get more toys and the wife won't mind as much.
You know - I've been thinking about this very thing from time to time, esp when I see those new Harmony commercials.......
After Grandma has been here, its often interesting to see the state of affairs - various components in different states of power on/off, inputs, etc.....
I'll have to read up on a decent remote thread now.......I think this is my next purchase!
After Grandma has been here, its often interesting to see the state of affairs - various components in different states of power on/off, inputs, etc.....
I'll have to read up on a decent remote thread now.......I think this is my next purchase!
Thanks for the inputs everyone, looks like I have to put the TV in the corner to avoid the heat. Too bad since the FP is right in the middle of the main wall, center of the living room and the other wall is too close to the gas heater.
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