Quote:
Originally Posted by fulminis /t/1417532/panasonic-tc-p65st50-wall-mount-suggestions#post_22177155
Not many mounts are going to span 3 studs. Granted this TV is very big, but it still weighs less than 100 pounds and you aren't putting it on an articulating mount. You will probably be OK with 2 studs, but I would consider some monster toggle bolts. The other thing you could do is an extra backing layer out of thin plywood, probably should be painted black. That could span 3 studs and you could mount to that and the studs.
I have an 8 month old and 2.5 year old. There was a time when the older one was infatuated with pressing buttons on the TV, but it didn't last that long. I never had a problem with finger prints. If it were me I would mount it at the desired height and keep the kid away with a temporary fence or something. It is also worth noting that some mounts will give you a little height flexibility, the universals from chief being one. You could also remount it lower in a few years as the foot print of the TV will cover a range of holes. You might be over thinking this one though.
Thank you for measuring the power connector. It sounds like I will have to address it with a lower profile power cord or a recessed box. I'll never understand why these manufactures go to great lengths to recess the AV connection only to have a power connection hang off the back.
Yeah, the Peerless mount is the only one I've seen that spans three studs, but there may be others. It was the mount recommended by many in this forum a few years ago when I was mounting a Samsung Plasma (63"). It is heavier than the ST50 though. It amazes me that the newer Plasmas are so light, 83 lb without the base is impressive! Regardless, I prefer to over engineer solutions like this. The consequences of the TV falling are not just monetary but if it fell on my daughter...
The ideal solution as some have mentioned here is to mount plywood across the studs (under the dry wall) which given this is an existing wall would require cutting out the drywall, then using drywall compound to patch over it. I'm never happy with the end result when I try to match the knock down pattern of my drywall (it's not totally smooth). Even though it's behind the TV, it still bothers me. I could mount on the top of the drywall with plywood, but then I've just added depth to the mount and I may as well go with the mount that spans three studs.
You may be right that I'm over thinking the issue with my daughter messing with the TV. She's actually quite obedient right now, although that may change around 2 or 3.
Or the fence idea, why compromise on the TV when really I should just be teaching my daughter what is off limits. The main goal is to get all the wires off the ground, out of reach. My sister worked in a hospital where a young baby was brought in with horrific burns to the mouth from chewing through a cable, so she's constantly on me to do this. So where I mount the TV isn't so critical and a few finger prints can be wiped off.
I had pretty much made the decision last night to order the Peerless NON-tilt model. It's specs list it as being 1.8" deep, not as nice as the Chief but better than the tilt model which is around 3" deep. Also, if I decide I need tilt for this TV I can actually swap the tilt portion of the other peerless mount I have since that TV has never needed the tilt feature.
No worries on the power connector. I actually thought it was quite slim line! So there are even slimmer options? That's another reason I think I need to skip the Chief mount, I don't want to spend the time recessing the power connector etc. although you didn't mention 3rd party power connectors, do you have any links to those?