Hanging a Plasma TV
Sunlight is a major factor. For the best viewing at any time of the day figure out where the sun travels in your room. Avoid setting up the plasma across from large windows or doors so the sunlight does not hit the screen. Or invest in curtains that block out incoming sunlight.
The next consideration is wall space, or floor area (if using a plasma TV stand). Try to find enough clearance to allow for the proper positioning of the left and right channel speakers. Typically, you need a minimum of twice the screen width.
Sitting distance to your Plasma tv.
From where you sit to where the TV is can increase or decrease your viewing experience.
Take the size of your Plasma TV screen and multiple it by 2 or 3. This is your minimum viewing distance for screen sizes 42-inch and over. However, this depends on the signal quality; a HDTV display would allow for a closer viewing distance.
That means approximately 9 feet viewing distance for a 42-inch plasma television set. Okay, you can sit closer. (Especially if you are watching a 720p or a 1080i signal over a HDTV plasma display panel.) In practice however, you would need at least 9 feet viewing distance for a plasma display - as measured from your eyes to the screen surface - so don't just measure wall to wall.
If you find you have less than this, go for a smaller plasma television set. For a larger room, you can opt for a bigger screen: 12 feet minimum viewing distance is normally adequate for a 50 to 55-inch plasma TV, while for a 60-inch screen, you need between 13 to 15 feet.
Plasma TV Mounting height: Higher is not better!
This placement depends on whether your using a floor TV stand or a Plasma TV wall mount.
A Plasma TV Wall mount may tempt you to set it at picture height. But a Plasma TV is more then just a picture. So you need it at the height for relaxed viewing.
The easiest, low-tech idea, for plasma placement is finding a piece of cardboard, or towel or sheet that is approximately the same screen size as your new Plasma TV.
Tape it to the wall where you think you would like you plasma to be. Now go sit on the couch or chair.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Are you comfortable?
- Can you lift your chair recliner legs and still clearly see the screen? (ie - if your feet are in the way - the screen is too low, if your chin is pointed too high your neck will feel the strain)
Basically, the center of the screen should be at eye level when seated. Usually, the center of the display would be about 40-45 inches off the floor. This is the position that will result in a minimum of eye and neck movement during TV viewing.