TV viewing Height?

[therock003]

I have heard so far about the THX recommended specs for distance from the TV based on Monitor inches, but what about the Height? It seems to me that the furniture I've put my TV on places it a little high, and i might not be getting maximum effect. If I'm not mistaken, your eyesight level should be at the center of the TV right? Mine is like something a little higher than the base (where its standing) so i have to tilt my heading. Although most of the time, i lie on the side on my side, and i think the head is naturally tilted upwards.

What's your take on all this?

[fritzi93]

Center screen at the height of your eyes when seated is probably best. It feels more natural and engaging that way.

That said, sometimes you have to compromise. Mine is wall mounted about a foot higher to clear all my gear. I have it tilted down slightly to compensate and can see my reflection dead center if a light is on behind me in viewing position of ~ 8 feet from the 65" TV.

I haven't noticed any fatigue or discomfort having mine that way, but I wouldn't want it any higher.

When I read posts in the AVS forum by people intending to mount their TVs above a fireplace, I'm incredulous. Bad idea on two counts, maybe more. But perhaps that's the best they could do.

[sanlyn]

Try an OmniMount device. Multidirectional swivel and tilt, mounts on an extensible arm. Yeah, they're not cheap, built like something for an Army tank. Several models: http://www.omnimount.com/products/tv_wall_mounts/interactive/play40ds/

[Cornucopia]

Unless there are extremely special circumstances, TV screen center should ALWAYS be head height (seated or standing, depending upon the location), or possibly slightly lower. More than just a few degrees higher, or a little more lower, and you will get neck & back strain & headaches, fatigue, etc. Not good at all.

Regarding THX guidelines, it needs to be a balance between optimal visual accuity (which takes into account both screen size, pixel size/pitch, and distance) and peripheral panorama/viewing angle (which takes into account screen size & AR and distance). And those 2 work in inverse directions (sharper accuity occurs further away, making the panorama less, and vice-versa). That's one area where I'm excited about the new 4k/8k UHD TVs coming out - they should finally allow both accuity & panorama to be at "optimal" levels for direct TV (non-projection) in the home.

Scott

[jagabo]

http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/hdtv-set-up/

[jader13]

I had a similar issue, where the alcove for my TV was above the fireplace mantel. Lots of space for components and the cords were hidden behind the TV, but the viewing height and angle were terrible. This was especially true, as the room is very long (open floor with living room and kitchen) and the wall angle was 45 degrees, so unless you were in one particular seat, you had an off angle view of the TV. I searched for a long time before I found a solution that was acceptable. The solution that I found was the Down and Out Swivel Mount from Dynamic Mounting http://www.dynamicmounting.com/index.php. It is more expensive than many of the less maneuverable mounts at over $500, but they do offer $100 rebates for getting the word out about there products.

I had a builder friend of mine build out a short wall within the nook to attach the mount too. I'm pretty happy with the end results. The mount offers the flexibility that I was looking for and solved the viewing angle, height issue. I've attached 2 pictures of the mount in the up and down position. I still need to replace a few cables and touch up the paint to improve the visual appearance. I am impressed with the cable management as well as the ability to adjust the height of the TV on the mount as well as fine tune the force required to change the position of the TV. Overall a great solution.