Plasma wall bracket

[BillyB]

Just curious about the huge range in the prices of these Flat panel wall brackets.I'm buying the 50" Panasonic plasma and will need a wall bracket.I don't think I need the tilt feature as my mounting height should be correct.I prefer the non-tilting style that really allows the display to hug the wall and have found one online for $43 that is supposed to be universal.It's rated for 175 lbs so no issue there.Are the hole patterns on the back of these displays a fairly universal thing.If they are I can't see any issues with this inexpensive bracket as it's just holding the unit on the wall and you can't even see it.Thanks

[SAEA501]

Take a look at Chief Maunfacturing. These people make hundreds of high quality plasma mounts for most any configuration. That's an expensive, heavy set that I would not dream of hanging on a $40 mount. I got one from Chief and the thing looks like it would support a great deal more than it's stated capacity. Yes, it cost more than $43, but I guess maybe I look at it a little differently than some. A cheap mount is kind of like buying a cheap motorcycle helmet. You are protecting something pretty valuable. An extreme example I know, but you get the idea.

It's your set.

[BillyB]

Take a look at Chief Maunfacturing. These people make hundreds of high quality plasma mounts for most any configuration. That's an expensive, heavy set that I would not dream of hanging on a $40 mount. I got one from Chief and the thing looks like it would support a great deal more than it's stated capacity. Yes, it cost more than $43, but I guess maybe I look at it a little differently than some. A cheap mount is kind of like buying a cheap motorcycle helmet. You are protecting something pretty valuable. An extreme example I know, but you get the idea.

It's your set.

I know what you're saying but I've looked at the different models in the stores and other than the tilting vs non tilting feature I could barely tell the difference between the $70 mounts and the $250 mounts.You pay big time for names like Sanus but I will check out that brand you mentioned.The non-tilting models have no moving mechanism so it's basically a piece of steel with some holes in it.The plasma weighs 95lbs so even if the bracket isn't suited for 175lbs you have some serious leeway there.I'm also a carpenter and I've been known to take products like this and install them in a way that makes them stronger than they were originally designed to be.I would know when inspecting the bracket before installation if it wasn't strong enough to support my panel so the plasma falling off the wall isn't an issue.However I will continue to look as I've seen many brackets in the $70 price range online that are probably slightly better made.

[recoveryone]

I hear you Billy, the main thing is not so much the bracket, but if you install it correctly. You need to get a stud finder tool and make sure you drill those screws into those studs. Nothing worse to have your unit fall of the wall mount and all cause the plaster didn't hold the weight. I even went over to HomeDepot and got longer screws to make sure nothing was going to fall off. (my mount cost $50) for 32"WSLCD

[BillyB]

I hear you Billy, the main thing is not so much the bracket, but if you install it correctly. You need to get a stud finder tool and make sure you drill those screws into those studs. Nothing worse to have your unit fall of the wall mount and all cause the plaster didn't hold the weight. I even went over to HomeDepot and got longer screws to make sure nothing was going to fall off. (my mount cost $50) for 32"WSLCD

Absolutely.Something else to bear in mind is that you can take a non-tiliting bracket and shim the top of it ever so slightly when mounting it to maintain a wall hugging installation while getting the advantages of a tilting bracket.I just installed a tilting LCD bracket for a customer and they were extremely disappointed with how far off the wall it pushed the set.He's returning it for the low profile mount which is obviously also cheaper.The only reason you really need a tilting bracket is if you have no choice but to mount the display higher than you would like your viewing height to be.The only thing I like about the tilting mounts is they allow you to sneak your hand behind the set to play with the cables.I suppose with plasmas they might also be helpful with heat issues but I'm unsure if that plays out in practice.

[recoveryone]

mine is a tilt stlye and it does allow for easy access to the back of the unit, along with the fact its mounted about 7' up above the wife closet.

[AVMASTER]

just curious, but what brand and model mount are you refering to for $43.00 ?

[BillyB]

just curious, but what brand and model mount are you refering to for $43.00 ?

mountdirect.com has a 37 to 60" PFM universal low profile mounting bracket for $43(unsure of shipping charges)that is available in silver or black.It's rated for 175lbs and at 15/16" depth is also the shallowest bracket I have seen.They don't give you a model # but at that price I'm not sure I care.I have an absolutely ideal installation scenario.The playroom the plasma is going in has a 27" CRT that I buried in the wall and there is a service closet behind it.All I need to do is pop in a couple of braces in the hole at the right depth and I'm ready to mount the wall bracket.I can actually access the set through this hole from the back which will make connections a pleasure to deal with.I'm also thinking all this air space behind the plasma can only help with the heat they generate.The 50" plasma of course is much bigger than the opening for the 27" CRT so I think I should be able to mount the display at the right height and still cover the opening. I haven't bought this mount yet but I can't think of a single reason not to when I'm ready.

[Palmz]

Sorry but I have to say that the wall-mounts that are hundreds of dollars are so overpriced it's not even funny. My brother works at Best Buy and bought me a wall mount for my 42" Viera for Christmas. Regular price: $317CAD, staff price: $112CAD (taxes in). That's for the 40"+ duty mount. It came with tilt, as well as low profile brackets. The more expensive ones are mainly just feature-priced. The full-swiveling mount is about $635 and staff priced at $200. That's huge mark-up. Find a friend in the industry if you can :-).