You bought a new TV. You bought a wall mount. You’ve got a drill.

How hard can this really be?

For some homeowners, the answer is: not very.

If you’re mounting a reasonably sized television on a straightforward wall, you’re comfortable finding studs and you don’t mind seeing a few wires, this may be a perfectly good Saturday afternoon project.

We’re not going to tell you that every television needs professional installation.

But we will tell you that we’ve been called into plenty of homes where a project that started with “We’re just going to hang the TV” turned into something considerably more complicated.

That’s because mounting the television is usually the easy part.

Making it look good, sound good, sit at the right height and work without a mess of cables and equipment is where planning starts to matter.

The First Question Isn’t Which Mount to Buy

Before we worry about the mount, we want to know where you’re going to sit.

It sounds obvious, but television placement is often driven by the architecture of the room rather than the viewing experience.

There’s a fireplace here.

Built-ins are over there.

The sectional fits on this wall.

So the TV must go there.

Sometimes that’s the right answer. Sometimes it puts the television six feet off the floor and leaves everyone watching with their head tilted backward.

We see TVs mounted too high surprisingly often.

Ideally, you want the screen positioned comfortably within your natural line of sight from the primary seating area. The exact height depends on the room, furniture, television size and viewing distance.

There isn’t one magic measurement that works in every house.

That’s also why “center the TV on the wall” isn’t always the right instruction. We care more about centering it to the way the room is actually used.

Yes, We Need to Talk About the Fireplace

The television above the fireplace has become one of the most common layouts in modern homes.

Sometimes it works beautifully.

Sometimes it’s simply the only place the TV can go.

But fireplaces create a few issues that deserve some thought before someone starts drilling holes.

The first is height.

Mantels and fireplace surrounds can push the television higher than we’d normally recommend.

The second is heat.

Different fireplaces have different heat clearances, and those requirements need to be respected. We want to understand how the fireplace vents and how much heat reaches the television location.

Then there’s wiring.

If you’ve got a finished stone fireplace and there isn’t already power and low-voltage wiring behind the television, hiding everything becomes considerably more challenging.

This is why we love having these conversations during construction. A few decisions before the fireplace is finished can make the final installation look completely intentional.

Where Are All the Wires Going?

This is where a lot of DIY projects hit the first snag.

The TV is on the wall.

Great.

Now what do we do with the power cord, HDMI cables, streaming device, soundbar cable and everything else connected to it?

Running a television’s standard power cord inside the wall isn’t the same thing as having a properly located electrical outlet. Power needs to be handled correctly and in accordance with electrical requirements.

Low-voltage cables need a path too.

If the room is being built or remodeled, we can plan those pathways before drywall.

In an existing home, we need to understand what’s inside the wall before deciding how everything will be concealed.

Sometimes it’s easy.

Sometimes there’s insulation, blocking, plumbing, ductwork or other surprises waiting behind the drywall.

The finished result should look like the television belongs there, not like someone hung it up and then figured out the cables afterward.

What About the Sound?

TVs have gotten remarkably good.

Their speakers haven’t necessarily kept pace.

There’s a pretty simple reason for that. Modern televisions are incredibly thin, and there isn’t much room inside them for substantial speakers.

For casual viewing in some rooms, the built-in speakers may be perfectly fine.

In other rooms, a soundbar makes a huge difference.

And in spaces where movies, sports and entertainment are important, we may recommend a more complete audio system.

The important thing is to think about audio before the TV is mounted.

If you’re using a soundbar, where will it go?

Will it attach to the television mount?

Will it sit on furniture?

Does it need power?

How will the audio connection be concealed?

If you’re planning speakers in the room, where should those be located?

Again, none of these questions is especially complicated by itself. But answering them before installation usually produces a much cleaner result.

Bigger TVs Change the Equation

Televisions keep getting bigger.

What used to be considered a huge TV is now pretty normal.

That changes installation in a few ways.

First, large televisions are heavy and awkward. Even when the weight isn’t extraordinary, the physical size makes them difficult to handle safely.

Second, the mount and wall structure matter.

We want to know exactly what we’re attaching to and make sure the hardware is appropriate for the television and the wall.

Third, small placement errors become much more noticeable.

Being an inch or two off-center isn’t particularly obvious with a small screen. With an 85-inch television sitting between built-ins, you may notice it every time you walk into the room.

The larger the display gets, the more important planning and precision become.

Do You Need a Full-Motion Mount?

This is another place where it’s easy to assume more features are better.

A full-motion mount sounds great.

You can pull the TV away from the wall, tilt it and turn it toward different parts of the room.

Sometimes that’s exactly what we want.

Other times, a simple fixed or tilting mount is a better choice.

Full-motion mounts require more depth behind the television and put different forces on the mounting points when extended. They can also make cable management more complicated.

If the television is always going to face the same seating area, you may never use the extra movement.

We’d rather select the mount based on how you’ll actually use the room than automatically install the most expensive option.

The TV Isn’t Usually the Whole System

This is probably the biggest difference between hanging a television and installing an entertainment system.

What are you watching?

Cable or satellite?

Apple TV?

Roku?

A gaming console?

Blu-ray?

Streaming apps built into the television?

Where will those devices live?

How will you control them?

What happens when someone accidentally changes the TV input?

If your family needs three remotes and a handwritten instruction sheet to watch a movie, we’ve solved the wrong problem.

We want the equipment to disappear into the experience as much as possible.

You should sit down, choose what you want to watch and watch it.

When DIY Makes Perfect Sense

There are absolutely situations where we’d tell a homeowner to mount the TV themselves.

If it’s a smaller television, a straightforward wall, easily accessible studs, an existing outlet in the right location and a simple streaming setup, professional installation may not add enough value to justify the cost.

If you’re comfortable doing the work safely, go for it.

Where we tend to become involved is when the project includes a large television, fireplace, finished architectural surfaces, hidden wiring, sound systems, multiple sources, difficult wall construction or integration with the rest of the home’s technology.

At that point, you’re no longer just hanging a television.

You’re designing part of the room.

What Are You Really Paying a Professional For?

You’re not simply paying someone to drill four holes and lift a television.

You’re paying for all the decisions around those four holes.

Is this the right height?

Is this the right mount?

Is the wall capable of supporting it?

How will we hide the wiring?

Where will the equipment go?

How will the sound work?

How will the family control everything?

Can we service or replace the equipment later without tearing the room apart?

Those decisions aren’t terribly exciting.

But they’re the difference between a TV that’s hanging on the wall and a finished installation.

A Good TV Installation Should Be Boring

That’s actually the compliment we’re looking for.

You shouldn’t walk into your living room and notice cables.

You shouldn’t notice that the television is slightly crooked.

You shouldn’t wonder which remote turns on the sound.

You shouldn’t have to explain to guests that they need to press Input three times but only after turning on the cable box.

You should sit down and watch TV.

The technology should get out of the way.

So, do you really need a professional to mount your television?

Sometimes no.

But if you care about how the TV fits into the room, how the wiring is concealed, how it sounds and how easy everything is to use, it may be worth thinking beyond the wall mount.

Because the best TV installation isn’t really about hanging a TV.

It’s about making sure you don’t have to think about everything happening behind it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How high should I mount my TV?

There isn’t one height that’s right for every room. We look at television size, seating height, viewing distance and the architecture of the space. In general, comfortable viewing matters more than simply centering the television on an open wall.

Is it safe to mount a TV above a fireplace?

It can be, but it depends on the fireplace, mantel, heat output and manufacturer’s clearance requirements. Height and wiring also need to be considered before deciding it’s the best location.

Can Digital Horizons mount a TV I already purchased?

In many cases, yes. We can also help determine the right mount, placement, wiring, audio and control options so the finished installation works with the rest of the room.