Is there a standard height for wall mounting flatscreen TVs?
asked Apr 2, 2011 at 20:04
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my "tv wall mount set" suggest to mount so that bottom of the TV is at eye level: drive.google.com/file/d/0B4ty0DOtGLeyd0JQWDhxY3JQRTg/edit But in Internet it's often suggested to have center of the screen at eye level, for example 411buyitnow.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/…. I still not sure what's preffered.– Oleg VazhnevCommented May 13, 2014 at 10:30
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3 Answers
Eye level
The center of the TV should optimally be lined up to your eyes. This will change based on the purpose of the TV. In the kitchen, our TV is about 6 feet off the floor over the counter top because we do a lot of cooking / baking; so we're standing when watching TV.
In the family room, take this measurement when you're sitting on the couch.
Same thing with speakers: place surround sound speakers at roughly the height of when you're sitting down from the floor to your shoulders (for a 6' individual, that's about about 26").
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I'm having trouble getting the math and the description in that last bit about the speakers to jive with each other... can one or both of you elaborate on what you're trying to say please?– cabbeyCommented Apr 5, 2011 at 10:54
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Sit down; where ever that may be - on the couch, on a chair, whatever. Take a measurement from the floor to your shoulder and try to put the speakers at about that height. Speaker stands come in all shapes and sizes and if your so inclined, mount the speaker to the wall. Keep in mind, anything AV is objective. No matter how its configured, if you don't like how it sounds or looks, change it to suit your preference. Commented Apr 5, 2011 at 12:06
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2Thank you Mario, that makes a lot more sense (and looking at history, matches with what it said before @warren's edit.)– cabbeyCommented Apr 5, 2011 at 16:33
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I assume TVs would be like computer monitors, where you actually want to bias them a little bit below eye level; I've heard instead of having yours eyes centered (1/2 from the top), you want to be closer to 1/3 from the top (2/3 from the bottom)– JoeCommented Apr 8, 2011 at 0:08
This is an answer not to the question you asked, but to the unasked portion that was (imho) incorrectly answered in Mario's otherwise great answer. That's about where to position the speakers.
The general guidance for TV placement at eye level is great, because every one instinctively will sit somewhere where they can see the screen. Sitting relative to the speaker placement is rarely something they think about, so whoever is doing the installation needs to.
A generally accepted pattern is to mount the speakers just above head level for a small intimate space, or significantly above head level for a large space. About the only time you can really get away with them at shoulder level is if you have only a very limited number of seating positions and you have clear lines of projection from every speaker to every ear. (sub excluded.)
It's also important to keep all of the speakers in a single plane throughout the room. Getting them wildly off plane can really mess with some people's sense of balance while watching movies with heavy spatial mixes. (i.e. movies that fully use surround sound and push different sounds to different far corners of the room.)
My general rule on the height of wall mounted TVs is that it must be higher than the kids can reach, but not to high that it looks like you are looking up at the sky all the time. Of course in some cases you need to also take into account climbing access.
But eye level is also good. Most of the time my TVs are at eye level when you are standing directly in front of the TV. The distance for sitting in front of the TV also plays a part as it will naturally change your angle of viewing using this method. Further away is better.