MantelMount

This might be a familiar scenario: you move into a new apartment or home with the perfect spot for the living room and TV area. The only problem is, the wall opposite the couch is masonry. After picking the right TV for the room, you might opt to place it on top of a media console, but if the TV is too large, you could create an undesirable, or even precarious, TV-viewing experience. You can’t help but feel that mounting your TV on the masonry would solve many of these issues, but you aren’t sure just how to mount a tv on a brick wall. Luckily, with the right TV wall mount, some safety precautions, the right tools or some help from an installer, you can create the perfect TV-viewing experience no matter how your living room’s walls are constructed. Can You Mount a TV on Brick? First things first, you can mount a TV on brick. Many people don’t realize that mounting a TV on brick — or even a concrete wall — is a possibility so they do not take advantage of the prime location for a television. Whether you are mounting a TV on brick above a fireplace or just the living room brick wall, your TV will have a comfortable home amongst the facade of dried clay blocks. Before you begin mounting a TV on brick, it is not only important to have all of the necessary tools and complementary accessories, but also to figure out how high to mount the TV. Typically, the center of the TV should sit just above eye level, so a 55” TV will sit 61” from the floor while a 70” TV will sit 67” from the floor. If you’ve been searching for a mount that can pull down to eye-level and is capable of being mounted on brick or stone, MantelMount is an option worthy of consideration. Our MantelMount kits come with concrete anchors and specific instructions in the box in the event of this sort of installation. After you’ve established the location, you’ll need to determine if the masonry is strong enough to hold the weight of your TV set up. Typically, the brick or stone used in the wall needs to be several inches thick and able to hold five times the weight of the TV and the TV mount in order for it to be safely secured to a brick wall. We highly recommend working with a masonry expert to establish the wall’s strength. Once you’ve thoroughly examined the wall, you can gather the necessary materials should you decide to tackle the project yourself. What Is the Best TV Mount for a Brick Wall? Although MantelMount cannot recommend a specific TV mount for your home — as each household might have a different television and each individual brick wall will have its own characteristics and possible quirks  — we can spell out the available options and which might be the best TV mount for your brick wall.While all MantelMounts can be mounted on masonry or standard drywall, our "house pick" is the MM700 Pro Pull Down TV Mount, perfect for TVs ranging from 30 lbs to 115 lbs. As long as your masonry supports 5 times the weight of the TV and TV mount combined and you use our provided concrete anchors, you should be in good shape. If you are unsure about the strength of your masony, please consult a professional contractor before attempting this installation. Now if you’re mounting a TV on brick or stone that you know is less sturdy — such as thin brick facades or simulated stone panels — you can pair the MM700 Pro Mount with the AB40 Adapter Bracket. The AB40 Bracket will provide the sufficient pass-through support needed for the mount on thinner stone or brick. If you are installing  our MM340 Standard Pull Down TV Mount or the MM540 Enhanced Pull Down TV Mount on a thin brick or simulated stone panel, those models would require both  the AB40 Adapter Bracket and also the SSB40 Single Stud Wall Adapter. If you’re unsure about mounting a TV on a brick wall, keep in mind that MantelMount TV Wall Mounts are one of the best TV mounts for brick and stone because they come in a variety of sizes and feature-sets, and include a smooth pull down mechanism that makes it possible to create a seamless TV-viewing experience. If your ultimate decision is to use a MantelMount product for your brick or stone wall, please study our thorough and detailed installation instructions, and don’t hesitate to contact support with questions. What Tools do I need to Mount a TV Onto Brick? Just as establishing the strength of the wall is a key step in mounting a TV on brick, it’s also highly recommended to use the right tools for the job. This will help reduce the possibility of damaging your brick wall and also ensure your TV is securely and safely mounted. As a preliminary step, you will need to know the specs of the TV mount you’re choosing in order to select the right size screws, washers, and bolts. Once you know the specs of your mount, you’ll also need:  Painter’s tape Tape measure A level Concrete anchors and lag bolts - these items come in every MantelMount box Concrete screws and washers Drill with a hammer drill function Concrete drill bit Socket adapter, ratchet, or rubber mallet Once you gather your materials, the first thing you’ll want to do to prepare your brick wall for your living room TV is mark the location on the wall where you are going to drill. With your tape measure, measure on the wall where the center of the TV will sit (60” - 67”) and create a mark. On your TV mount, measure the distance between the center and the bottom of the mount. This measurement is what you’ll use to mark on the wall where the bottom of the mount will go and plot out the drill holes for the mount’s slats. Once you’ve marked each screw hole on the wall, you can prepare your installation materials. 3 Easy Steps: Mounting a TV on a Brick Wall Step 1. Drill You will need to choose the concrete drill bit that fits the anchors and screws you’ll be using for your brick wall. A ¼” drill bit will typically be the right size for the job, but sizing will vary based on the individual specs of your TV mount. If any of your screw holes line up with mortar, adjust accordingly so you can anchor the screw at least half an inch from the brick’s edges into the brick. Select the hammer drill setting on your drill and create holes in the masonry at each spot you’ve marked on the wall for your TV mount slats. You’ll likely only need to drill 2.25” - 2.5” into the wall to secure the mount. You can mark this spot on your drill with a piece of painter’s tape for accuracy. Step 2. Insert Anchors After you drill, use a vacuum or shop vac nozzle to clear out the freshly drilled holes. If you’re adding anchors, clearing out dust will allow the anchor to sit flush with the wall and offer support to your screws. Knock the anchors gently into place with a rubber mallet. Step 3. Install the Bracket Now it’s time to mount the bracket into the masonry with your concrete screws. Place the bracket on the wall so the slats line up with the drill holes and anchors. Next, add washers to your concrete screws and thread them through the TV mount slats.  Secure one screw into place with the socket adapter on your drill or the appropriately sized ratchet and use your level to ensure the bracket isn’t crooked. Then, once your bracket is straight, tighten the rest of the screws. Then, all that’s left to do is install your TV onto the bracket.  While MantelMount has a far more detailed installation process than the steps outlined above, one advantage of using MantelMount products when it comes to mounting a TV on brick is that our friendly and experienced customer service professionals are a great resource to help guide you through the (sometimes) tricky process. Since you are now safe in the knowledge of some of the best TV mounts for a brick wall and how to mount a TV to a brick wall, stop staring at your empty living room facade and start living the dream with a MantelMount pull down TV mount secured to your brick wall.

Whether you’re single and living alone or you’re catching a moment of solitude in a house packed with kids, sitting down to watch your favorite show or catching up on the game should be an enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, for those with kids, having the latest entertainment gadgets often comes with more consideration than simply deciding how high to mount a TV or what kind of flat screen to buy. Free standing TVs, bookshelves, and storage units all present a certain risk to curious kids and toddlers. In fact, Nationwide Children’s Hospital estimated in 2019 that one child was injured every 46 minutes from furniture or TV-related accidents with tip-overs as the leading cause of many of these hospital visits. This statistic alone is enough to make any parent think twice about the safety of their TV set up. Luckily, with some basic safety precautions and companies, like MantelMount, that are devoted to safety, parents can also create the perfect TV-viewing experience in their homes while keeping their little ones safe. Read on to find how to prevent TV tip-overs and baby proof an entertainment center. What Causes a TV Tip-over? Every tip-over incident is circumstantial. Whether a child accidentally trips over an exposed TV wire or they bump into a wobbly TV stand in a bout of excitement, tip-overs are unfortunate but they can be prevented by creating awareness around the common reasons tip-overs happen and baby proofing your TV area accordingly. One of the most common causes of TV tip-overs is placement on a storage shelf or piece of furniture that isn’t meant for a TV. Tall dressers, narrow storage cabinets, and unstable console tables are often much less secure than they appear. And when you add drawers and doors that a child can open, bang shut, or climb, that creates additional risk for a TV to tip. Keep in mind that the safest way to baby proof TV wires and your entertainment center is to safely mount your flat screen on the wall out of reach from a cantankerous toddler. Getting Started Baby Proofing an Entertainment Center Start by Wall Mounting Your TV Many parents and families baby proof the TV area by strapping their TV down to the console or storage cabinet. And while this can provide some level of tip-over prevention, it isn’t an entirely fail safe solution. Modern flat screen TVs are much more top heavy than the bulky CRT TVs of the ‘90s. This means that they are far more prone to swaying and wobbling than a TV with a prominent base. That’s why the best way to baby proof an entertainment center is to mount your TV on the wall. We’ll admit, it’s hard to strike a balance between TV wall mount child safety and placing a TV at the right height for the optimal viewing experience. Better yet, MantelMount pulldown wall mounts give parents the flexibility to lower their TVs to the perfect TV-viewing height when they’re ready to enjoy their favorite movie or show, and place the TV out of reach when the little ones are active at play. Our friendly technicians and customer service reps are always around to answer your burning questions about the installation process, but if you feel prepared to go it alone, here’s a good rule of thumb for finding the right height for your TV. Place a TV within 3 or 6 inches of the TV’s dimensions. For instance, the middle of a 55-inch TV should sit 61” off the ground while the middle of a 70-inch TV should be 67 inches off the floor and centered over a console table or fireplace, if that doesn’t place the TV too high. Secure Any Cabinets to the Wall While mounting your TV will prevent potential injuries from TV tip-overs, it’s also important to secure the furniture around and below your TV to keep kids safe. Console tables, TV cabinets, shelves, open entertainment centers, and any make-shift storage cabinets can easily teeter when kids pull open drawers and doors and venture to climb on top or crawl inside. Securing these pieces to the wall in studs or with drywall mollies will not only eliminate injuries from a wobbly TV, it will also eliminate the potential for injury caused by heavy furniture falling over if it’s rocked or jostled in any way.   Don’t Forget to Baby Proof TV Wires While TV wall mount child safety calls for installing a TV out of reach from young children, it also calls for hiding wires, cable boxes, a sound bar or game consoles that could potentially cause injury or become damaged themselves. The easiest way to do this is to place game consoles and technical accessories behind cabinet doors and secure your entertainment center’s doors shut with child proof handle covers. Additionally, families can secure a sound bar in place with a sound bar adapter built for their TV mount of choice. To baby proof TV wires, parents can invest in cord wraps and protectors and secure wires to the floor or behind TV cabinets and cover any unused outlets around their entertainment center with baby proof power strips and outlet plugs. It may not seem like much, but taking these small steps for baby proofing your entertainment center can go a long way to keep children safe and create a stress-free TV-viewing environment. To learn more about MantelMount, contact our friendly customer service representatives for more information. Or, if you’re ready to get started with an installation today, find a dealer and an installer near you.

Since the 1980s, television watchers have gone from big boxy TVs and their television consoles to very streamlined and mountable televisions with a crisp and clear picture. Televisions were invented nearly 100 years ago — in 1927, to be exact (though the first televisions were sold in 1929) — and one could say we’ve come a long way since then. However, since the late 1990s, televisions have become more widely-sought after (especially with upgrading older television models!) due to the high quality of the products. Even more recently there have been questions about what kinds of television sets are better. For instance, a big debate is plasma TV vs LED televisions, which we will look into now, including asking: What is the difference between plasma and LED TVs? What is a Plasma TV? To get to the bottom of the difference between plasma and LED TVs, it’s important to first understand what a plasma TV is. Despite the fact that plasma TVs, also referred to as Plasma Display Panels, have not been made since 2014 nor are they longer on the market, they are still one of the most popular types of televisions in households across the US for many reasons including lifespan and durability.  A plasma TV is a television display that contains millions of minute compact fluorescent lamps (or CFLs) that are turned on and off, according to the electronic circuit that subsequently regulates the individual pixels on the television screen. This is also where plasma TVs get their name. Each of these microscopic CFLs are pumped with gas and once the gas has been triggered by the electronic circuit, the gas is called plasma. Therefore, the plasma literally lights up the plasma television screen.  In the late 1990s and into the early and mid-2000s, plasma televisions were on the top of the list of TVs that a consumer would want to buy. The quality of the plasma televisions, even on large screen televisions, was a difference of night and day as the vibrancy and tone of colors on the screen had much more substance to them than older types of televisions. What is an LED TV? After unpacking what a plasma TV is, let’s look at what an LED TV is. Although when looking at a plasma TV vs LED, it may not seem too different, which is true, but there are small differences between the two.  When looking at the bare bones of what is an LED TV, an LED TV is, simply, a television screen that uses a backlight. This means that, similar to an LCD, an LED television makes use of light — hence the LED acronym of the name Light-Emitting Diode — rather than a gas or plasma. While an LCD TV uses cold-cathode fluorescent lamps for the backlight, an LED television uses the same foundation as an LCD but uses LED lights instead of CCFLs for the backlight. In fact, LED TVs and LCD TVs are so similar that they often can be referred to interchangeably. Not only is there a difference between plasma and LED TVs but there is also a difference between LED, OLED, and QLED TVs. There’s not a large alteration between them as an LED uses the aforementioned LED lights for the backlight, an OLED — standing for Organic Light-Emitting Diode — utilizes its organic chemical elements to independently light up each pixel, and a QLED — which is a Quantum Dot LED — replaces older LED technology by showcasing a richer and higher dynamic color spectrum. So when you’re shopping for an LED TV, and come across OLED or QLED TVs, make note to check out those televisions as well. What TV Should I Choose: Plasma TV vs LED? We can’t tell you flat out what type of television to choose — although with plasma TVs not in shops, it’ll be more difficult to find one — but it certainly is important to understand the differences between plasma and LED TVs. Although both televisions will provide great sound and picture quality for years, it’s important to consider the display when choosing between a plasma or LED TV.  Trying to make good use of a TV’s sound quality? You’ll need to be mindful of where the television is located within a living room, especially a small one, when considering acoustics. Will you need the television mounted on a wall or above a fireplace for an optimal viewing angle to take full advantage of the sharpness of the screen’s images? MantelMount products, ranging from consumer-centric pull down TV mounts to second generation Pro pull down TV mounts made for heavier televisions, can be used to bring a great eye-level television watching experience to your living room or wherever you watch your television. Whether you’re reinventing ways to make use of your old plasma TV or are buying an LED TV, you now have the plasma TV vs LED comparison knowledge. Whatever television you are using to mount, it’ll be vital to take into consideration the sound quality, visual quality, cost, and energy efficiency of the television to make your overall viewing experience a great one.

Maybe you’ve just moved or maybe you’re tired of staring at the same four walls while housebound in the pandemic. Either way, you’re ready to refresh the decor, or perhaps move around the furniture, to get a new look.It makes sense to start with the spaces you spend the most time in—the living room, the bedroom, the den. Also, we’re betting your Netflix subscription has been netting its money’s worth. So, we suggest that you start your redecorating with the TV wall, updating your TV placement and decor—after all, if that’s where you are looking every day, it may as well be the best view in the house, whether the TV is on or off.One of the choices you’ll want to make is whether to have your TV wall mounted or have it sit on a media console, dresser, or other piece of furniture. Naturally, we have some thoughts on this. The Allure of a Wall-Mounted TV Our recommendation is always for a wall-mounted TV, even if you do want a media console under it. Here’s why: It makes the surfaces below—be it a console, a credenza, or just the floor—a lot easier to clean. It leaves those same surfaces free for other uses, practical or decorative. It makes it easier to access the TV itself and its wiring for repairs, cleaning, and moving. With the right pull down TV mount—namely, MantelMount—you get far more flexibility on angle and height adjustments than you can manage with a TV stand. With a stand, you cannot customize much for different individuals, or even the same viewer, moving around the room. A wall mount also offers far more versatility for decor around it, because you don’t have to worry about the piece of furniture supporting your TV being large or sturdy enough—this means you can choose period pieces, more lightweight, or minimalist options. It’s a better bet by far for tight spaces, or when your TV wall is along a high-traffic path—like on a wall between two doors. You can also raise it out of reach of children and pets! Whatever height you choose, a wall-mounted TV eliminates tipping risks. This is safer for people and safer for the TV, too, especially if you spent a large chunk of cash on it.   We trust you are now convinced that the way your TV goes should be up—up on the wall! Now, let’s brainstorm placement and design. Placement of your Wall-Mounted TV The most important factors you want to consider when placing your TV are the size of it, the size and shape of the room, and where you will be sitting—or lying!—when you watch. Choosing a TV wall mount with a built-in tilt, and especially the option to lower the TV, will help when you go from sitting up in bed to slouching on the floor with your pet or toddler. MantelMount’s wall mount options can lower the TV by up to 27 inches! TV Size You might be wondering, “How high should I mount a flat-screen TV?” If you have a broader screen, it is better off mounted a little higher for a better viewing angle. This way, objects placed on furniture below—or people sitting in front of or across from you—don’t have a chance to obscure the lower edge. Room Size You should be sitting about twice the distance from your TV wall as your TV’s size—so, a 60-inch TV calls for you to sit 10 feet (120 inches) away. This, in turn, can dictate which wall works best for the TV mount. Besides, a wider room, especially one zoned for different activities, can call for a larger swivel angle from the TV mount—more so if your TV is on the longest wall. Function and Furniture Placement When choosing which wall to mount your TV on, consider the placement in terms of how you use the room, as well as how light hits the wall you are considering by day and by night: Mounting between windows can be best to avoid glare—unless you have a lot of ambient streetlight that gets in your eyes! Can you use blinds to cut out glare from a nearby window, or do you prefer more daylight? Can you move around lamps or redirect spotlights by night? If you prefer to watch movies with the lights dimmed, which TV wall makes it less likely for someone to trip on furniture when they go to get a drink? How likely is someone to cut across your sightline? You don’t want to be sitting on the couch with a dining table between you and your TV—interruptions are guaranteed. Similarly, if your favorite recliner is positioned on one side of a doorway and the TV on the other, how often does someone stroll in and cross the room? If you’re a serious audiophile, you may need to consider the conflict with existing sound equipment and the acoustics of the room. Think hard about whether you really need a wall-mounted TV shelf just underneath. We know it’s a common arrangement. But, you chose freedom from furniture when you did away with the stand. So, unless it is making a visual point, we have better ideas for storage on that wall below! Let’s move on to room-specific decor for our two favorite TV-viewing spots: the bedroom and the living room (also applicable to the den). Wall-mounted TV Ideas for the Bedroom If your bedtime routine ends with the remote control, here are some of our favorite TV placements: Over the dresser: Because most of us have one, and it is often across from the foot of the bed, this makes sense. Should you want more artwork or storage on the same wall, incorporate the TV into your gallery as just another frame. Let the dresser cue where to place the remote by day, too! On the wall, over the bed: If you have a small bedroom, you might mount the TV directly over the foot of the bed, or you might have it on the wall your bed is pushed up against lengthwise, so that you can watch from your favorite lounge chair across the room. Over the head of the bed! Now, hear us out—some of us have partners who don’t appreciate the distraction at their feet. Get them a sleep mask, or move the bed a little further off the wall, and place the TV behind the headboard—et voila! Less light from the TV will reach them while they sleep. For yourself, invest in a cozy couch on the far wall—and headphones, of course. On the wall opposite the bed: This will make excellent sense if you have a convertible sofa or daybed. Use the space as a living space, as well as sleeping there at night. Higher than your climber toddler: If this TV is going in the kids’ bedroom, place it higher than the shelves your youngest is likely to climb. This is one room where you do not want it anywhere near the bed! (We know kids get bouncy in their castle!) Instead of art: This is the room where you may most want a TV that looks less like tech, so the non-intrusive design of one of the new frame TVs could be for you. Samsung is the leader of these TVs that look just like art when switched off, thanks to the bevel-edged cabinet and white border on the aptly named The Frame. This one resembles mounted artwork, but others, like Sony, LG, TCL, Vizio, Sharp, and Hisense, are doing these slender-bezel TVs, too. There’s even the rotating Sero from Samsung, which looks like an easel in a corner. Alternatively, consider LG’s roll-up screen, which allows the cabinet to even sit right at the foot of the bed or under a window, without disrupting your view. Mirror, mirror, on the wall… Is that a TV, after all? Try a mirror TV, which is literally a looking glass in idle mode, and a perfectly logical accessory in the bedroom, above the dresser! Samsung, Loewe, LG, and Sony are some brands that manufacture these. This is also the TV that can hang across from the bathtub. Wall-mounted TV Ideas for the Living Room Chances are the TV is sharing space with many more activity centers in your living room—this might be the place for family movie nights, or a solo binge-watching saga, but it may also hold the kids’ play area, your pet’s favorite nap spot, the family board games, your music, your knitting… and maybe your dining area. For some of us, this is our home office by day, too!There’s a lot going on, so it can be hard to decide where to focus. Consider:  Space-sharing with other tech: Do you also use the room for homework, a home office, and so forth? Would you want the TV recessed to allow for a sliding whiteboard, say? If you already use that equipment, you can save wall space by putting both on the same wall. Insert in the dip between taller cabinets: Can you move book shelves or other taller furniture apart to balance them visually on either side of the TV? It’s the natural resting place for your eyes, as they travel from corner to corner. Or, put it between pillars and bridge them with a long shelf to underline that flat-screen! You can do the same bracketing with tall plants or framed portraits. Call it modern art: Integrate the TV into a gallery of artwork and mirrors—it can even be off-center within the arrangement of frames, as long as the overall shape of your gallery squares up. Make it a son et lumière: Got a sound bar in the same room? Use it under the TV like a shelf to underscore the screen! There’s less visual clutter and it’s also more compact. (Chances are the acoustics will replicate well, too!) Visual buffet over the breakfast bar: This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if you have one of those busy households where everyone’s catching up on the game or the news, then you may as well put the TV on the far wall! Send it to the naughty corner: If you’re really short of space for sitting or viewing, consider a cater-corner mount. Beyond the big couch: Is it practical for some people to be reading or pursuing other hobbies with their backs to the TV? If so, you can have the TV mounted behind one couch, facing your other sofas.  Integrate your Wall-mounted TV with Existing Shelves, Art, and Cabinetry Just because you wall-mounted your TV does not mean it has to dominate your decor. If you prefer your media consumption to stay a little low-key, or just need a lot more storage to share your TV’s wall space, you might want to try one of these ideas for integrating your wall-mounted TV into the existing decor:  Frame it or curtain it: A recessed TV allows you to shut doors or curtains over it when not in use. Borrow the veneer off existing cabinetry or match your upholstery. You can even drop a window-sized blind over it—better still if you can match the size of your existing window treatments for full camouflage. You won’t even know the TV is there. It will be even more of a talking point when revealed, of course! Furniture can sit right under it without competing or looking unlikely—you can even place a bench there. Soften the high-tech edge with natural textures: Even if your flat-screen is on full view, you can lessen the impact by sharing the wall with lots of natural materials—wooden (or veneer) shelves, basketry, live or artificial plants, prints from nature, animal sculptures, and similar items. In this case, keep the overall arrangement of shelves asymmetrical, since nature typically isn’t all that matchy-matchy. Balance it with the handmade marvels: Similar to the earlier idea, this one softens the TV’s contemporary lines with hanging textiles (even a rug!), pottery, baskets, masks, and more on the same wall. Consider some living-edge wood shelves for this one. Modern masterpiece: For anything from mid-century modern to industrial decor, the TV integrates easily with a few geometric shapes, or a minimal bare wall in an urban grey or greige. In this case, rather than shelves, push up period-appropriate furniture along the walls for storage. Alleviate the all-black: If you have a lot of black about the place, consider putting the TV on a wallpapered wall to break it up. Or, alternatively, maybe a texture wall, especially if your other blacks are shiny, too—think pleather, granite, glass... Add grayscale: If your decor is mostly in other shades, like beiges, greens, blues, and pinks, consider adding some greys to tie the TV screen in when switched off. A more pastel theme in particular helps the black of the TV to find common ground easily. A single tall lamp, a throw, or maybe a handful of small objects on the coffee table will do. Final countdown: Which mount to choose? So, we’ve already seen why you would want a mount with: Tilt capabilities—for different heights of viewers in the same chair! (Your toddler should not get a crick in his/her neck anymore than you.) A good swivel angle—for corner to corner viewing. Impressive height adjustability—from floor-level to bunk-bed viewer, say? You also want, of course: Ease of use for everyone—from kids to grandparents, taking into account disabilities, too. Ease of installation. Some degree of economy, please! We suggest MantelMount, of course, so you can rest assured on all the above counts.

Put down the measuring tape! Before you install your TV mount, we have some pointers to assure that your TV is at a perfect viewing level no matter what your set up is. Viewing without Regrets The placement of your TV mount is crucial to your entertainment room's decor and your overall viewing enjoyment. After all, is there anything worse than craning your neck to watch TV after a long day? There are a few things that you need to analyze before deciding on the best place to mount your TV. You need to determine how the TV in the room you’re installing it in is going to be used. Factors like viewing, functionality, seating, and more can all come into play. So, let’s get started! Standard Seating View How high should I mount my TV in a standard viewing setting? Typically for a standard living room set up, you would position your TV 42 inches on-center, measuring from the floor up. This is because a sofa is usually about 18 inches in height, giving you an extra 24 inches, so the TV rests at your eye level. If your sofa is shorter or taller than this, recalculate accordingly. Bar Stool Seating When you are mounting a TV in a home bar, you want the TV to be at eye level for people sitting on bar stools. For this, we recommend moving from the 42-inch mark to 48 inches or 53 inches on-center.  Above Fireplace Mounting Another popular question people have when they purchase a TV mount is how high should a TV be mount above their fireplace?   The rule of thumb is, if your mantel is less than four feet from the floor, you should mount your TV about 12 inches above it. This rule applies to a fireplace without a mantel as well. However, if you have a fireplace that is more than 4 feet tall, we recommend mounting the TV about 6 inches above the fireplace for a more comfortable view. Mounting a TV with Obstructed Views Sometimes the way a room is laid out can pose certain issues when you are mounting your TV. Luckily there is an answer to how high a TV should be mounted when you are in this situation. To avoid interference with a piece of furniture or an appliance, mount the TV as close to eye-level as you can, ensuring there are about 6 inches of clearance between the obstruction and your TV. Let’s Do This! We hope this blog assists you in mounting your TV! If you're still in the process of shopping for a TV mount, look no further than MantelMount. Our patented construction combines high-quality components and state-of-the-art counterbalance technology, allowing anyone to easily pull a large flat-screen TV down off the wall, suspend it at eye-level in front of a fireplace, and swivel it left or right for the perfect view.

TV NECK PAIN? TAKE A MANTELMOUNT AND CALL US IN THE MORNING   At MantelMount, we talk a lot about neck pain. Frankly, it’s getting to be a pain in the neck. After all, we mention it in almost every one of our blogs. We address it in various spots throughout our website. We discuss it with the distributors who carry our product. We just can’t seem to get it out of our heads.  But there’s a good reason for it. It’s because watching a TV above eye level can, over time, produce neck pain, as well as a host of other physical issues.  MantelMount, the premier pulldown flatscreen TV mount on the market, solves the problem by allowing you to mount your TV above your fireplace (a very popular mounting option) or high on a wall, and bring it down to eye level for the perfect viewing angle, not just to maximize your viewing experience but to eliminate the issues associated with craning your necks up too long and too high.  Yet as much as we’ve discussed the neck pain and other issues that can result from improper TV positioning, the one thing we haven’t done is offer you the perspective of a real medical professional – that is, until now. So MantelMount reached out to Dr. Kay Sunakawa, a Doctor of Chiropractic at the Holistic Healing Center for Network Chiropractic in Sudbury, MA, to get her take on the subject.   “Craning your neck upwards can cause neck pain, headaches, and other health issues,” said Dr. Sunakawa, who gained her degree from Life University in Marietta, GA. “Factors such as TV viewing habits, preexisting conditions, general health, can all have an impact.  “For someone who watches maybe an hour of TV a day, and doesn’t watch every day, the pain or symptoms would be minimal, maybe even non-existent. But for someone who watches several hours a day every day, it’s likely to have a more serious impact.” Based on the TV watching habits of the average American, it seems that “serious impact” is the more likely scenario. In the second quarter of 2017 consumers in the United States spent an average of 24.4 hours per week watching live television.  And while the projection for second quarter of this year is down to 22.5 hours per week, that’s still a good deal of neck craning – almost 3.5 hours per day – for those whose TV's are in less than optimal position. “It certainly depends on the individual, their overall musculoskeletal health, how far back they’re titling their head, and many other factors, but 3.5 hours per day, every day of watching TV at a bad viewing angle is going to cause problems,” she stated. What kind of problems? “Neck pain, being one of the more obvious symptoms. But there is also the potential for spine problems that can be less obvious as more strain is placed on it from tilting the head back, especially if the person already has a condition like arthritis or spinal stenosis. Imagine sitting in the front row of a movie theatre for 3 hours, every day. The neck malposition and strain can lead to general neck pain and tightness, and over time it can also result in decreased range of motion, poor or asymmetrical posture, muscular imbalances and stiffness, headaches, nerve impingement, spine degeneration, and decreased nerve impulses to all the vital organs of your body. “With nerve impingement, pain can radiate down your arms, and even down to your legs. Left unchecked, pain and decreased nerve supply can affect the entire body.” Dr. Sunakawa provides the same advice to her clients whether it’s watching TV or working at their computer. “It all goes back to angle,” she explained. “In terms of workplace ergonomics, we always emphasize the importance of having your computer right in front of you.  You don’t want to be looking up or down; straight ahead is the best position. Ironically, while flatscreen TV’s have brought with them a new dimension in viewing enjoyment, they can also be considered the primary culprits when it comes to the aforementioned health issues.  Before the advent of flatscreen TV's, televisions were not mounted on a wall.  The earliest versions usually came built inside a large console that simply stood on the floor.  When the family sat on their couch watching Jack Benny or The Honeymooners, they were, by and large, sitting at a pretty innocuous viewing angle.   When the huge consoles disappeared, the transistor tube-based devices were generally either placed on a table or a shelf in an entertainment center – still at a very acceptable angle.  It was the introduction of the flatscreen that led to wall mounting and the assortment of health issues that have ensued from improper viewing angles.  Of course, MantelMount solves that problem nicely. But even if you don’t use a MantelMount, make sure you are watching your TV at eye level, whether that means mounting it lower on your wall or placing it on a table or desk. Because while constantly talking about neck pain can wear you down, having it is much, much worse.    ###  

AFTER CEDIA 2017, MANTELMOUNT GAINS SEAT AT “ADULTS" TABLE” Sometimes at Thanksgiving dinners, there is a kids’ table.  It is literally a table for children – the place where anyone ranging from 2-16 is required to sit so they don’t bother the grown-ups.  Because grown-ups have important things to talk about and although they love their children, the kids simply don’t have the maturity or the gravitas to be in the company of the adults. That’s where MantelMount was just two years ago; we were figuratively sitting at the kids’ table.  More specifically, as a tiny little start-up, we were at CEDIA 2015 on “rookie row,” sandwiched in with the other youngsters.  We had a quaint little 10 x 10 booth where we were showing our only version of the MantelMount Pull Down TV Mount: the T1MA.  It was a great product which solved a very specific need: TV’s placed over the fireplace or high on a wall create horrible, neck-breaking viewing angles.  MantelMount solved that problem with a well-engineered, solidly built unit that was both aesthetically pleasing and affordable.  We attracted a great deal of interest at that show.  Still, we had a long way to go before we would be able to sit at the adults’ table, the one where the long-established manufacturers of mature, reputable and best-selling electronic products and accessories – most of them household names – were congregated.  These were companies with high-profile market presence, significant market share, and sufficient financial resources to buy an actual market if they wanted.  While we had made what we felt was a noticeable impression at CEDIA 2015, we wondered what the resulting market impact would be.  Had we simply hit an elephant with a pea shooter? Apparently, we had a little more impact than we imagined.  We were named a “Best New Product Finalist” at the show.  At the same show, we were recognized as “Most Creative New TV Mount” by rAVe Publications.  Obviously, we impressed someone besides our family, friends, and attendees who wandered into our booth on their way to somewhere else. Awards kept coming.  We attended the HPBExpo on 2016 and snagged a prize from Hearth & Home Magazine for Best Outdoor Room equipment.  Plus, we won a 2016 Product of the Year from Electronic House, a well-respected publication covering all areas of electronic products and accessories for the home.  Awards are nice, but sales are even better.  And sales were going quite well.  In fact, so well that we were convinced it was time to introduce two new models, the MM340 andMM540.  Both were well-received, and we now had a real “product line.”  (OK, it was only three products long, but it was still a line.) Award were rolling in faster than we could accept them.  The CE Pro Best TV Mount Winner at CEDIA 2016.  The NewBay Media Best in Show for AV Technology at InfoComm 2016.  Then an exciting new model: the MM700, geared towards the professional channel.  New distribution channels.  Increasing sales.  We were firmly on people’s radar, not just consumers but integrators, electronic dealers, and distributors. Just a few weeks ago, we exhibited at CEDIA 2017.  It’s no exaggeration to say that was our coming-out party.  We had a huge 30x30 booth right in the middle of the action.  And we introduced a truly groundbreaking product: our MM850 automated mount.  A motorized mount that works via IP over internet and interfaces with most popular home automation systems (Control4, RTI, Crestron, to name a few), the MM850 hit a home run with everyone who saw it.  No, make that a grand slam.  The media noticed, as evidenced by all the coverage we received.  Attendees noticed, based on the multiple “oohs” and “ahhs” we heard.  Dealers noticed, as we signed up hundreds of them who couldn’t wait to sell the new unit.  And we noticed, based on how tired we were when the show was over.  Oh, and did we mention we also won three awards for the MM850 – a unit that isn’t even available until December?  These were heavyweight awards: Innovation and Tech Today.  Residential Systems.  CE Pro.  (We might have also won Most Congenial, but we can’t remember.) So what does this all mean?  Have we reached the top of the proverbial mountain?  Are we at the pinnacle of our industry?  Far from it.  We still have much to do, and many new products to create and perfect.  What it does means is that in just a few short years, we have arrived.  We went from a barely noticeable start-up with one nice product to a up-and-coming force in the television accessory market.  We’ll never stop trying to do better and to develop innovative products that don’t just follow the latest trends but that set them.  In other words, we’ve left the kids’ table and can now take our place with the heavyweights in the consumer electronics industry at the adults’ table.  Don’t get us wrong; the kids’ table was fun.  But the adults’ table is all business.  ###

When it comes to pulldown mounts for flatscreen televisions, we simply don’t have any competition; it’s not bragging, it’s just fact.  As we’ve pointed out in previous blogs, only a few mounts are even capable of vertical movement.  And of those, none has the range of features that MantelMount has.  The truth is, although we reign supreme in the world of flatscreen TV mounts, we do have some serious competition in the larger mount universe:  Mount Everest. At 29,029 feet, Mount Everest is Earth’s highest mountain, the one that all others mountains wish they could be.  Almost 7,000 climbs have been made to the summit of this 60-million-year-old behemoth by over 4000 climbers, with close to 300 deaths.  Many local names still exist for this behemoth, including Chomolungma in Tibet (“Mother Goddess of the Universe”) and Sagarmatha in Nepal (Goddess of the Sky”).  Listen, we know we’ve got a great mount, but nobody’s calling us goddess of anything. Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial features 60-foot-high heads of four U.S. presidents: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt.  The memorial was created to represent the first 130 of American history.  These four presidents were selected because of “their role in preserving the republic and expanding its territory.”  This impressive display was conceived by sculptor Gutzon Borglun and carved with assistance from his son and 400 workers; the entire project took 14 years, from 1927 to 1941.  (Our one advantage: it will not take 14 years to install a MantelMount unit).              Anson Mount. Born February 25, 1973, Anson Mount is a well-known (and in our opinion, very good) American actor.  He portrayed the fictional character Cullen Bohannon in the AMC Western drama series, Hell on Wheels.  He was also cast in the role of Jim Steele on the short-lived NBC Series Conviction.  He appeared in the popular thrillers Straw Dogs (2011) and Non-Stop (2014).  He was recently cast as the Marvel Comics superhero Black Bolt in the upcoming series Marvel’s Inhumans, a show we intend to watch religiously (at the proper viewing angle, of course).  The Royal Mounties. World-renowned for their bravery, tradition, and spiffy uniforms, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is the official Canadian National Police Service and an agency of the Ministry of Public Safety Canada.  It is unique because it is a National, Federal, Provincial and Municipal policing body all rolled into one.  The RCMP is responsible for the capture of some of the world’s most notorious criminals and has been glamorized in all forms of media, including movies, books, and televisions shows.  If one of our units gets stolen anywhere in Canada, the RCMP will find it; after all, as the saying goes, “They Always Get Their Man(telMount).” Matching up against the other flatscreen television mounts in the marketplace is not a particularly tough challenge for us.  But as you can see, there are some other impressive mounts out there that can give us a run for our money.  ###

  I own a MantelMount Pull Down TV Mount™.  It has completely changed my TV viewing experience.  No more sore neck.  Great viewing angle.  TV looks great over the fireplace, easy to pull down when I want to watch.  I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that MantelMount has changed my life.  (What that says about the quality of my life is a subject for a different day.) It wasn’t always this way.  Up until MantelMount, my TV mounting history was a sad tale of weird viewing angles, damaged TV’s, and poorly-made furniture.  As I reviewed this history, I could only shake my head and marvel at my ignorance.  Frankly, when it came to creating the optimal TV viewing experience, I didn’t even know what I didn’t know.  The first TV I could claim as my own was in college - a small, 12-inch black and white that got just two channels and was missing the volume knob.  I had it mounted on a milk crate in my dorm room.  There is no worse way to watch a TV.  I usually watched it while leaning off the side of my bed, with the upper half of my body almost touching the floor.  Because I was young and relatively limber, it didn’t really bother me very much, though getting into that position today would require some heavy construction equipment and a handful of painkillers.  When I got out of college, I rented an apartment where I bought my first color TV: a 19-inch Panasonic.  With very little furniture and almost no floor space, I elected to place it on one of those horrible end tables that has a magazine rack on the bottom.  The viewing angle actually wasn’t too bad; the problem was that the table had a very small footprint, so even though I did my best to center the TV on the table, it was always in danger of being knocked off the table from the slightest contact.  I’m not sure how many times it fell, but I stopped counting around 20.  Amazingly, it always worked after each losing battle with gravity - until the last fall, after which I gave it a proper burial. When I got married and bought my first house, I graduated to the big time.  I bought an “entertainment center,” one of those big, bulky oak pieces roughly the size of a German Panzer tank.  The TV went in a big section on the right; there were shelves and drawers on the left for all my stereo components, vinyl records, and VHS tapes.  There were a few issues with this set-up.  The TV sat too low in the unit: after about an hour of viewing, it felt like my chin was bolted to my chest.  What’s more, my wife insisted on keeping dozens of photos – kids, relatives, pets - on top of the unit, which always proved distracting.  It was really hard to enjoy an episode of Full House while I had to see 350-pound Aunt Jennie staring at me out of the corner of my eye.  In my current home, I went for the classic mounting scenario: above the fireplace.  As in many homes, it was the only free wall space we had.  I didn’t think much about the height until I started actually watching TV.  From the first minute of the first show, I thought, “This is way too high.  I need to do something about this.”  Springing into action, I proceeded to do nothing for the next eight years (I am nothing if not methodical).  But about a year ago, I found out about MantelMount.  In fact, I saw the company at a trade show I was attending (CEDIA 2015).  The concept was so simple and had been engineered so expertly.  Move your TV down to watch, move it up when you’re not.  Easy to pull down.  Easy to install.  Even heat-sensing handles so you could put it in front of a fire if you wanted.  It was love at first sight.  I purchased a unit, put it up, and my TV viewing has been, quite literally, transformed.  When it comes to my TV mounting journey, I am reminded of the line from the old Grateful Dead song, “Truckin’ ”:  What a long, strange trip it’s been.  ###

As a society, we’re obsessed with firsts.  Anything that can be legitimately be branded as the first of its kind holds a certain fascination for us.  Certainly, it’s exciting to behold something that has never been seen before.  There’s a sense that history is being made – that we’ve just witnessed an event or an item that has broken a previously unbreakable barrier.  MantelMount falls into that category.  As one of the few Pull Down TV Mounts capable of moving vertically – to ensure that the TV can be moved to eye level, the optimal viewing position - it has introduced a number of features that no other mount has been able to duplicate, such as Auto-Straightening, Auto Stabilization, Adjustable Stops, and a patented Heat-Sensing handle.  These industry firsts have helped make MantelMount the best flat screen TV mount available.  But that got us to thinking about other “firsts” in the television industry.  Today, we can look back on these envelope-pushing occurrences with some degree of amusement, given that we have been exposed to televised situations and plotlines that make these previous groundbreakers seem quaint by comparison.  Still, these events, viewed in the context of the time and place in which they occurred, can be considered as nothing less than extraordinary.  Complements of a great website called Mental Floss, here are seven televisions “firsts” that we found particularly noteworthy.  (Why seven instead of 10 or five?  Because it’s our blog and we can do what we want.) First Birth: I Love Lucy was a national phenomenon, so when Lucille Ball became pregnant in real life, it was immediately written into the storyline and achieved the series’ highest ratings ever. On January 19, 1953, when she had her son, Desi Arnaz, Jr., the real baby doubled in the show as Lucy and Ricky's new on-screen son - just 12 hours after the baby’s birth.  The episode received higher ratings than Eisenhower's inauguration the next day.  Almost 72% of homes with television sets tuned in to watch, which was substantially more than President Dwight D. Eisenhower's inauguration the next day. First Interracial Kiss: On November 22, 1968, William Shatner (as Captain Kirk), and Nichelle Nichols (as Lieutenant Uhura) locked lips on the iconic series Star Trek.  Interestingly, Nichelle Nichols says that executives of NBC, the network that broadcast the show, originally wanted to shoot two different versions of the scene between her and William Shatner to avoid outrage among Southern affiliates.  But Shatner was having none of it, as he was “deliberately trying to flub it up.”  Now that’s boldly going where no man has gone before.  First Commercial: Commercials have been around since nearly the beginning of television (although it seems more like the beginning of time).  But the very first televised commercial appeared during a Dodgers and Phillies game on July 1, 1941: a 10-second ad for Bulova watches.  (NOTE: While the first commercial was pretty exciting, we’re even more excited about the last.) First Religious Service: Religion on television is hardly a new invention.  The first-ever televised service took place on March 24, 1940, and showed the Protestant Easter Services on NBC in New York.  An hour later, in a classic example of pure copycat-ism, the Roman Catholic Easter Services aired on the same network.  First Married Couple to Share a Bed: This would raise no eyebrows today, but at the time it happened, it was truly an unusual event.  The first couple to share a bed happened way back in 1947 on the sitcom Mary Kay and Johnny.  In that year, the married title couple hopped into the same bed in their New York apartment.  Why the networks shied away from such normal married behavior for so long certainly seems like a mystery - especially since Mary Kay and Johnny were married in real-life. First Major Death: When Make Room for Daddy rebranded itself after the third season to The Danny Thomas Show, Jean Hagen left the show due to dissatisfaction with her character.  Suddenly, the producers had a dilemma with what to do with Hagen's character. Because it was the 1950s, having her get a divorce would was pretty much off limits.  Naturally, the producers decided the safest route was to kill off the character. First Prime-Time Animated Series: The Flintstones, which premiered in 1960, holds the distinction of being the first animated series produced for and broadcast during prime-time television hours.  This certainly set the stage for future animated, prime-time staples such as The Simpsons and Family Guy.  When you’re the “first” at something – anything – people sit up and take notice.  They’re doing that with MantelMount.  And they did it with these TV industry milestones.  What’s the next “first” up on the list? ###

You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t think that penicillin is one of the greatest discoveries of our time.  Or that the inventions of the light bulb, the television, and the telephone haven’t had significant impact on the way we live, learn and look at the world around us. But let’s not forget the “next tier” of inventions.  You know the ones: They don’t save lives.  They don’t alter the course of history.  Yet they’re important – and memorable – because they solve common, everyday problems that so many of us face.  These are not enormous problems; just ordinary annoyances that we put up with until something comes along that either eliminates the annoyance altogether or at least makes it significantly less annoying.  MantelMount is a perfect example of this “next tier” invention.  As you already know, this Pull Down TV Mount™ not only swivels side to side but can move vertically.  This has two major benefits: It allows you to mount your TV above the fireplace (a very popular mounting option) but bring it down to eye level for the optimal viewing angle. It alleviates the neck and back pain associated with watching a TV mounted too high on the wall. The creation of this product stems from one of those little, everyday annoyances we’re all familiar with.  The inventor, Brian (last name withheld so he can avoid the paparazzi), is an avid sports and movie viewer.  Brian was afraid his kids would knock his new flat screen TV clear off its stand (imagine, kids breaking things).  So he installed the TV high on the wall above the fireplace.  This worked fine initially, except for the glare during the day.  And then, the neck pain set in.    So Brian set out to fix these issues – the deficiencies with all the flat screen wall mounts he’d seen on the market.  The biggest issue? There was little to no movement or flexibility to maneuver the mount to an eye-level position for the perfect view, regardless of where the viewer was sitting.  And he wanted to develop something that was so easy to move, his own kids could do it.  After working on his creation for innumerable nights and weekends, MantelMount was born.  Like MantelMount, there are other products out on the market that help make our lives better in small but meaningful ways.  They don’t save lives or promise to end world hunger.  But, like MantelMount, they do help to eliminate the little irritations which can prove to be so…irritating. Five of our favorites (with a nod to a cool website called Wimp.com): The “Stainless” Coffee Mug:  You're sipping your coffee and the extra drops that run down the side create a horrible ring on the table or desk that the cup is sitting on.  This new coffee mug has a built-in slit near the bottom to catch the drops before they can do their dirty work. The Sand-Free Beach Towel: Let’s face it – nothing ruins a day at the beach more than sand on your towel.  It ends up in your mouth, down your bathing suit, and in your food.  Frankly, we have no idea how this towel works, but the makers claim that it will keep the sand away from you so you can enjoy the day – and save the sand for making sand castles.  The Pain-Free Forearm Holder: We’ve all seen the ergonomic mouse pads and other devices that help ease the pain of repetitive motion in your wrist.  This little gizmo helps do the same thing for your forearm by hooking on to your desk and forming a kind of “cradle.”  It’s like MantelMount for your arm.  Soda Can Handles: Do you hate holding soda cans?  Perhaps you don’t like the feel of an ice cold can in the palm of your hand.   Or perhaps you just have butter fingers.  If so, check out this comfortable, easy-to-use, form-fitted handle.  No More Mess Milk Dispenser: Did you ever take a full gallon of milk out of the refrigerator, open up the top, tip it over to pour it into your glass, and…it goes everywhere but the glass.  This unique dispenser that attaches to the head of your milk container is a great invention for its easy-to-squeeze handle and stream control.  There’s so many more, but you get the idea: ingenious devices that make life just a little bit better.  As for MantelMount, a great product that makes watching TV a lot more enjoyable and a little less painful. Now if only someone would just create some better TV shows…. ###

Here at MantelMount, we’re obviously interested in letting you know how much more enjoyable your TV viewing can be using the best Pull Down™ TV Mount on the market.  With a variety of features not found in any other vertically-moving mount, such as Adjustable Stops, Auto-Straightening, and Heat Sensing Handles, we know that MantelMount can help create the most entertaining and neck pain-free TV watching experience.  But we’re also here to inform and educate you about thought-provoking tidbits connected to the television world, and here’s one that we think fits that category.  It has to do with changing television viewing habits, and while the numbers are interesting, they should hardly come as a surprise. According to an article on the website Marketing Profs, entitled “How Television and Video Viewing Habits Are Changing, the share of weekly video viewing time spent watching linear television (i.e., TV not on-demand) has decreased 16% since 2010.  This is according to recent research from Ericsson, a world leader in communications technology.  The report was based on data from a survey of 30,000 consumers age 16-69 in 24 countries.  Conversely, the analysis found that the share of weekly video viewing hours spent watching on-demand TV series, movies, and other programs has increased by a whopping 50% since 2010.  What’s more, the share of video viewing hours spent watching on-demand short video clips has jumped 86% since 2010.  In total, on-demand video watching now accounts for 43% of all weekly viewing time. What’s the takeaway from these numbers?  It’s quite simple: more and more, we’re watching what we want, not what the major networks decide to show us.  Gone are the good old days of the three networks, and primetime television.  After dinner, the entire family hunkered down in front of the set and consumed the comedy, drama and variety shows that comprised the “video content” of the day.  There wasn’t a choice as to what viewers watched; they watched what was on.  Some of it was tremendously entertaining; some of it was painfully unwatchable.  But it was what the networks produced, so we watched it and said “thank you.” That’s all changed.  So-called “linear television” still exists, but it has been usurped by cable-based, on-demand fare, much of which is not only superbly written and produced (watch the Emmys and see how many network shows are winning awards these days), but available whenever the viewer wants to watch it.  Further, there is such an overwhelming volume of quality programming on cable and on demand, that there is always something good to watch.  A variety of quality choices.  At the times you want it.  Used to be you watched Batman on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m.  If you missed it, you missed it.  Now, you can watch old episodes of “Batman” on demand at 3 a.m.  There is clearly an age difference in how these new viewing habits are skewed.  Consumers age 16-34 spend almost 2.5 hours more each week watching streamed on-demand user generated content (UGC) than do consumers age 35-69.  In contrast, consumers age 16-34 spend almost four hours less each week than consumers age 35-69 watching linear television. As far as the dramatic 86% jump in video-clip viewing, we have Facebook, YouTube, and other such outlets to thank.  If you have a child under the age of 19, you can walk into their room at almost any time and see them checking out video clips on any number of subjects, from extreme sports to pranks to rap-artist rants, and everything in between.  And it’s not just the youngsters doing it – how many of us watched April the giraffe for almost two months, waiting for her to give birth to her baby?  Much of this content is perfect for our lifestyle – it’s short, it’s fast, and it fits our increasingly decreasing attention span.  There is still every reason to get a MantelMount Pull Down TV Mount™ to help increase the enjoyment of your television viewing experience.  It’s just that the times when you pull it down – and what you watch when you do pull it down – have changed dramatically.  Maybe we’ll have to create a MantelMount for your phone, too. ###

If you’re a college basketball fan, March Madness is like Christmas, New Year’s and your birthday all rolled into one. What’s not to like?  The best teams in the country, competing for the college basketball crown.  Dozens and dozens of games.  Single elimination – one loss and you’re out.  The competition.  The drama.  The junk food.  And of course, trying to pick the winners in your tourney brackets.  (Fun Fact: the odds of picking every single game correctly is 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808.  That’s 9.2 quintillion.  Yes, that’s a big number.)  And then, there’s watching the games on your beautiful, flatscreen television, which is situated securely on your stylish MantelMount.  This outstanding fireplace TV mount is a must during March Madness.  Why?  Because there are a total of 67 games, including the “play-in” games before the first round.  And you know you’re going to watch them all, unless you have to go to work or spend time with your family (you can always find a new job and reconnect with your family in April).  And if you’ve got your TV mounted above the fireplace or high on a wall, and you have a MantelMount, you’ll be able to bring your TV down to eye level for all 67 games and experience comfortable, pain-free viewing.  No neck aches.  No eye strain.  Great viewing angle.  You’ll be able to fully enjoy every bad call, missed shot, and needless foul as you see your tourney brackets crash and burn. MantelMount truly is the premier Pull Down TV Mount on the market.  But let’s put it in terms the college basketball fan can understand: if there were a tournament for all fireplace TV mounts, how would MantelMount do?  Would it have what it takes to take the title of Best Pull Down TV Mount?  Let’s do the analysis – in basketball terms: We’ve Got Some Smooth Moves. Moving the MantelMount up or down is easier than with any other vertical-moving mount. Anyone who can reach the handle can move the mount smoothly, owing to our patented construction, which combines high-quality automotive pistons with lightweight alloys and state-of-the-art counterbalance technology.  We Can Take the Heat. Another exclusive feature, our MM540 and MM700 models have patented pulldown handles that turn red at 110 degrees to warn the customer if the heat from a burning fireplace is about to damage the TV and sound bar.  Like a good point guard, we won’t wilt under the heat. We’ve Got Mad (Ball)Handling Skills. Auto-Stabilization to ensure that if one spring is stronger than the other, it won’t bias the mount and will maintain a level TV over time.  Adjustable Stops to prevent any part of the mount from hitting the wall or mantel.  And Auto-Straightening, so if you raise your TV from the swiveled position, MantelMount automatically straightens it out so that it doesn’t hit your wall.  We’ve Been Well-Coached. Our coaches (inventors) built MantelMount from the ground up - no retrofits.  They took no shortcuts on the engineering or the construction.  They devised a sound game plan from scratch and executed it to perfection.  We Play Great Defense. While your TV-viewing pleasure is one of our top concerns, nothing is more important than the safety of you and your home.  We built MantelMount to defend what’s most precious to you by making it the safest pull down TV mount you can purchase.  From its flawless geometry to its superior construction using premium-quality materials, MantelMount stops damage and danger from scoring any points at your expense. Frankly, we’re pretty confident that MantelMount would not only sweep through the Fireplace TV Mount Tournament, every match-up would be a blowout.  ###  

MANTELMOUNT: THE NEW CHAMPION OF THE WORLD There’s a great quote attributed to legendary heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali: “It ain’t bragging if you can back it up.” That quote applies very nicely to MantelMount.  It is the best Pull Down TV Mount™ for flatscreen televisions on the market, bar none.  And we can back it up.  To begin with, there are only a few mounts that move vertically, which is an incredibly important feature, allowing you to mount your TV above the fireplace or high on a wall and bring it down to eye level.  But of the few that can even move up and down, MantelMount has by far the most solid construction; offers more vertical movement than any other mount; is the easiest to install; and is the simplest to use.  And now we offer three different versions to suit your budget and TV viewing needs.  (A note about pulldown mounts.  If you’re going to mount your TV at eye level, you probably don’t need a pulldown mount.  But if you want to mount your TV higher than eye level – whether above a fireplace or a on convenient, open spot high on a wall – you need a pulldown mount.  And frankly, there is a lot more to consider than just “does it move vertically.”  Does it move easily and smoothly?  Is there continuous balance from top to bottom for a wide range of TV sizes?  Is the mounting environment entirely safe?  You can't compare a “high-on-the-wall mounting” to an ordinary mounting.  Between the difference in angle; the pulling forces involved in moving a big object off the wall on a regular basis; and the fact that you and your family may be directly beneath this TV when its being lowered, there are many more variables that come into play here, and many more requirements that need to be met.) There are numerous other factors that separate MantelMount from its competitors.  Believe us, we know.  We’ve seen them all firsthand.  In fact, there are so many things, we can’t tackle them all in one blog.  So let’s focus on some of the most significant:  Geometry: MantelMounts are built with correct geometry.  This ensures that the force from the gas springs is consistent from light TVs to heavy TVs.  With MantelMount imitation mounts, some TV weights are too heavy for their mounts to lift in the upper position, and they don’t stay down in the lower position.  With incorrect geometry comes a major decline in performance and safety with these imitation mounts.  We know - we’ve tested them. Auto-Stabilization: An exclusive feature of MantelMount, we use enhanced auto-stabilization with our gas springs to ensure that if one spring is stronger than the other, it won’t bias the mount and will maintain a level TV over time.  If you want to look for this in other mounts, feel free.  (SPOILER ALERT: You won’t find it.) Horizontal Brace with Handle: Modern TVs are getting thinner and, as a result, more fragile.  The handle of the MantelMount directs all of the pulling forces straight to the mount instead of pulling on the frame of the TV itself.  Heat-Sensing Handles: Another exclusive feature, the MM540 and MM700 have patented pulldown handles that turn red at 110 degrees to warn the customer if the heat from a burning fireplace is about to damage the TV and sound bar.  Adjustable Stops: Yes, another exclusive.  All of the MantelMount ranges of motion have adjustable stops to prevent any part of the mount from hitting the wall or mantel.  Auto-Straightening: If you raise your TV from the swiveled position, MantelMount automatically straightens it out so that it doesn’t hit your wall.  Exclusive?  You bet! Cable Routing Boxes (included with the MM700): These boxes attach to metal conduit so that cables can be routed behind the wall without touching hot fireplace components and possibly causing a fire.  They provide a permanent passageway so that cables can be easily fed through the wall as new components are added. We put more thought, planning and ingenuity into MantelMount than you can possibly imagine.  Hey, it’s just a TV mount, right?  It just needs to keep the TV on the wall, right?  Wrong.  It does need to keep the TV on the wall – no argument there.  But it needs to be safe, functional, well-constructed, and easy to use.  MantelMount is all of that, and more.  We didn’t skimp on the materials.  We didn’t rush through the engineering.  We took no shortcuts.  We don’t resell someone else’s product.  We invented this solution ourselves and brought it to market. Do we want you to take our word for the fact that we’re the best?  Sure.  But our customers are saying it, too (we have a 4.8/5.0 consumer rating on over 1000 reviews).  And the industry is saying it as well: just last year, we received the CEPro Best TV Mount Winner at CEDIA; Best In Show for AV Technology at InfoComm: the Electronics House 2016 Product of the Year; and the Hearth & Home Magazine Best Outdoor Room Equipment. Want to talk safety?  Our MM540 Enhanced Mount and MM340 Standard Mount have been UL Listed for safety by successfully undergoing 6000 cycles of full range motion.  The MM700 Pro Mount also meets UL Listed standards.  When we invented the Pull Down TV Mount™, we had the safety and user experience of the consumer and their family in the very forefront of our designs. Check out all the reasons MantelMount is the only Pull Down TV Mount™ you should consider.  We don’t float like a butterfly or sting like a bee, but we can kick any other mount’s you –know-what.     ###

OK, with just a little over a week before Super Bowl LI (that’s “51” in Roman-numeral world), you’ve got another great opportunity to get a MantelMount for your home.  In fact, there are a number of reasons why the big game is the perfect occasion to invest in the premier pulldown mount on the market: Super Bowl, Super Viewing. The Super Bowl is one of the most widely viewed sporting events on TV.  Of the top 20 most watched TV broadcasts ever in the United States according to Nielsen, 19 were Super Bowls.  The epic Super Bowl XLIX (otherwise known as “49”) between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks tops the list at 115.2 million viewers, meaning that more than one out of every three men, women and children was watching that game.  The point is, this is NOT an event you should have to watch at less than a perfect, eye-level viewing angle – the exact angle you’ll get from MantelMount. “Have We Got a Deal for You.” Many of you will be buying new flatscreen televisions just for this event – with good reason.  Pre-Super Bowl sales offer some of the best discounts during the entire year; according to Consumer Reports, the numbers show that next to Black Friday, the second-best discounts come two weeks before the Super Bowl.  What’s more, while Black Friday deals usually apply to sets that aren’t exactly state-of-the-art technology, the pre-Super Bowl sales generally focus on the higher-priced, feature-rich items (like 4K, for example).  So you’re going to buy this gorgeous new flatscreen TV and not accompany it with a MantelMount to give you the best possible viewing experience?  Umm…no. Wish You Were Here.  We’ve never been to a Super Bowl.  We doubt we’ll ever get to one.  Besides the cost of the ticket, there’s the travel, lodging, food, and, quite possibly, bail money.  In an old episode of Seinfeld, someone offers George Costanza two free Super Bowl tickets.  Initially, he accepts the tickets, but when he learns that airfare and hotel are not included, he declines, telling the person, “What you’re really offering me is an invoice for $2,000.”  So like George, we are going to watch this year’s Super Bowl, and all subsequent Super Bowls, on TV.  Watching the big game on a TV positioned on a MantelMount is going to make us feel almost like we’re there.  And it’s going to save us a few bucks on bail bonds. If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It.  If you’re going to be hosting a major Super Bowl party, the MantelMount is an absolute must.  Imagine what it will be like when each of your guests arrives and checks out your new, bad-ass TV on the MantelMount.  They will first ask about the new TV.  Then they’ll ask you about the cool mount that goes up and down.  And then they’ll ask why the only food you’ve got is chips and dip.  The Next Day.  Look, we know you’re going to party a little bit.  You’re supposed to – it’s the Super Bowl.  And the next day, your head may not feel quite as chipper as you might like.  But thanks to MantelMount, at least your neck won’t hurt from watching a TV mounted too high on the wall.  The point is, you very well may be feeling some pain in your cranial area; at least your neck will be spared.   There are other good reasons to buy your MantelMount in time for the big game.   The point is, you can use the game as an excuse to get the most fully-featured, most well-constructed mount available.  The big game is just around the corner.  Get your new 4K TV.  Get your MantelMount.  And for gosh sakes, spend a little money on some decent snacks.  ###

In this blog, we try to provide general information about mounts, televisions, TV-viewing positions, and other helpful tidbits.  We also try to entertain you with some lighter material on occasion.  We don’t sell our MantelMount Pull-Down TV Mount™ too hard because 1) we don’t want to be obnoxious, and 2) we believe that it sells itself.  Oh, we always mention it in our blogs (our bosses would be upset if we didn’t), but for the most part, we try to stay away from the hard sell. Not this time.  With Christmas and Hanukkah bearing down on us, it’s time to put away the subtlety.  MantelMount is a GREAT gift for the holidays, either for yourself, for your significant other, or that relative who has stiff neck syndrome from watching their TV above the fireplace.  Here are some reasons why:   It’s TV, 24/7: We watch a lot of TV from now until the end of the year. Between the holidays specials (for our money, “It’s a Wonderful Life” remains at the top of the viewing list), and the upcoming onslaught of college football bowl games (if you miss the Idaho Potato Bowl, you’re going to regret it all next year), your flat screen TV is going to be on almost constantly.  You might as well watch it from the perfect viewing angle – at eye-level, which MantelMount provides. Sale Away. Right now, for the holidays, we’re running a terrific sale on our flagship TM1A mount.  Normally a very reasonable $399, we’re offering it for a paltry $289.  With the money you save, you can do all kinds of things.  Give the money to your favorite charity, a welcome gesture this time of year.  Or invest it in that great stock tip your Uncle Ed told you about.  On second thought, give it to charity.  It’s Way Better Than What you’re Thinking of Getting. ‘Tis the season of giving – bad gifts.  Let’s face it, how many horrible sweaters have you bought or received?  How many gift certificates have you had to resort to because you simply ran out of ideas?  Worse, how often have you had to run to the local pharmacy on December 24 because you forgot someone on your list?  If you aren’t sure whether MantelMount is a great gift for the holidays, check out what an industry reviewer just said.  (A quick aside: want to see some of the worst Christmas presents people have gotten?  You’ll be hard-pressed to beat the ones here. You Can Enjoy It, Too. Not only in terms of your relationship, but in terms of actual proximity to your house.  That way you can get some of the benefit as well.  Let’s say you give a MantelMount to that same Uncle Ed, who lives just across town.  You call him up to see how he likes it.  Then, you casually say, “So, you looking forward to that Rose Bowl?”  He mumbles something about how football isn’t as tough as it used to be in his day.  Then you follow-up with, “Sure, I’d love to come over to watch the game.  What can I bring?” Look, we’re not advocating that you buy a MantelMount for everyone on your Christmas list.  But why not pick just one person who has a TV that’s above their fireplace or is just too high on the wall?  We all know someone who fits that description. They will love it, and they will love you for it.  (You’ll also make us happy, if that matters to you.) Go to www.mantelmount.com.  Click on “Holiday Sale.”  Then pick your MantelMount (we have other great mounts besides the TM1A) and make someone’s Christmas neck-pain-free.    ###

Although purchasing a MantelMount pull down TV mount or drop down and swivel TV mount will enhance your TV viewing experience, there are other factors at play, including lighting, comfortability with furniture — and understanding just how far away from the TV you should sit with couches or chairs — as well as knowing what the ideal TV viewing distance is and taking advantage of that. There are a number of articles talking about the optimum distance between you and your TV, so we’ve filtered through a number of them to cull the best advice. Recommended Viewing Distance The process can be a bit tricky. If you’re a TV watcher that tends to sit back far, the risk is there to lose the sharp detail that you paid for when you bought your HDTV in the first place (if you have a 4K TV or 8K TV, then you spent even more money for more detail).  However, if you’re someone who might sit a little too close, the individual pixels start to become visible and, ultimately, distracting. Furthermore, there are health factors when a viewing angle is so close including audio distortion and eye strain. Ultimately, you have to find that happy medium. Here, we break down the best viewing distance for your living room’s TV screen size. First, the concept of the science behind picture quality. Pixels, Standard Definition, High Resolution TVs, and All That In Between When understanding the best TV viewing range, one of the first things to understand is the concept of pixels. Every digital image is made up of a grid of colored dots or squares called pixels.  For instance, a 1080p HDTV has 1080 rows of 1920 pixels each. That’s a grand total of 2,073,600 pixels; it doesn’t matter whether the TV size is a 43-inch TV, a 55-inch TV, or a larger TV (think 100 inches wide), the number of pixels remains constant. What does change, however, is the size of the pixels; the bigger the TV screen, the easier it is to see them — which is not ideal since pixels should be too small to see. THX — the company founded by legendary filmmaker George Lucas, which develops high-fidelity, audio/visual reproduction standards for movie theaters, immersive experience screening rooms, and home theaters — offers a simple formula for calculating the closest you can get to an HDTV without seeing the pixels: Divide the advertised TV size by 0.84. However, there are opposing points of view. In a TechHive article, the writer notes, “The speaker manufacturer Aperion Audio recommends that you not sit closer than six and a half feet from a 50-inch 1080p set. Aperion also recommends you sit no farther than 9 feet 9 inches for the best viewing experience.” TV Size Viewing Distance Range Via the THX calculation, figure one foot of distance for every 10 inches of screen size. Keep in mind that the viewing distance formula does not take into consideration the field of view from your couch or any glare or external factor which might require a change is your seating preferences while watching TV. For the following TV screen sizes, this should be the viewing distance: 43-inch TV: At least 4.3 feet away 55-inch TV: At least 5.5 feet away 65-inch TV: At least 6.5 feet away 75-inch TV: At least 7.5 feet away 4K TVs and 8K TVs, however, present a different issue. Because of the high-definition screen with the high resolution picture quality that they come with, as well as the advanced clarity and sharpness, you can sit closer, but that will cause audio issues. Our advice? Move a little bit closer, maybe 6 inches to a foot. Are you looking for even more data around viewing distance and TV screen size? This piece from The Home Cinema Guide delves into more of the nitty gritty of how far away from the TV should you sit, in addition to having a distance calculator. Interested in understanding more about the science behind screen size and viewing distance? The following video should give insight into the decisions behind how close you should be sitting from a TV, which includes information from the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (or SMPTE) and the standards for audio and visual experiences. Video via Linus Tech Tips How a Mount Helps in the Optimal Viewing Distance for your TV Watching For a television mount, a pull down mount helps to optimize the viewing experience for anyone — those wanting a more home movie theater experience to those playing video games on the TV — and for any TV screen size. Ultimately, it’s about your own watching TV seating preferences, in which nothing is set in stone. However, by utilizing a pull down TV mount or drop down and swivel TV mount, in addition to understanding the optimal viewing distance for TV preferences, the experience will be that much more enhanced. So whether you are having a big family movie night with people scattered about the living room on couches, chairs, and on the floor, or you are enjoying laying down playing a game, with a pillow propping up your neck, the combination of knowing how far away from the TV you should sit and a TV mount will get you to that sweet spot of your ideal TV viewing distance.