Tilt or Flat Mount Screen for Home Theater (1 Viewer)

[Kelsey50]

We have a dedicated home theater room with stadium seating and surround sound system. When we constructed the room (about 12 years ago) we had the wall built so that the rear projection 73 " Mitsubishi would slide into an opening in the wall that was precisely made to accommodate the set. Behind that wall is an unfinished store room, so we have great access and all of our current cables run back into that room.

The set sat on a platform (also recessed into the wall) so the screen was pretty mush flush with wall and looked truly custom. When we built the room I had measurements for pretty much everything (including the height of the first row recliners, so that the step up to the second row was set at the right height to let the second row of recliners be in the recline position and the person sitting in the second row could see over the back of the front row to see the entire screen of the TV)

The Mitsubishi is finally dead and I'm replacing it with a 4K 75" Samsung. We are having the hole in the wall for the enormous Mitsubishi closed so that we can mount the flat screen. The width and height of the Samsung is about 2 inches larger than the Mitsubishi, so if I mount the Samsung so that the center point of the screen is about at the same point as the center point of the Mitsubishi, I believe that it should have good visibility for all seven seats (3 front row 4 back row).

Questions:

1) Is there any point in building a recessed opening that would allow the screen to be flush with the wall? I'm inclined not to do so since the flat screens are so thin that I don't really need the recess any longer and a wall mount will suffice.
2) I've ordered the set with a tilt mount. Given the care that I gave to good viewing angles when we installed the Mitsubishi, does it make more sense to simple flat mount the set (without the tilt capability) or should I raise the set a bit higher and allow for it to tilt down a bit. Or is it just a good idea to have a tilt mount to keep my options open.

Thanks!

 

[DaveF]

People build home theaters with 120" projection screens that are flat mounted. I see no reason for tilt on a 75" screen, unless the room demands it because it compromised viewing angles.

 

[DaveF]

Having giving an answer that's in line with your question and goals, I'll now suggest things that are beyond what you want to do

You've got a dedicated room with stadium seating. Have you considered going with a front projector and setting up a 100+" screen to take even greater advantage of the room and audience seating?

 

[Kelsey50]

Having giving an answer that's in line with your question and goals, I'll now suggest things that are beyond what you want to do

You've got a dedicated room with stadium seating. Have you considered going with a front projector and setting up a 100+" screen to take even greater advantage of the room and audience seating?

Thanks, Dave. I gave some thought to that but we were concerned about the projector hanging too low near the rear row and my personal opinion was that I liked the sharpness and clarity of the flat panel (although, to be fair, I haven't spent much time looking at the projector images).

What's your thought on building the set into the wall, as opposed to mounting it on a bracket? I have a carpenter ready to build out a recess but I'm not sure about the mounting bracket. I've been trying to find a bracket that can be built into the back wall of the recess and allow the set to be pulled out from the recess to bring the front of the screen flush with the adjacent wall. If the bracket pulls even further forward, it will then give me access to the cable inputs in the rear. Any suggestions for a bracket that can do this and hold a 75"/84 pound set? (Keep in mind that I have an unfinished room behind the wall that the tv will be on so there is no problem making connections behind the wall). The biggest negative to building it into a recess is that if we make opening just a little bigger than the set, we are back to where we are now --- needing to rebuild the wall if we change the set in a few years. My wife is pretty certain she wants it built in to get the flush look so that people entering the room won't see the sides of the TV. Thanks!

 

[Mike2001]

I have a 65" LG TV with passive 3d mounted on a swivel arm above the fireplace. The passive 3d is very sensitive to vertical off-axis viewing, so being able to tilt the TV is a must when watching 3d movies. I'm not sure what your new TV's capabilities are, but just wanted to throw out a potential concern for your consideration.

 

[Kelsey50]

I have a 65" LG TV with passive 3d mounted on a swivel arm above the fireplace. The passive 3d is very sensitive to vertical off-axis viewing, so being able to tilt the TV is a must when watching 3d movies. I'm not sure what your new TV's capabilities are, but just wanted to throw out a potential concern for your consideration.

Thanks. The Samsung has active 3d. Not sure if the viewing angle issue will be any different from the passive 3d (although we have a 65 inch passive 3D LG tv that is sitting on a cabinet in another room and haven't had a problem). I'm really glad that you mentioned this issue, as I may have to experiment with putting the new Samsung on a table on its stand and viewing it from different heights and angles. Thanks!

 

[DaveF]

If your room has space for a 100"+ screen I recommend getting a good demo of a 4K projector before buying a new tv. You might well prefer the flat panel. But, buy informed

Mounting: personal preference. I suggest not integrating the TV into the wall, so you can upgrade it more easily in 3 years when true HDR sets are available or whatever makes the new set obsolete.