Favourite viewing angle for TV?

[ffutures]

I have a 40" TV in my back room that I mostly use to watch movies, Doctor Who, etc., but not so much for day to day use - for that I generally use a smaller TV in my work room. At the moment it lives on a fairly large trolley which takes up a sizeable amount of floor space in a corner of the room, containing DVD players etc.

I've been thinking for a while that it might be a good idea to mount it on the wall over the fireplace instead; it would free some floor space, surround sound would work better, and it would look nicer. The snag is that it would have to be fairly high on the wall - at least 5ft 6in above floor level, above eye level when I'm sitting on the sofa - which would make it hard to do other things while watching TV. But in practice I don't tend to do much else while watching TV in there anyway.

I don't want to rush into this because it'll cost about £50 for a wall mount, cables, etc. so I need to be sure I'm making the right choice. Is there anyone on my friends list that's done this and has thoughts on it? I know I asked about this years ago, but I'm hoping that more people have these TVs now and can help me make an informed choice

This, incidentally, is more or less what I currently have as my setup, except that I ditched the VCR a couple of years ago:

1. TV
   
2. Upscaling DVD player.
   
3. DVD recorder. Now more or less obsolete thanks to HD PVR. I'll probably replace it with a Blue Ray player eventually.
   
4. VCR (now gone)
   
5. Laserdisc player
   
6. Digital TV receiver and HD recorder.
   
7. SCART switch (not very visible) on top of some DVDs and other electrical junk.
   
8. Surround sound amp etc.
   
9. Computer - connected to the amp for component surround sound.
   
10. Speakers - a fairly ordinary home cinema setup.

I'd probably put the TV on the wall, the speakers on top of the book cases to either side of it, and put the trolley where the amp is now, with the amp and computer on top of it.

Comments

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Our last two tellies (42" SD plasma then 50" HD plasma) have both been wall mounted*, above the level of the fire and just to the left of it. I find this suits the way I sit, which is either:
1) slumped in the sofa directly opposite - when slumped, the angle of the head is somewhat back so that the eyes naturally look slightly upwards; or
2) sitting up at the desk that has my PCon it in the corner of the room, in which case, the TV is at eye level.

There's a photo here: http://philmophlegm.livejournal.com/pics/catalog/428/50597

Putting the TV on the floor or on a low table or hi-fi stand wouldn't work for me.



* With the AV receiver, Sky box, DVD player, media PC and XBox360 in open wooden units directly underneath.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I'm constrained by there being recessed bookcases to either side of the chimney breast, so if I do this it would have to be directly above the fireplace - it's a comparatively narrow bit of wall so it more or less has to be central. That's the best place for watching it anyway, in the slumped position you describe. I'll put all the amps etc. off to one side and the speakers up high because the fireplace is Victorian and the most attractive feature of the room and I don't want to cover it.

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, if you've got a fine Victorian fireplace, how could you cover it up and still be able to hold your head high in steampunk circles ever again?!

This article has some good advice:
http://plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/plasmatv-fireplace.html
I imagine the advice is true for LCDs too.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Yes, the heat thing is a potential problem - one reason why I may end up not doing it,