Flat-Panel TV Mounting Solutions Abound

By John Laposky On Jan 8 2009 - 8:00am

A wide array of mounting options for flat-panel TVs are making their debut at International CES.

Atdec is showing its TH-31-55 SA wall swing-arm upgrade kit. It allows a mounted flat-panel TV to swing 22 inches from the wall with a wide range of motion.

It accomodates LCD and plasma panels from 31 inches to 55 inches and requires only one stud for safe installation.

The Atdec TH-31-55 SA pans 180 degrees from the wall with an adjustable tilt range of -5 degrees to +25 degrees, and a horizontal adjustment of +/-5 degrees.

It suits most VESA- and non-VESA-compliant displays with mounting hole patterns from 7 inches to 27 inches. It supports displays up to 132 pounds.

It ships with a fastener for a suggested retail of $299. It is also available bundled with Atdec's TH-31-55-TW wall mount.

New from AVF is the "floating'" Cornermount, an all-in-one solution for raising the TV and accessories off the floor in the corner of a room.

A cable-management solution is in the central column.

The mount tilts sideways, laterally and left and right up to 15 degrees.

Accessory shelves are height adjustable and rotate in tandem with the screen to maintain a neat aligned look, the company said.

Telescopic arms that attach to the corner walls are adjustable to allow easy positioning on studs.

Simon West, Innovations director, said: "The unique design of the Cornermount offers a secure yet flexible corner mounting solution not found with any other mount on the market. What makes the Cornermount stand out amongst the competition, aside from the innovative engineering, is the visually stunning floating appearance it gives to the complete home cinema system that has to be seen to be believed."

AVF will be showcasing the Cornermount in booth 21732, and also in the Innovations Design and Engineering Awards Showcase in the Sands Expo and Convention Center, booth 72062.

Chief Manufacturing is bringing its Thinstall series of ultra-thin fixed and tilt wall mounts to the show.

The Thinstall series MTTU universal tilt wall mount collapses to 0.75 inches and offers 12 degrees of fingertip tilt. It supports up to 100 pounds.

The MSTU universal fixed wall mount collapses to 0.39 inches.

Each Thinstall mount ships with tool-less latching, and Glide Lock flags ensure the mount is securely engaged with the TV.

Thinstall mounts include hands-free integrated cable management. A specially designed cable stand can be leveraged to hold the TV away from the wall providing extra room to run cables.

To create added space behind Chief's Thinstall mounts, users can add a Chief in-wall box accessory to the installation. The in-wall boxes simplify installation by providing an organized, recessed space behind the mount for routing excess cables and attaching surge protectors or other power accessories. Both powered, (PAC521P) and non-powered (PAC520) models are available.

The tilt mounts are designed specifically for and only compatible with new ultra-thin TVs 2 inches deep or less. The fixed mounts are compatible with TVs that are 5 inches or less.

Elexa Consumer Products is showing its full line of Level Mount mounting solutions aimed at the do-it-yourself (DIY) market.

A broad selection of products, including low-profile, tilt, projector and full-motion motorized mounts can be seen at the company's suite at the Bellagio.

Some highlights of the line include the MCL-08 and SMM-08 motorized full-motion LCD mounts.

The MCL-08 holds panels from 34 to 65 inches up to 200 pounds. It boasts a motion range of 15 degrees up-and-down tilt and 30 degrees side-to side swivel.

It extends 14 inches from the wall.

The SMM-08 is designed for small er panels, from 10 to 42 inches, up to 100 pounds. It tilts and swivels up to 30 degrees.

Both models include a built-in bubble level, stud finder and an included remote control.

All Level Mount models are guaranteed to fit and includes "all possible brackets, adapters and hardware for any brand TV," the company said.

Elexa is also introducing a line of screen cleaners, TV stands, glass shelves and ambient light kits.

Memorex will introduce what it calls "the world's thinnest full-motion wall mount for large flat-panel TVs," the Memorex Elite Pro Wall Mount.

It features a patent-pending, space saving design and heavy-gauge steel construction that mounts 30- to 60-inch LCD and plasma TVs up to 185 pounds with a mounting profile of 1.5 to 2 inches, depending on TV weight.

The mount's TorqControl technology enables level retention and full-range motion to swivel, extend, retract and tilt the screen. Its sister product, the Lite wall mount, is a 2009 CES Innovations Design and Engineering Award Honoree.

The Memorex Elite Pro wall mount will have a suggested retail of $449.

Omnimount is showing its latest motorized mount, the Power55. The new remote-controlled cantilever mount is the latest addition to the company's MotionPicture series and augments the company's automated product offering.

The Power55 was designed as an expansion of the current product line to accommodate most 37- to 55-inch flat panels up to 110 pounds. It enables the viewer to tilt, pan and swivel a flat panel with the touch of a button.

The mount features a quiet 45dB motor and universal rails that accommodate most flat panels.

"Our entire MotionPicture Series provides our consumer and commercial partners with step-up solutions for enhancing their customers' viewing experiences," said Brett Stenhouse, marketing VP. "With the addition of the Power55, Omnimount partners now have a full range of automated mounting solutions to offer their customers."

The Power55 tilts up to 15 degrees for glare reduction and pans 20 degrees left and right to allow viewing from more than one room. It is remote controllable via IR (two memory) and RS-232 (three memory) and enables the user to save presets.

It has a mounting profile of 2.9 inches from the wall when resting in the home position.

It features programmable wall detection, as well as safety mechanisms that stop motion when movement is obstructed. As with the rest of the Motion Picture line, it has open architecture for easy access to in-wall wiring, an installation template and level, as well as Omnimount's Lift n' Lock design for easy installation, the company said.

Peerless Industries will show an enhanced and expanded line of Slimline Ultra-Thin Universal mounting solutions. The line boasts ultra-thin flat mounts that are less than 0.39 inches from the wall, tilt mounts less than 0.75-inch and articulating arm wall mounts less than 1-inch thin.

"We introduced the first ultra-thin universal flat wall mounts in 2008, and now we made them even thinner," said Adam Molberger, product manager, Peerless. "Plus, we've expanded the line to include the world's thinnest tilting wall mounts, and a fully articulating arms that measures less than an inch deep in the retracted position."

The mounts can be seen at booth 21740.

Also on display at the booth will be the Peerless Accents line of screen-cleaning accessories, HDMI cables and surge protectors.

Premier Mounts' new Entertainment series flat-panel TV mount line includes swingout arms and flat and tilt/pivot designs, and accommodate TVs from 15 to 80 inches weighing up to 300 pounds.

The Entertainment series includes four sizes of flat mounts, each holding a flat-panel from 15 to 80 inches less than 1 inch from the wall.

Within the Enetertainment series is what Premier is calling the "world's thinnest mount," the WTFM3765. Designed with a unique expandable back plate and extension brackets, the mount adapts to flat panels ranging in size from 37 to 65 inches.

The innovative mount design features spring-loaded safety lock brackets that secure the panel to the back plate. The WTFM3765 allows for lateral shift, and supports flat panels up to 100 pounds.

Also on display will be three tilt/pivot mounts available in three sizes, to hold between 15- and 80-inch displays less than 2.5 inches from the wall. Each mount features up to 10 degrees of tilt.

Three swing-out arm models support panels from 15 to 65 inches. Multiple mounting hole locations make the mounts easy to install, Premier said.

The complete line of Premier mounts can be seen at booth 20507.

VistaMounts and Hunter Douglas owned ESI have added new control boxes for greater functionality and integration to VistaMounts line of motorized mounts.

The control boxes adds RF control and home automation control for integration with custom conrol systems like those from Crestron, for example.

Among the mounts being shown at CES, VistaMount's TT500 freestanding motorized model will support panels up to 63 inches and 155 pounds, with movement in six directions by an included remote control.

It swivels right and left up to 20 degrees, tilts up 4.5 degrees and down 10 degrees.