Denver — Flat-panel mounting solutions take up a sizeable chunk of the exhibition floor here at CEDIA Expo. Here is a rundown of some of the new offerings on display:
New to the market and making its CEDIA debut in booth 1032 is VistaMounts, which brought a line of motorized freestanding, tabletop and floor/wall mounts.
The remote-controlled line adjusts a flat-panel TV in six directions and features extruded aircraft aluminum construction with steel bases and mounting plates. The mounts include an IR remote and are also compatible with RF controllers and popular home-automation systems such as Crestron’s.
They hold TVs up to 63 inches and up to 155 pounds, include a cable-management channel and have been durability tested for more than 40,000 cycles.
All Vistamounts products are manufactured in the United States.
Another newcomer to the mount category is Moen, best known for its faucets, shower heads and stainless-steel sinks.
Moen introduced at CEDIA booth 842 its SecureMount flat-screen anchor, a design that allows for stud-free installation, the company said.
The SecureMount anchor holds panels up to 150 pounds and 55 inches.
“Its unique design reduces the most common concern of conventional installation — finding a stud in the proper location,” said Jeff Kessler, Moen’s sales and marketing VP.
SecureMount anchors are recommended for use in half-inch drywall. To ensure the anchor installation would be secure, independent testing was conducted by CSA and NAHB laboratories. “Our testing proved the SecureMount Anchors are 67 percent stronger vs. other flat-screen television anchor installation systems,” said Kessler
Chief Manufacturing is displaying in booth 1014 the CM8, an automated tilt mount that returns to a low-profile, flush position when the TV is turned off.
The CM8 tilts 2 degrees up and 13 degrees down and boasts a 3.6-inch mounting profile.
It features Chief’s Glide Lock security latching mechanism, a universal interface, and IR remote and optical sensor control.
Also new, Chief’s Fusion low-profile universal mounting system, available in fixed or tilt models for 26-inch to-75-inch TVs, was influenced by observing professional installers on the job to identify specific challenges in flat-panel mounting, such as inconvenient stud location and panel leveling difficulties.
The result is what Chief calls the “Four Cs of Fusion:” “Centerless Lateral Shift,” which simplifies centering by allowing up to 16 inches of post-installation adjustment; “ControlZone Leveling,” that allows post-mount height and leveling adjustments; “Centris Low-Profile Tilt,” allowing fingertip tilting, without tools, in a 2-inch mounting profile; and “Click-Connect,” which produces an audible click when the screen safely engages with the mount.
The series offers integrated accessories, including a glass component shelf and side- and center-channel speaker adapters that are automatically leveled with the mount.
Chief’s sister brand Sanus is showing in its adjoining booth, 1020, the VisionMount LT25 tilting wall mount, a lightweight (3.5-pound) aluminum model designed to ease one-person installation.
The LT25 features ProSet post-installation height and leveling adjusting; Virtual Axis fingertip tilt technology; ClickStand props, which extends the panel an extra 3.75 inches from the wall to enable access to cables, then clicks securely back onto the wall; and ClickFit, which allows accessories such as surge suppressors to snap onto the wall plate.
It holds TVs from 30 to 60 inches up to 175 pounds, is available in black and silver and has a suggested retail of $219.
Sanus also added three new full-motion mounts for small TVs and monitors up to 27 inches to its existing VisionMount line. They retail for $69.99 to $89.99.
K2 Mounts, in a suite at the Hyatt, is showing a lower-cost version of its original Underbed Lift introduced at International CES in January. The new Underbed Lift LC conceals a 40-inch to 42-inch flat panel under a queen or king bed. A folding front panel lifts the TV out and up to viewing position at the foot of the bed in about 30 seconds. It is available now for $9,999.
K2 is also showing an entry-level motorized tilt mount for flat panels up to 50 inches, the K3-MT-B, as well as a manual mount for “ultra-thin” TVs, the K3-UT-B, for TVs between 37 and 60 inches.
OmniMount has on display in booth 515 the new Motion40, a remote-controlled motorized cantilever mount for medium-sized flat panels.
Its predecessor, the Motion52 model for larger flat panels, got a price cut.
Both mounts, developed with Samsung, have one-touch tilt, pan and swivel.
The Motion40 supports screens from 23 inches to 40 inches, up to 66 pounds. It tilts from zero to 15 degrees, and pans from zero to 20 degrees.
The mount needs a single stud, has a maximum extension of 7.4 inches and a mounting profile “less than 3 inches,” according to the company.
The mount is controllable via IR (two programmable positions) and RS-232 (three positions) and features programmable wall detection and safety mechanisms that stop motion when movement is obstructed.
It includes an installation template and level and offers OmniMount’s Lift n’ Lock design to aid installation.
The Motion40 has a suggested retail of $399.
OmniMount said the price reduction on the Motion52, from $799 to $599 “is in response to changing market dynamics.”
Both mounts are black and come with a 12-month warranty. The mounts are UL, TÜV GS and CE listed.
OmniMount also announced the expansion of its Ultra Low Profile (ULP) Series to include fixed versions of its existing manual tilt mounts. The ULP line features a slim 1.5-inch mounting profile. The ULPF-M ($149), ULPF-L ($199) and ULPF-X ($249) fixed mounts support flat panels from 26 to 42 inches, 40 to 63 inches and 55 to 75 inches, respectively.
Peerless’ new SmartMount 700 series articulating-arm wall mounts have a two-stage U-Groove cable-management system and support panels from 32 inches to 71 inches.
With three independent swivel points and a reach of almost 30 inches, the 700 can be mounted in or around a corner, allowing up to a 52-inch screen to pivot perpendicular to the wall.
It has a one-touch tilt mechanism, “easy-grip knobs” to lock the preferred angle into place quickly, and a roll mechanism that allows horizontal screen leveling and a switch from landscape to portrait without having to remove the screen from the mount, according to Peerless.
The SmartMount 700 is available in high-gloss black and high-gloss silver at a suggested retail range of $399 to $549, depending on size.
They can be seen in booth 626.
Video Mount Products is launching in booth 942 its FP-LF Universal large flat-panel flush wall mount.
It holds flat-panel TVs from 42 to 63 inches with a mounting profile of 1.4 inches, accommodates a double-gang box and has a load capacity of 180 pounds. It comes in a silver powder-coat finish and has a suggested retail of $114.
“The FP-LF is the answer for situations where a large and heavy flat screen needs to be flush-wall mounted, no matter the application,” said president Keith Fulmer.
And Bell’O has its expanded line of For Dummies mounting kits; they are on display in booth 768. The line now includes low-profile, tilting, tilt/pan, expanding and articulating mounting kits designed for do-it-yourselfers.
