TV & audio
Mount height, glare, soundbars, and HDMI runs that stay out of the way.
Where to hang a TV so the room still worksEye line, glare, and the stud that is actually in the wall.- A streaming box or the apps built into the TVThe TV's own apps are fine until they are slow. A box is a five-year escape hatch.
- Fireplace mounts and why tilt is not a cureHeat, height, and a mantel that blocks the soundbar are three separate problems.
- Mounting above a console without blocking ventsThe console needs air. The TV needs an eye line. The cabinet door is the usual villain.
- What gets tested before a TV visit endsA show plays, the volume works, and you know which input is which.
- Studs, anchors, and the TV's real weightThe number on the mount has to be higher than the number on the TV label.
- What to say when the wall is brick or plasterThe mount rating is only half the story. The wall decides the anchors.
- Soundbar placement that does not block the screenThe bar belongs below the picture, aimed at the seats, not inside a closed cabinet.
- Bookshelf speakers: where they belongEar height at the seat, not the ceiling, and wire you can trace.
- When a short HDMI cable is the right oneA six-foot cable beats a coiled twelve-foot cable stuffed behind the set.
- Hiding one HDMI run without an electricianA raceway or a brush plate is enough for one cable. A new outlet is not our scope.
- One remote for the TV, the bar, and the boxPower, volume, and input. Three buttons that match the room you have.
- Afternoon glare on the only wall that fitsCurtains and a tilt beat a brighter menu setting you cannot find later.
- Full-motion or tilt: which mount the room needsTilt is for a slightly high screen. A moving arm is for a corner or a door swing.