14 years ago

I really want to put my tv over my fireplace but everyone tells me it will be too high is there a guideline to follow concerning the height

Project in Tiburon · More Info

Featured Answer

Jonathan Graham

14 years ago

Times and technology have changed. The old formulas of height and distance and viewing angle must be taken with a rather big grain of salt. Todays Plasma TVs have incredible viewing angles. Also, most people slouch when looking at TV, thus the viewing angle is improved.

We have supplied custom units to 1000's of clients. Approximated 75% go above fireplaces. In most cases where the client insisted the TV had to be tilted, the TV was never tilted.

Having the screen center near eye level is fine for a dedicated home theater, but the trend of design and lifestyle has put the TV in the entertainment/family room and most clients are happy with the necessary compromises.

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Comments (39)

PRO
AO Design
14 years ago
I keep sharing the same thing, the guideline is that it should be at the same height as from where you are watching it...that said, I like the TV over the fireplace
mwarren_us
14 years ago
last modified: 14 years ago
An ideal location places the center of the TV screen level with or just a bit above your eyes. For instance, when sitting on a couch, typical eye height is 40-42 inches thus the center of the TV should be 3-4 feet from the floor. THX advises that the screen be placed so that viewers don't have to look up more than 15°.
http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/hdtv-set-up/
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jcbl
14 years ago
TVs above the fireplace often look good from a room design viewpoint but they are almost always way too high for viewing comfortably. As noted in other comments, center of TV should be only slightly higher than eye height of seated viewer.
PRO
User
14 years ago
That TV absolutely ruins a nicely composed scene of fireplace mantel and bookshelves. The paint on that mantel is amazing.
prosperity10
14 years ago
Too high will cause eye strain and maybe even headaches.
normie94563
14 years ago
last modified: 14 years ago
Have you ever sat in the front roll at the movie theater? How high is your fireplace? If you must have the flat screen above the fireplace, get some comfortable bar chairs. My son has his flat screen high up; at home our flat screen in on a existing built in cabinet, 32” high, I’m not comfortable with this height. Good luck.
ashmane
14 years ago
Our TV is above the mantel on our fireplace and I watch it every night with no problem. My suggestions are to make sure the mount allows you to adjust the set so that it is tilted slightly down. Make sure your chair is comfortable to sit in and gives you proper neck support when looking up at the television. Finally, place your viewing chair or couch far enough away so that the angle you're tilting your head up at isn't too great and you'll be fine. For example, we have a 42" plasma screen at a height of 6 feet, my head when sitting in the chair is about 3 feet off the ground, and the chair is about 12 feet back from the television. This means that I'm elevating my gaze about 14 degrees off of horizontal which isn't too bad. I also recommend back-lighting the TV which reduces eye strain.
jssoja
14 years ago
TV is on bracket that tilts down and we've never had to tilt it down even with younger children. Our couch is regular height. No issues at all!
PRO
COASTROAD Hearth & Patio
14 years ago
last modified: 14 years ago
One primary factor is the distance your seating is from the TV. Our rule of thumb is that most folks'll be OK if they are sitting ten feet or more away from the TV, but might be uncomfortable if they are closer.
monika2024
14 years ago
I don't think the TV ruins the look of anything.. It looks great. I prefer the TV to be above the fireplace as opposed to next to it-which irritates me because it seems to off balance the room. Anyhooo, we don't have an issue looking up, no neck strain, no headaches, maybe if we sat directly under say a foot away, then yes, but who sits that close to a TV anyway.
PRO
Julie Williams Design
14 years ago
Sometimes you don't have a lot of options for TV placement, as the homeowner said above, it does not pose a problem for her and her family. As a general rule I try to place TVs 48" from the floor to the center or lower half of the TV, but size of room does come into play.
Plantcrone (Elle)
14 years ago
If I lay down on the sofa and watch TV when babysitting grand daughter (TV over Fireplace) I get a neck ache..so I have to sit in a chair or on the sofa. Personally I like to lay down at the end of the day. At home I've decided to keep my TV on a Bombay chest that gives me room for the cable and my wireless connection too.

Depends on what position you want to assume.
pcmom1
14 years ago
I believe in sitting up your room that houses the tv for comfortable viewing: sofa directly facing tv, at much lower ht. than above FP.

If you want a formal LR for gathering (Does anyone really entertain friends here? Mine are always in my kitchen, sitting around the dining table or out on the patio!), try and put tv in another room or divide LR into zones: sitting area and a viewing area.

Don't feel you have to make the FP your main focal point. It can be a pretty area, maybe one with a small game table and chairs directly in front. Then the main seating area can be on maybe the opposite wall. Built the tv into some beautiful cabinetry.
PRO
HotPrice.co.uk
13 years ago
It is important to ensure that when fitting a Television above a fireplace, the TV is positioned at optimum levels to ensure comfortable viewing. The choice of fire you can have will also dictate whether it is possible to do this. Only gas fires that offer minimal heat output such as the open-fronted version of the Gazco Studio range of gas fires are suitable.

There is now a large range of wall-mounted electric fires available that are popular for installing below a TV. These are mostly used for the flame effect only and when the heater function is used, several models expel the heat from underneath the appliance.
PRO
HotPrice.co.uk
13 years ago
We have written a guide about this also - http://gas-fires-uk.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/fitting-gas-fire-below-tv.html
PRO
AvaLON Fireplace
13 years ago
Beautiful
User
13 years ago
Many of our clients have chosen to place a monitor above the fireplace I would suggest a mirror TV to add to the decor When not in use you can reach us at Hamptonhometheater.com
nobodybutme
12 years ago
My tv is above the fireplace and I hate it. It's way too high. It's 5 feet 5 inches off of the floor to the bottom of the tv. I'm also 5'5 which makes the bottom of the tv level with the top of my head. The sofa isn't far enough away from it to be able to view the tv without leaning back and I can't move the sofa back any further. The tv is installed on a rock fireplace and I'm about to spend 500 dollars to buy a hidden arm that will lower it when I'm watching it. Plus the bottom of the mantel gets hot when the gas fireplace is on. Don't make the same mistake I did!
crpnt7tr
12 years ago
I had great concerns about mounting our 48" TV above our fireplace because I read so much online about neck pain from looking up at the TV I understand that how far away your couch if from the fireplace is a consideration but I found a great solution by purchasing a "Down & Out Swivel Mount" from Dynamic Mounting. Now I can not only swivel the TV in any direction I can also "pull down" the TV to a normal viewing position. I love it! AND- there is a Rebate on this product that I am going to get!
crpnt7tr
12 years ago
Obviously we are still renovating, but you can see how the Dynamic Mounting "Down & Out Swivel" comes down to the perfect viewing height.
Christine Bergensten
12 years ago
last modified: 12 years ago
The huge t.v. over the beautiful large fireplace (first picture on top) completely ruins the look! I would hide the t.v. behind something when not in use - like a custom built cabinet. Maybe some type of narrow (from front to back) wood cabinet with a sliding door so when you want to watch t.v. you just slide the door back. I would paint this cabinet the same color as the fire place and have it made to look like it a natural part of the structure. The idea would be so that when not in use, you can't see that monstrosity!!
User
12 years ago
mantels and fireplaces are just a framework for art. no televisions.
Molly Forman
11 years ago
Mantels and fireplaces are a framework for tv's now...the artwork of the 2000's!
Bekrah
11 years ago
In my opinion the television BELONGS over the mantle. Mine is above my fireplace and not only do I consider it to be perfectly placed for viewing but it also looks nice as well. I wouldn't consider placing it anywhere else in the room. Me and my family view the TV very comfortably due to the fact that the TV is placed at least 10 feet away from where we usually sit.
pcmom1
11 years ago
Old post, but here is a way to have both:
Ackerman Residence Sugarberry Cottage · More Info
jessea12
11 years ago
This is an old post but it is one that I found in my search for a television mount and I wanted to come back and share what I've found. We wanted to have our television mounted above the fireplace to maintain an uncluttered, clean feeling living room but also have another room to watch tv. After some long searches I found the Down and Out Mount by Dynamic Mount ( https://www.dynamicmounting.com/) and I'm so happy I ordered it. It gives us the clean feeling we wanted but we can still pull the screen down for comfortable viewing. Dynamic Mounting offers up to $100 for reviews so I will be compensated for leaving this post but I want to be clear that I would never post this if I didn't totally love the mount. If I wasn't satisfied I would have returned the product when I got it. As I said previously, I had come along this post during my search and wanted to come back and share what I found because I'm sure others are still reading this post while searching for themselves.
abhijitz
11 years ago
Do the height of 3-4ft from the ground apply to all sizes of TV ? Want to know from owners of 60" what they think or did.
faast
11 years ago
Would like to know the answer to the ^ question as well

Thanks
PRO
Immedia LLC
10 years ago
As a typical answer, we like to place the bottom of the screen at 48" AFF. This allows for the display to be fairly protected from pets or children, but staying at a comfortable viewing angle.

Hope that helps!

P.S. That puts your display's center around 5'6"
SaSa Allen
9 years ago
I suggest using TV mount with gas spring technology such as www.tranquilmount.co.uk
PRO
Hyde Evans Design
9 years ago
Avoid it if you can. If you are doing a linear fireplace without a hearth, there is a chance that you could get your TV at a comfortable enough viewing height to be mounted above your fireplace opening. And, note that it can't hang right above because of heat issues. Allow another 15" or so. If you only watch the TV from this location rarely you may be fine as well, but if this is your main viewing spot, don't do it! The neck strain will be intolerable. If there really is no way out, then plan on a super deep, slouchy, sofa that you can put your head back on comfortably.

And, of course, as a designer, I'd certainly rather see you beautiful fireplace as the "hero" and focal point of the room than a big black TV screen that would take away from it.
Peter Verasin
8 years ago
Panel type in terms of viewing angles plays a part too. OLED tvs have the best viewing angles. IPS tvs have the best viewing angles for LCD tvs. So consider that when mounting over the fireplace mantle.
janice8304
8 years ago
We are updating our fireplace. The large hearth will be removed other than right below the fireplace. My husband wood like to mount our 48” TV. The photo is showing a 36 inch wide TV. The height is 15 feet tall?. We are planning on removing the decorative arch and lowering the mantle. What size tv is appropriate and how high should the mantle be from the top of the hearth??? Please help... big decisions for sure...
Congenital Koenig
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
"Times and technology have changed. The old formulas of height and distance and viewing angle must be taken with a rather big grain of salt. Todays Plasma TVs have incredible viewing angles. Also, most people slouch when looking at TV, thus the viewing angle is improved. "

Biology doesn't change, ergonomic issues are as they ever was, comfortable viewing position is at eye level or below, whether computing or watching a TV. Viewing angle only enables a poor solution, and is mostly an issue with brightness uniformity even at optimal viewing positions. Theaters only get away with the tall screen because the distances are so great and only an occasional enjoyment, and even then, the best seating position is still at the mid point in the seating distance and height to view the screen almost at an even level.

Fire place mantel TV mounts are simply form over function and people have been paying the price for vanity and convenience to keep fire places many don't even use anymore, its comic tragedy as it doesn't even accomplish the supposed aim of preserving vanity, tv's above the mantel look like an eye sore, it just feels wrong even if people don't know why.

Janice8304, its a large room, a large tv would be best, as close to eye level of seating as possible. There are drop down mounts if one can't work out a better solution, I simply sacrificed the use of the fireplace, the tv blocks part of the opening, and there is no ledge\shelf on the mantel so I lucked out, you would have to remove yours during the remodel.
lin14534
8 years ago
We bought a tv mount to put our 55” tv above our remodeled fireplace. We love it!! The tv turns left to right, can tilt down, or can be pulled down far enough where we’re looking at it at the same level as if it was still on the floor tv stand. We bought it on Amazon for $120 and it’s fantastic!!
gb13
8 years ago
Our tv is mounted above the fireplace. The wood mantel and surround and tile absorb all the of the heat rising off the gas fireplace that we use all winter long. The mantel acts like a shield. This is what the installer recommended if we were to mount a tv above the fireplace. There has to be a barrier.

We also installed a metal hood above the heat vent to direct the heat downward. The mount tilts the tv at a downward angle so it's more comfortable to view. It doesn't strain our necks or feel uncomfortable at all because we are sitting 10-12 feet from the tv.
Cari Rozdzynski
8 years ago
lin14534 - What is the name of the mount you got on Amazon?
PRO
Tranquil Mount
7 years ago
Try a tranquil mount https://www.tranquilmount.co.uk

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