How to choose the right TV mount?

TV Weight

TV weight is the first step in getting your TV mounted. With this information, you can determine the right range of mounts that will fit your needs. If you’re having trouble determining your TV’s weight or can't find your model on the TV manufacturer's website, here are a couple of alternative ideas to putting it on a scale or digging up old manuals or spec sheets.

TV Hole Pattern

What is VESA®?

VESA®, or the Video Electronics Standard Association, has established a set of guidelines for televisions' mounting hole patterns measured in millimeters from the centers of the holes, usually in 100mm increments.

Although VESA® is very recognized, its standards are not law. Manufacturers tend to follow the guidelines, but not universally (even within a brand of TVs, some may be VESA® compliant, some may not).

Here's a chart that shows the dimensions for measuring your TV's hole pattern, as well as some of the most standard VESA® TV hole patterns:

Be careful when searching for a mount, the “VESA® Compatible” claim can be a little loosely interpreted. The dimensions above will apply to about 95% of displays out there (VESA® or not), but there are “wacky” TVs in circulation (that's a major reason that our mounts hit a variety of hole patterns).

Measure Your Hole Pattern

Measuring your TV’s hole pattern can be tricky, especially since the standards are in millimeters instead of inches.

Some things to remember when measuring are:

• Measure from the centers of the holes
• Measure from the furthest 4 corners holes (if there are more than 4 holes)
• Be aware of any curve on the back of the TV that would affect mounting

Here’s a good “cheat-sheet” when measuring using inches—odds are good if your measurement is close to the ones listed here, it’s a good bet that’s going to be your VESA® standard measurement.

Mount Functions 

Mounts serve a wide variety of purposes, so naturally, there is a wide variety of mount functions. Each mount has its own unique traits that make it the right or wrong choice for the job, where many of the higher level mounts perform a variety of functions.

The best thing to do before picking a mount, is to determine your need.

Here’s a breakdown of features you’ll encounter when choosing a mount, as well as their unique benefits:

	FLAT LOW PROFILE Just shy of not even existing At only 1” thin, there’s no better choice if slim is what you’re seeking. Any tighter and you’d be better off gluing your TV to the wall. The only factor left to consider is how you’ll handle your wiring in that tight space...
	TILT Dynamic up and down movement Tilt mounts are the most common for a reason—they’re very practical. Perfect for eliminating glare and adjusting for the perfect viewing angle, tilting is the function of choice for most mounting situations.
	PAN Dynamic left and right movement Pan mounts include all the function of Tilt mounts, but add the horizontal axis. Further reducing glare and a great solution for wider seating arrangements—Pan mounts bring full flexibility to your viewing.
	SWIVEL Dynamic horizontal positioning Perfect for corners and harder to mount places, Swing|Swivel mounts allow you to horizontally position your entire screen. Get your flat panel off the wall and put it where you want it with a Swivel mount.
	ARTICULATING Pulls out from your wall, full range of adjustments The most flexible. Articulating mounts pull out from the wall with their double-arm design, and allow for the widest range of movement available. Get your TV off the wall and put it anywhere you’d like—even corners. When you don’t need that unique viewing angle, your TV can fold right back to the wall and free up your space.
	LEVEL* Simple, “Picture Frame Leveling” Making sure that your TV looks level is…fairly important. That’s why it should be easy—as easy as adjusting a picture on your wall. With de-rotation, it is that easy (and word of advice, don’t trust gimmicks like built-in levels on mounts). Also, de-rotation makes it easy to match your room’s appearance, even if “level” doesn’t seem right—it’s most important that your TV “looks” right. *Level functionality is a secondary ability. You'll never find simply a Level Mount, but you'll find that many of our solutions include Level functionality.