Looking for a TV and wall mount with minimal projection
October 14, 2019 11:40 AM Subscribe
How close can I get a TV to the wall?
We're looking for a TV for our bedroom. The room is not very large, so we are looking for a ~32" TV along with a wall mount that will allow for the minimum distance from the front of the TV to the wall. Looking at the options online quickly becomes overwhelming. We're not looking for anything high end. At most it would only have a Roku connected to it. We're not opposed to a mount that is recessed into the wall if that is the best way to achieve our goal. Max budget is around $700. Any ideas?
We're looking for a TV for our bedroom. The room is not very large, so we are looking for a ~32" TV along with a wall mount that will allow for the minimum distance from the front of the TV to the wall. Looking at the options online quickly becomes overwhelming. We're not looking for anything high end. At most it would only have a Roku connected to it. We're not opposed to a mount that is recessed into the wall if that is the best way to achieve our goal. Max budget is around $700. Any ideas?
Here's a 32" TCL TV with Roku built in for $150 and then you could mount it on a low profile TV mount that only adds ~1" between the back of the TV and the wall. The TV specs say it's 3 inches, so ~4" total distance.
Some notes:
Fixed tv mounts (no angling or tilting) will be closer to the wall, but make sure you don't need those functions.
Smaller TVs are often thicker because they're geared towards consumers going for a certain price point, while the technological advances in thinness and picture quality usually go in the bigger TVs for home theaters. As an example: LG has a 65" TV that's 2.57mm thick (for $8000). So if you wanted to shave another inch off the wall distance you could probably go up in size but at the limit of your budget.
posted by bluecore at 12:19 PM on October 14, 2019
Some notes:
Fixed tv mounts (no angling or tilting) will be closer to the wall, but make sure you don't need those functions.
Smaller TVs are often thicker because they're geared towards consumers going for a certain price point, while the technological advances in thinness and picture quality usually go in the bigger TVs for home theaters. As an example: LG has a 65" TV that's 2.57mm thick (for $8000). So if you wanted to shave another inch off the wall distance you could probably go up in size but at the limit of your budget.
posted by bluecore at 12:19 PM on October 14, 2019
You could get a projector. If you just paint a rectangle on the wall, you can get away with zero inches of encroachment.
"Business" projectors are often designed to be mounted on a desk or table, and can sometimes correct for being mounted off-center. If you can make it work, it might be your best option.
posted by Hatashran at 6:12 PM on October 14, 2019
"Business" projectors are often designed to be mounted on a desk or table, and can sometimes correct for being mounted off-center. If you can make it work, it might be your best option.
posted by Hatashran at 6:12 PM on October 14, 2019
If you're willing to go the top of your price range and also wiling to get a 43", you could get the Samsung Frame, which is only 1.7" deep and comes with a "flush" mount (though one review said there was about 1/4 inch gap. It's also very high end; the professional reviewers seem quite impressed, though that doesn't mean that the average viewer could tell the difference.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 7:20 PM on October 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 7:20 PM on October 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
I went with a single swing-arm bracket I got at Harbor Freight for like $16.
I screwed it into a stud that was to one side of where I wanted the TV to be centered, then swung the arm all the way to the wall.
The down side is it's about four or five inches from the wall to the front of the TV.
The up side is that distance made it possible for me to tilt it downward a little so it was easier to see.
I am considering building a wood frame around the TV to hide any view behind it, as one edge faces our front door.
I was worried about the single arm at first, but our 50 inch TV is extremely light. The arm could handle it with ease.
posted by atchafalaya at 11:20 PM on October 14, 2019
I screwed it into a stud that was to one side of where I wanted the TV to be centered, then swung the arm all the way to the wall.
The down side is it's about four or five inches from the wall to the front of the TV.
The up side is that distance made it possible for me to tilt it downward a little so it was easier to see.
I am considering building a wood frame around the TV to hide any view behind it, as one edge faces our front door.
I was worried about the single arm at first, but our 50 inch TV is extremely light. The arm could handle it with ease.
posted by atchafalaya at 11:20 PM on October 14, 2019
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Super thin wall mounts might not give you a great viewing experience, though, unless the screen is approximately even with your viewing position.
One of the slightly thicker ~1.5" mounts might give you a better viewing experience.
Recessing into the wall is going to be inconvenient and expensive.
posted by gregr at 12:14 PM on October 14, 2019