Articles and whitepapers

Brackets and Mounting for Flat Screens and Projectors (1/6/2005)

By Peter Nas, Vogel's

While TV and loudspeaker brackets have existed for many years, the last five years have seen major changes take place. This is due to flat displays and projectors coming down in price and enjoying a rapid increase in popularity. Consumers are much more likely to mount their flat displays on a wall than they would the traditional TV set, seeing their flat display more like a painting than a functional box of electronics. In addition, consumers are demanding more flexibility in the movement of brackets than standard OEM (original equipment manufacturer) brackets offer.

On the commercial side, the trend is to install more and more flat panel displays for electronic point of sales wherever people wait, walk, and shop. LCD or plasma panels are used to communicate with consumers about products, companies, campaigns, time schedules etc. Indeed the market for panels is booming and so is the demand for sophisticated brackets.

The Vogel's EFW1030 flat panel bracket

Generally, flat panel brackets are available in three different styles, namely 'flat to wall', 'tiltable' (10-20 degrees depending on product choice), and 'tiltable and turnable' for corner mounting (10-20 degrees tilt and 180 degrees turn). The difference between lower-cost brackets and higher-quality ones lies firstly in the choice of materials. These will determine how stable, safe, secure and durable the product is. Secondly, with cheaper brackets, the design may be limited by the techniques used for production, and such brackets may not be truly universal. The cost of a bracket will almost certainly also determine the type of packaging, Internet support and technical service on offer.

New technology

High-tech displays and projectors demand better-looking and more advanced brackets than have been commonly used for traditional TV sets. With new materials and production techniques, such as aluminium extrusion and die-casting, manufacturers can now offer stylish, high-tech bracket designs. Features such as the gas spring take care of smooth tilting, and offer the end-user a very easy way to adjust their display to the required position.

The Vogel's PFC900 projector bracket and EPC4010 projector support

In the professional area, safety and security features are an issue. There are safety guidelines for TUV GS approval, and new features that provide extra safety, such as anti-theft locks and proprietary developments such as the Vogel's Autolock feature. Autolock is a quick catch and release mechanism for attaching adapters to flat panel supports, and produces a clearly-audible 'click' when locked. Autolock prevents accidental uncoupling, and the unlock button has to be pushed for release. An anti-theft lock can be integrated as an option.

Projector support with security lock

Another important feature required by both consumer and professional markets is the ability to hide wires in order to have a more aesthetically-pleasing installation. Vogel's for example, supplies brackets with cable management whereby the aluminium poles have an integrated cable inlay channel and cables can be pushed through rubber 'fins'.

Projector support with cable management

Bracket and mounting types

Brackets are available for many mounting locations. The most popular is mounting to a wall, but ceiling mounting is also possible as is floor use with special floor stands. For floor standing, the stability of the base plate and stand are of crucial importance because your do not want your plasma of LCD to topple over. There are even brackets to mount small LCDs under a kitchen cabinet or in a motor home - so there are hardly any limits to the use of the flat display.

Installation

An important consideration when purchasing a bracket is how the display will fit to it. Not all display manufacturers use the international VESA mounting standard yet. VESA is an international organisation for the standardisation of flat displays, including the mechanical fitting. For five different display size classes there are specific mounting patterns, called VESA MIS- B, C, D, E or F. As long as both display and bracket manufacturers mention the correct VESA mounting, e.g. MIS-E, then you know you have a match that will fit. It becomes more difficult if a display does not have a VESA standard fitting, in which case good universal adapters are the solution rather than model-dedicated adapters which tend to cause resellers a headache since new models are introduced many times a year.

The Vogel's EFW 2010 plasma wall support

The same applies to projectors. Universal fitting brackets make life much easier since there are so many different projectors that it is nearly impossible to keep up with dedicated adapters.

Conclusion

The future promises to bring more displays with the VESA standard fitting, and more high-quality bracket designs offering a maximum in movement flexibility. In the meantime, if you are looking for a flat display bracket, choose one that is VESA compatible if your display has a VESA mounting, otherwise you will need a bracket that has a truly universal adapter. For projectors, always look for a universal adapter in order to be sure that your projector will fit. Clear mounting instructions are essential if you want to avoid damaging your expensive plasma/LCD display or projector, and of course, a pleasing design that matches your new display, with flexible movement options, makes the difference between an adequate installation and a stylish one.

Peter Nas is the Area Sales Manager for Vogel's. Vogel's develops, manufactures and markets placement and mounting solutions for plasma, LCD and TV screens, audio and video equipment, speakers and electronic domestic appliances. It is distributed in the UK by BBG Distribution.

www.bbg-av.com