Shopping for a TV Stand? Make Sure you Consider these 5 Essential Specifications if your in the market for TV Stands or Mounts

Posted on | March 27, 2009 |

Your family is beaming, and your friends are clamoring to setup game watching parties and a viewing of the latest action film. You’ve finally done it! After months of saving and sacrificing, you took the plunge and purchased that brand new, super high-def, plasma TV. It’s impressive, to be sure. But now comes another critical decision, as if the hours of researching the features and benefits of various televisions wasn’t enough, you now must decide how best to display it.

If the TV is a Plasma or some other super thin model, the idea of mounting it is often brought up. Why not just screw that thing straight to living room wall? But after recalling several bad experiences relating to screwing heavy items to the living room wall, the idea is quickly dropped. So if your going to go with a TV stand, what kind should you buy? Must it match the eighteenth century victorian furniture which peppers every room of your house? Is it going to go the living room or the game room? How much room is available? There are several questions that must be answered before you make a TV stand purchase, thus we have made a quick list of important points to consider.

Measurements

First, consider the dimensions of the television stand. The location you intend to place this television will greatly affect the size of stand you want to go with. The depth of the television must also be taken into account. Is the stand to wide or deep for your TV? Will your TV extend out from the stand because it’s too shallow? Also ensure that the stand will allow your television to sit at eye-level, or can be adjusted to accommodate proper viewing.

Pricing

Price is also an important consideration. Sticker shock often accompanies the search for TV stand. Price doesn’t always equate to Quality, especially with TV stands. Retail electronics stores often charge more because they have a captive buyer, and also because they do not specialize in TV stands. Instead, google for shops that specialize in TV stands or visit a local furniture store. With more models and a better price, you will likely end up happier with a stand from one of these guys.

Is it Stable?

It is important not to overlook this one. What is the load capacity of the stand you are considering? In other words, will it hold the weight of your television for its expected life? Does it look stable? You can find the weight measurements on the box that your television came in. Make sure the weight can be handled by the TV stand, by matching those measurements to the weight specs of the stand. Call the manufacturer or go with a different stand if you cannot locate its weight specifications.

Style

This one is obvious, but important. If you invested a ton of money in a sleek Plasma television, sitting it on top of an old wooden cabinet might degrade the experience. Try to match the style of your stand with the style of your TV. If you have a nice modern LCD TV, go with a contemporary stand. If you just trying to find a new stand for your old TV-VCR combo, you might be less concerned. TV stands come in various styles - floor-sitting units, hanging stands, mountable slide-out models, and even verticle kiosk-like light-weight units. It may be that you want the stand to look like a nice piece of furnature, and conceal the television when its not in use.

Versatility

Finally, always think ahead when shopping for a TV stand. How will this TV be used? Will it just be for watching cable broadcasts, or might you want to play a DVD, or hook up a game system to it? How about a stereo or speaker system? Are you going to want to put a lamp on it or display picture frames? Think through all of your potential uses for this stand so it can serve you well into the future.

Comments