Don't Mount Your TV Above Your Fireplace, Seriously

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The worst place to mount your new TV is above your fireplace. I completely understand that it may seem like a logical place, and in many rooms, it's the easiest option. Many interior designers even say it's the best location since TVs and fireplaces are often focal points of a room. Despite all that, however, it's a bad idea.

Placing your TV so high, and above a heat source, can not only seriously decrease its picture quality, but it can also shorten the life of your TV, as well as leading to possible physical pain. Even if you don't use your fireplace, this placement is about as bad as you can get since it's often WAY too high to be comfortable to watch.

If you're still considering it after that preamble, do you know how you'll get power and signal (HDMI or wireless) to the TV? How you're mounting it to the brick or stone? These are concerns too but more fixable. Really, though, you should just avoid these potential issues and just not mount the TV above the fireplace. Here's why.

Read more: Mounting a TV on Your Deck? Not So Fast

1. Viewing angle: A TV over a fireplace is too high 

Ever sit in the front row of a movie theater? Some people like it; most don't. That sore neck you get from staring up at the screen? Imagine that every time you watch TV. Most people find staring up at something for long periods to be uncomfortable. Worse, it could lead to neck problems later.

Not surprisingly, one of the first Google autocomplete results after "TV over fireplace..." is "too high." This isn't a rare issue.

Sure, this won't be a problem in some rooms. The fireplace might be low, you might be reclining to watch TV, you might be far enough away that you're just barely looking "up" at it. But if you've ever had back or neck issues, say from something work-related, you should reconsider as it could make such an injury worse. 

Most of us would much rather look slightly down at a TV. It's a much more natural position (similar to what's recommended by OSHA for monitors). Ideally you should be able to keep a neutral/relaxed neck position to watch your TV, which will vary depending on your sofa/seating position and so on. 

2. Your TV will be off-axis

Most TVs on the market today are LCDs. There are higher-end models from LG, Sony, and Samsung that are OLED, but otherwise, regardless of the marketing name, it's an LCD. 

Most LCDs look significantly worse if you're not looking at them straight on. Even a few degrees below their centerline, like you'd have sitting on a sofa looking up at the TV, can make the image look profoundly different than what it looks like directly on-axis.

This is fairly easy to fix, but you'll need specific equipment. Some wall-mounting brackets do let you pivot the TV downward, so it's directly facing the seating area. If you insist on mounting your TV high on the wall, keep an eye out for mounts that at least pivot the screen. Flat-mounting the TV on the wall (the cheapest solution) will make your TV look significantly worse than it would if you weren't looking at it at an angle.

3. Heat and soot damage your TV

There is nothing worse for an electronics product than heat. (OK, maybe water or kicking it could be worse, but you get my point.) Increasing the operating temperature of the TV can shorten what should be a lively and reliably long life.

Worse, the soot from the fire can get into the TV's innards, doing nothing good. Even worse, the damage will build slowly over time, not right away, so the TV will likely fail sooner than it would have otherwise and yet still beyond the length of your warranty.

This won't be an issue for everyone. If you don't, or can't, use your fireplace, then this won't be a problem. A gas fireplace might not have soot, but if the wall above is warm to the touch, that heat is going to warm your TV too. There are many people who claim to have mounted their TV above a working fireplace and "haven't had a problem." But the correct addition to that statement is "yet."

4. Where should you mount it?

Many rooms are designed so the fireplace is the focal point and trying to fight against this inherent layout is a challenge. It's worth it. At the very least, buy a TV mount that lets you adjust the pitch and position of a TV. This lets you angle it down toward your seating area and, ideally, reduce its overall height so you're not looking up at it. These certainly add costs but are the bare minimum if you don't want to rearrange your room.

We have some other guidelines for where (and where not) to mount your TV. Check out Don't Put Your TV There: Big-Screen Placement Tips. 

Bottom line

Though stylish and popular, mounting a TV above a fireplace isn't the best option for you or your TV. Placement is a big issue, and location and TV height can be significant factors when it comes to picture quality.

If you think we're in the minority with our concerns about poor TV placement, consider there's an entire subreddit with over 200,000 subscribers dedicated to bad TV placement called r/TVTooHigh. If you don't want to take our word for it, scroll through there and see what people think.

For more TV tips and tricks, check out our recommendations for TV picture settings to change, why it's usually not a good idea to increase your television's sharpness control and the best time to buy a TV. Plus, a fix for muffled TV dialogue and 7 solutions for hiding ugly TV wires.

Note: This article was first published in 2012 but is regularly updated with new links and additional info.

As well as covering audio and display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips and more.

Also, check out Budget Travel for Dummies, his travel book, and his bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines. You can follow him on Instagram and YouTube.