Remember the early days of plasma screens, when everyone got excited about "hang-on-the-wall" TVs? Plasmas (and flat-panel LCDs) have certainly become mainstream, but few of them actually hang on a wall. Most sit on a piece of furniture. Maybe you could consider that a step forward—after all, 40 years ago, most TVs were furniture—but it's hardly the entertainment future we were led to expect.

Mounting a TV on the wall can indeed seem daunting. After all, it's not just about drilling some holes and placing some brackets. It has to be done safely and securely, and without making a huge mess. Questions have to be answered: Where's the best place to mount it? What wires need to be run, and how do you conceal them? And what kind of mount will work best for your TV and your room?

Of course, a good custom installer can walk you through these questions, but if you want to be an informed consumer who's aware of all the options, you need a little Wall Mounting 101. Let's examine all the questions that arise when a TV takes to the wall—and look at a lot of the new designs that are making wall-mounted TVs even sexier than they were when they first arrived.

Think Before You Hang
Start by deciding where the display is going to go, and of course make sure there's enough room on the wall for it. Temporarily hanging a piece of cardboard that's about the size of the display will give you an idea how the display will look from your viewing position.

You'll need to decide how far you want to sit from the display. With high-definition TVs, the general rule of thumb for the minimum viewing distance is to multiply the diagonal screen size by 1.5 (as example, sitting 6 feet, 3 inches away for a 50-inch display). The maximum viewing distance you'd probably want is about double that. Another item to consider is eye level—where your eyes are relative to the vertical center of the screen. Some pundits insist your eyes be level with the screen center when you're seated; some say the screen center should be even with your eyes when you're standing. To me, it's a personal choice; the best route is trying it out both ways until you're satisfied.

Another consideration is how to conceal the audio/video cables and power cord connected to the TV. The most attractive solution is to run the A/V wires through the wall and install a new AC outlet behind the TV. A few manufacturers now offer mounts with AC outlets and A/V jacks built in, so you don't have to have jack panels and outlets installed behind the TV. But of course, putting in an AC outlet requires the services of an electrician, and running A/V cables through walls takes time and costs money. An easier way is to use a wire management system, such as Superb Home Theater's Wiring Solution—a simple but elegant wire channel made from medium-density fiberboard (MDF). It comes in textured and smooth versions, and can be painted or wallpapered to match your decor.

The last consideration is the mount itself. It must be sturdy enough to handle the display, of course, but mount manufacturers have come up with all sorts of interesting twists—literally—on the basic mount. Some mounts simply sit flush against the wall. Some tilt and swivel for better viewing from an angle. Some pull out on extendable arms, allowing them to swivel to extreme angles. And some are even motorized, so you can optimize the viewing angle from your chair via remote control.

Many of these manufacturers take great pride in making their products unique, but there are some general categories into which flat-panel TV mounts can be placed.

Flat Mounts
A fixed, immovable mount—sometimes called a flat mount—may be all you need if you can mount your TV in just the right place, or if you have a large TV (55 inches or greater) covering a small seating area. These mounts also take up the least space, so they keep your TV as close to the wall as possible.

A good example is Chief Manufacturing's PST, a flat mount that measures about 2 inches deep depending on what type of TV it will be used with. It holds TVs weighing as much as 200 pounds. When it's mounted on walls that use the normal 16-inch stud spacing, it allows 4 inches of lateral movement, which comes in handy in cases where the studs aren't right where your installer needs them to be. Another flat mount is Premier Mounts' Ultra-Flat mount for LCD displays, which holds your TV a mere 1 inch from the wall.

Tilting/Pivoting Mounts
A flat mount seems so 1999, though, when you consider the broad selection of movable mounts available today. These mounts keep the TV close to the wall, but permit a limited amount of movement so you can aim them directly at you for better viewing. Once tilted or swiveled, they need to stay at that angle. Premier Mounts' universal flat-panel mounts, for example, tilt down as far as 12 degrees. They also allow a couple of inches of lateral shift, so you can get the TV in just the right place horizontally.

A cup-shaped design allows Sanus Systems' VisionMount full-motion mounts to move effortlessly in all directions—up to 15 degrees of tilt or side-to-side pivot—without loosening or tightening the bolts. These mounts are made for LCD TVs weighing as much as 50 pounds, and they place your TV only 2 inches from the wall. The VisionMounts attach easily to a wall with two screws on a single stud.

Swing Arm Mounts
A swing arm mount is the next step in flexibility. Rather than pivoting only a few degrees side to side, a swing arm mount lets a TV move out from the wall so it has room to pivot freely—in a few cases even allowing the TV to sit fully perpendicular to the wall it's mounted on.

OmniMount's WorldMount 4-in-1 flat-panel mount puts a 23- to 37-inch flat-panel TV at the end of a sturdy 14.3-inch arm. How far it can swivel depends on the TV it's holding, but it looks like it should typically go about 45 degrees to either side. It can also tilt down a few degrees. Premier Mounts' AM3 swingout arm looks a little more industrial than the WorldMount, but it extends much farther out from the wall—25 inches—and tilts as much as 10 degrees up or down. Cable routing inside the arms keeps everything neat and out of sight.

The Peerless Pull-Out swivel mount is designed to combine the benefits of a flat mount and a swing arm mount. It holds the TV just 2.25 inches from the wall, but also extends more than 10 inches from the wall and pivots up to 45 degrees right or left. Cable management hides the cords.

Vantage Point's A83 flat-panel mount is a little chunkier—the TV sits out about 4.5 inches from the wall—but it is also sleeker. Its curved arm is shaped like an upside-down U, and the bracket that attaches to the wall is covered so all the works don't show. Your cable connections hide under the cover. Chief's PNRU universal wall mount is also stylish, with dual articulating arms that give the mount a 1970s sci-fi look.

Motorized Mounts
A motorized mount lets you adjust the viewing angle from your seat—a definite plus when you're watching with a group of people, or just feeling lazy. Preset memory positions allow the mount to quickly return to your personal optimized position for viewing afterward. These mounts install much like any conventional mount, but add a second power cord to the process, and may require additional programming of your remote or touchscreen.

A good example is K2 Mounts' X-arm, a full-motion robotic mount with two built-in user memories that extends up to 12 inches from the wall and can be swiveled and/or tilted. You control it through a remote via infrared signals, or through a touchscreen via an RS-232 connection. Retracted to its flush position, it places the TV 4.6 inches off the wall. The company also offers the T-arm, which is designed for use above fireplaces. Peerless' MM860 motorized wall mount looks and works similarly.

The K2 and Peerless motorized mounts cover the messy motorized works with a pleated rubber sheath that echoes Robby the Robot's arms. Chief's CM1W18 automated swing arm wall mount has a more traditional look, and extends a full 18 inches from the wall. It offers three programmable viewing position presets.

Recessed Mounting
For those who find even the hint of a mount offensive, in-wall mounts are the answer. These involve a metal box installed in the space between two wall studs. The mount is then attached to the box and the display goes onto the mount. The result is a display that rests snugly against the wall, while all the mounting hardware is hidden from view.

Sanus Systems' LR1A recessed box works with the company's VisionMount VM400 or LRF118 mounts, and it includes cutouts for easy routing of cables from inside the wall to the TV. OmniMount's ShadowBox series works in conjunction with several of its mounts, including the WorldMount 4N1-M—and it includes space in the box to accommodate power-conditioning solutions from Panamax and Furman, which will protect your TV from voltage spikes.

Hang the Gear, Too
Once you have your flat-panel TV mounted on the wall, what to do with all the components that feed it, such as your DVD player and your satellite receiver? Sure, you could tuck them into a cabinet, but OmniMount has a sleeker solution: The Tria shelf system. The Tria includes three glass shelves (each with a 30-pound carrying capacity) and a slim metal spine that screws to a wall stud. A cover hides all the cables. Hang your plasma from the wall, plop your components on the Tria's shelves, and your A/V system will occupy not a single square inch of floor space.

This article only begins to tap into the possibilities for mounting flat-panel TVs. We haven't touched on credenza TV lifts, motorized ceiling mounts, and all the other creations that make TVs more aesthetically appealing. The important thing to know is, your options are practically endless.