TV above fireplace

[mackers]

Hi

I wondered what peoples thoughts were on placing a plasma tv above a real fire place?

We are building a new house and looking at various set ups, but looking at the basics of the lounge, the best place for the TV would be over the fire place.

Do we need to add extra insulation if we are fixing the TV to the wall and cables will be pre-wired above the mantle piece (coax / cat6).

Would it be better to have the TV off the wall and fix with ceiling mount?

Not concerned at this stage about the tv being too high / low / wrong angle and any thoughts would be appreciated.

Many thanks.

[toscal]

Heat dissipation would be my main concern. I have a friend who built a new fireplace to incorporate his plasma tv but didn't allow for easy access to the TV when they needed to change cables etc. And he ended up modifying his hard work to enable him to get access.
Wall mounts are available that allow you to move the TV out from the wall help with cable access.
Premier Mounts are very good have used them in a couple of projects. They now seem to be available from a variety of UK stores.
This mount from Premier may be of interest to you.

[mackers]

Thanks for that. I planned to have it wall mounted on some sort of arm (as opposed to set into the wall) so those options are great.

I was planning to have coax / cat6 / power on the wall plate but i'm wondering where this wall plate should go - in the wall above the fireplace (would i need to insulate the cables?) or in the ceiling?

Thanks again

[Rocketron204]

It depends on the heat generated in the wall, if it is a thick chimney with a small flue and no heat is generated then you can sink the cables below the plaster.
Most chimneys are built internally with fire bricks so should insulate most of the heat.

If the chimney breast gets hot then obviously don't do it.

I have put cables in chimney breasts before, but they had a gas fire not a solid fuel, and I have had no prblems.

Watch the height of the plasma though as if it is too high it can become unconfortable to watch for long periods.

[mackers]

Many thanks.

[tomkent45]

I have a tv above the fire place and I have not problems with that. It depends on the material of the wall. This must be a material that doesn't accumulate heat. Good luck!

[mackers]

Great, fingers crossed! We have block work and hopefully with an oak mantle which will deflect rising heat.
Thanks

[IM35461]

Viewing angle is another factor as you may be looking up all the time leading to discomfort of the viewers.

[tomkent45]

Hope is useful for you, Mackers. Good luck