As with many here the idea of having to use the TV's speakers for casual viewing is not a palatable thought. There are many issues though to fit a decent system into an area that is really not designed for a TV much less a sound system.
The Greatroom in our house is just one of these places. First there is the corner placement of the TV necessitated by the WAF. Second is the 25ft ceilings and hardwood floors. The acoustics of an echo chamber.
So I have been trying to do the best with the placement of the TV and what will work for the family. We do want to use the space for the Wii, regular TV and the possibility of a Blu-ray if the need arises.
All of the factors point toward the use of a sound bar. I have never personally owned one before but this was an acceptable solution by all involved so I started my research. The biggest issue I was having was where to mount it. We really did not want to just sit it in front of the TV because this would block the IR receiver on the TV and would not look like the clean install that I was going for.
Due to dumb luck while searching for a soundbar on ebay I ran across this product. The Universal Soundbar Bracket.
These ingenious boomerang looking brackets can be oriented in several directions to allow the soundbar to be mounted above or below the TV and can even been used with a wall mount. They are quite heavy (made from 12 gauge steel) and seem strong enough to hold a least a 25lbs listed as the max weight. They are laser cut so there are no sharp edges and powder coated for a nice finish.
I was a bit worried at first because the Pinnacle SF950 I had chosen has its mounting holes very close together in the center and my LG Plasma's mounting holes are way toward the outside of the TV.
I had to mount mine in a way that was not in their original pics of mounting orientations but worked very well in the end.
Installation took about 15 minutes and I was able to do it without an extra set of hands. The only tool needed was my trusty phillips screwdriver. For below TV mounting having a friend help would be beneficial.
Here is the final shot with all the gear installed and back in place.
The gear used is:
Marantz NR-1501 Receiver
Samsung BDP-1400
LG 42" Plasma
Wii console
URC MX-780
CE-Labs Component/Digital Audio Balun
Overall I am very satisfied with this mount. This was designed by an installer and it does really seem like it would work with any combination of TV and Soundbar/center channel.
Retail price of the mount kit is $50.
