Help me find a wall mount for a 26" Panasonic LCD

[Shintsu]

I have finally decided to deal with the mess that is my entertainment center in my room. The thing is old, falling apart, I just had to put a metal L bracket on to keep one of the sides from falling apart and letting all my components drop down onto my TV. It's worked fine for the longest time but it's well past it's prime.

I was looking to get an entertainment center and set the TV on top of it, but I've noticed that none of them are the right size and height and look I'm looking for to work. So I want to wall mount my TV and then buy a type of TV stand probably made of glass and stick it beneath the TV. Where I sit, I'm the lone viewer of the TV and I always sit in my office chair when looking at it. This I have determined means the full motion and tilt functions are totally unnecessary for me. I am looking for a low profile mount, but tilt is okay and I won't say I'd never get the other ones - it's just stuff I don't need so I don't want to pay more for it.

Anyways, I checked for studs and sure enough, where I want it mounted is inbetween two studs so I need a mount that is two stud and is wide enough that I can safely mount it. I've determined it needs to be at least 16" wide for it to be mounted safely on the wall in two studs. As simple a requirement this be, I have been unable to find anything. I found the one Panasonic recommends for $50 via Amazon which is a fair price (Link here) but it gives no dimensions! I won't order it if I can't be positive it will work beforehand. I'm not looking to pay a ton for this mount, I want to save my money to buy a nice stand to go underneath for all my audio components and whatnot and that means I can't be spending $150 or anything like that on a simple low profile wall mount.

Another question I had regarding a wall mount like this - what do I do with all the cables? It would look nice to have them all hidden and not sticking out but I've never seriously thought about what you do to hide them. Does it require going through the wall or is there a simpler way to do it? I'm totally new to the idea of wall mounting, our 40" LCD is actually mounted on a big TV stand with an arm on the back for the LCD and the wires run up and down it. It's nice but I notice the TV is constantly tilted too far one way or another from someone invariably bumping it due to the fact it is not flush with the wall.

I prefer a local retailer so I can take the thing back if it doesn't work like I like but I'll order online if it's the right dimensions and worth it. Can anyone help me out here? I'd appreciate it!

 

[ChunkyDark]

I found a good deal on a mounting bracket for my 42 plasma at monoprice.com, it was significantly cheaper than any place else.
Something like this:

Personally I ran all my cables through a hole behind the tv down the wall and out again. I've also seen folks recommend various plastic sleeves to hide the wiring. Depends on how much vacuuming you want to do afterward

 

[Shintsu]

This is looking to be way more involved and complicated than I can manage at present. I think I'll be best off looking for something like what we had in the other room. It is something like this:

I'd like the stand to be something tall enough to put my TV on the height level I want but I'm starting to think a seperate A/V stand would be better for my audio equipment, especially given my turntable since I cannot simply put it on top of the stand where the TV is going to be unless I go with the prior of the two stand types. That is, unless someone can help me think of an alternative to place my turntable - it is the only reason I would need an A/V stand.

I'm definately a fan of the glass look though. Any stands you all can recommend for $200 or less? Something with an overhead shelf would be nice, that's what I have now but as I said it's pretty old and dated looking as well as falling apart...

 

[allargon]

At least you have a flat panel, those of us with rear projection sets have nightmares finding large enough stands that can actually fit modern receivers.

A 26" is easy to mount. (If you had a nice HEAVY 60" plasma, I could understand your woes.) You can even use articulating monitor mounts. Do you have a Fry's in your area? If so, they put the Inland wall mounts and monitor arms on sale like every other weekend.

Monoprice is the way to go as mentioned by Chucky. Whenever I'm at Fry's, HEB, Target or Wal-Mart, I'm always schooling people about Monoprice. (No, I don't shp at Best Buy.) For such a small display I would go with a bracket that could pull out and turn as well as tilt.

Personally I ran all my cables through a hole behind the tv down the wall and out again. I've also seen folks recommend various plastic sleeves to hide the wiring. Depends on how much vacuuming you want to do afterward

Running power cables behind drywall is a no-no! I hope you actually ran Romex and installed a power outlet behind your display.

 

[Shintsu]

Well, the only thing is I'm not Mr. Handyman - I can't run wires through the wall. There's insulation where I would mount it and it's on an exterior wall (A wall between the inside and outside of the house) so I don't want to be ripping insulation out. And sadly, no I don't have a Fry's near me though I have heard of them (Fellow who bought my speakers new bought them there).

Yes, I know the newer rear projections are a pain but I've seen plenty of big ones that could hold them. lol, we have a 70" Mitsubishi projection in the basement (Old, not newish) and that monster almost touches the ceiling with no stands or anything. But hey, no need to buy an entertainment center (good thing too!).

 

[Adam]

There's a number of stands out there that have flat-screen mounts. Depending on where you live, you might have a decent selection in your area. I like to look at racksandstands.com, to get ideas if nothing else. They have a dedicated section for TV swivels and pedestal stands at the link here, but they have a lot of other products from which to choose. I haven't bought anything from them, but I've seen them recommended by a few members here.

 

[phlakvest]

here ya go.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082807&p_id=4116&seq=1&format=3#specification

Its about 20" wide so you shouldn't have any trouble reaching studs with it.

That and its $17.


Its not really that hard to run the wires through the wall..
1. Cut a hole behind the tv, a hole behind your equipment.
2. Drop a string with a weight down through the top hole infront of the insulation paper.
3. Fish out the string through the bottom with a bent coat hanger.
4. Pull the cables with the string.


If you really dont wan't do do that you can get wire molding that goes on the wall and you run the cables through it.
You should be able to find it at your local hardware store. Then you can paint it to match your walls.
IMHO it doesn't look as good as running the wire through the wall, but if you do it neat enough its not too noticable.

 

[Shintsu]

Well, another issue about wall mount is the wall outlet. I can't run the power plug through the wall and I am not about to try and wire an outlet myself. And I'm not paying an electrician to do it either. A TV stand is all around more practical for me given the cost of the alternatives.