TV Placement for a Fitness Room in a Hotel Chain
This week, I am working with a hotel chain and the placement of a TV in a Multi-Purpose Room/Fitness Room. The typical math behind TV placement is to place the center of the TV screen approximately 10-15 degrees above eye level. Of course, we have to consider the distance of the TV from the viewer. And naturally, the furniture and exercise equipment layout determines this.
Quick and Easy Calculations for TV Placement
Here is what I calculated if the viewer is approximately 12′ from a 65” TV with a 33.3” height and 57.5” width:
- If I am seated, the top of the screen would be 80″ based on a 65″ TV
- If I am on a treadmill standing, the top of the screen would be 93″ based on a 65″ TV
Remember to place your power and low voltage behind the TV but not in the middle of the mount as this will compromise the cabling. It can pinch them once the TV is hung. Place your power, low voltage so all is hidden behind the TV and also near the power and rear AV hook ups i.e. HDMI and Power.
Tips for a Perfect TV Mount
An additional source of information on this can be found at the Vantage Point website, a company with 20+ years of experience in AV mounting. They also offer the following hints and tips:
Getting the perfect mount for your TV can really be boiled down to three basic aspects: TV Weight, TV Hole Pattern, and Mount Function. When you become aware of these three elements, the rest is easy.
- TV Weight – The weight of your TV is going to be the first thing you should be aware of when picking a mount. Though usually easy to find, there are a few other helpful tips or tricks if you’re having a hard time finding your TV’s Weight.
- TV Hole Pattern – The other crucial bit of information for mount selection, this can be a little trickier. Most are VESA® standard hole patterns, but there are a lot of wild cards.
- Mount Functions – Once you know your TV, it’s all up to what you want it to do. Mounts offer a variety of functions, each with their own specific benefit and intended use, and can be explored deeper.
Special Considerations for this Type of Project
Other important considerations for this type of project include:
- What type of content will be shown?
- Movie watching?
- Power Point Presentation?
- Spreadsheets? (which are normally 8.5-point font)
The rule of thumb is 1.5X the width of the screen is the best seat and 6X is the furthest seat.
Remember the main thing that dictates the view-ability of anything starts with the content being delivered. Garbage in, garbage out (GIGO). Secondly is the viewer.
New Prescription Glasses
I relate this to my new prescription glasses. Yes, they are designed to help me reach 20/20 but one point often over looked is that the muscles in your eyes have to adjust to the newness of the glasses. Many people give up after a few weeks, unable to endure the hardship. Instead, we should commit to the glasses and wear them every day. Similarly, my TV can be full 4k Resolution, my DVD or Blue ray movie 1-2k and without my glasses my focus range drops off at 1 foot. That pretty much destroys my earlier equation and the viewer will give up on using the tech I just installed. I would be one unhappy customer if I did not consider all these factors.
The Summary
The summary of this example is that you should do your best to understand the customer’s needs and ask all the right questions. You will not please all the people all the time, but you can please most of them if you’ll just take the time to listen (and don’t forget to bring a tape measure!).
Yours clearly and truly,
Additional source at Wikipedia – Understanding TV Resolution