We are having a house built and there is a provision for a large television over our gas fireplace mantle. It is a large opening that will fit at least a 51" panel.

The room is 13 foot long. I hope you DHC junkies can make some basic recommendations based on my information.

a) It is our living room and we arent going to hook up a audio system. The only equipment will be our BEV receiver and our dvd player.

b) there are windows providing natural light on either side of the mantle. The opening is recesses (the fireplace required an extension off the side of the house) there is a good chance the fireplace will be used during the winter.

c) I will be purchasing at the low end of the price spectrum. Probably not more than 1299.00 as low as 1000.00

I myself was leaning towards a plasma tv, partially because of the pixelation (blocking or noise) that I usually see on lcds in stores or at friends places. I cant tell if the noise is due to poor installation or what but I am always less than impressed with the lcds I have seen.

I am not going to buy a 1080p unit, as i have heard that I wouldnt notice much at that distance.

Once a technology recommendation is made then I will go to the appropriate forum to compare particilar models.

Thanks in advance friends!

If you put the TV DIRECTLY ABOVE the fireplace, you're looking at 2 problems...

Sore neck from staring up at the TV from your sofa
Possible smoke/soot damage to the TV

Is it possible to place the TV elsewhere? For the price-range you suggested, an entry-level 42" Panasonic Viera plasma is what you're looking at. The viewing distance for that size is approx 7 feet. How wide is the room?

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r230/nicthedogwasher/062.jpg

thats the view of the room from our dining room

That is quite a small room to have the tv mounted over the fireplace. I would go no more than 42", 46" at the very max and get a tilt wall-mount for the tv.

That's the setup I currently have and it works fine. It took a bit to get use to looking "up" at the tv, but after 2 weeks, I didn't even thought about it.

And I agree on the plasma...glare should not be an issue for you since your windows are on each side of the tv. I have a plasma with a window right next to it...glare has never been an issue for me...it's mostly hype to sell LCDs. Ditto on the 1080p...you won't see a difference.

There are several previous threads on mounting a TV over a fireplace and the issues associated with that. Do a search of this forum for the term "fireplace neck" and you'll find several threads.

I realize my original post was moved, but some of my intent was not to debate where my tv was mounted/placed, but what kind of tv set should I purchase based upon my room size and lighting conditions.

Thanks!

I can't tell from the photo, but I would run all wiring from the future tv location, to where your 9242, stereo, dvd, etc are going to be located
Many builders simply run 1 coax to the spot where you are thinking of mounting your tv

Well, if you're interested in LCD vs Plasma, see the following thread:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=68800

Regarding the mounting over a fireplace (or anywhere on a wall) the various fireplace threads come in handy because you then need to think about:

- Conduit
- Where to put your other equipment
- How to connect the other equipment to the TV
- Etc.

Well, if you're interested in LCD vs Plasma, see the following thread...
I can't tell from the photo, but I would run all wiring from the future tv location, to where your 9242, stereo, dvd, etc are going to be located
Many builders simply run 1 coax to the spot where you are thinking of mounting your tv

In that location there will be a coax cable and cat 5 cable and power. There will just be the tv, a dvd player and an hd pvr in that location. I dont expect wiring to be a problem. We arent running a home theater setup as we are having our home theatre put in the basement.

Mister 57, thanks for the headsup about the lcd/plasmas.