The trend is clear: TVs are getting bigger. One in every five TVs produced worldwide is now 60 inches or larger, and according to some analysts, 55 inches should be the minimum screen size for most living rooms. 55 inches! Minimum! Who would’ve thought a 45-inch screen could ever be considered modest? But here we are, when TVs have achieved that incredible balancing act of ultra slim gigantism. Sounds sleek, even exhilarating, but those large TV sizes can also make installing them in your house feel like you’re wrestling a jumbotron onto the wall.

To that end, we’ve assembled a few tips on how to mount a TV — for professionals and DIYers — and we’re recommending a few of the best large TVs we have to offer.

Preparing to Install a TV Wall Mount

In simpler times, a family could buy a standard-issue box television, plunk it down in front of their living room couch, and call it a day. Options were limited, so your furniture and layout had to accommodate your new TV. Not anymore. Today, your TV-purchasing options are vast and varied, and we recommend taking an opposite approach from that of our mid-century ancestors: Calculate the ideal TV size for your space. But before you commit to a brief yet horrifying flashback to high school math, ask yourself which room in your house should host your new TV. (Which, after all, might be about the size of an adult ostrich.)

Where in the Room to Mount Your TV

A room with a disproportionate TV in it may feel like the most faraway drive-in you’ve ever been to — the kind where you have to squint from way back to figure out what’s happening onscreen. So, first, think about the purpose of the room. Your home entertainment center? Splurge on a top-of-the-line, big-as-they-come TV that’ll make you feel like you’re cocooned in the darkness of a private theater. Your living room? Scale it back a bit, so that the space flows like the house’s common area, with a breakfast nook and a game table and a few couches for hanging out. In other words, where the TV will complement the vibe rather than drown it out.

Finally, let’s turn to the bedroom. Our advice? Mount the TV across from your bed so that The Great British Bake-Off lulls you into sweet dreams of choux-choux trains and hot cross bunnies.

Finding the Right Mount

Between the bedroom, living room, and entertainment center, you probably want one of your TVs mounted — to free up counter space, to luck upon the ideal viewing angle, to avoid the inconvenience of finding some furniture piece hefty enough to support a 120” behemoth of a TV. And if that’s the case, consider these three standard types of mounts:

●     Fixed Mounts

Want your TV positioned nearly flush against the wall? Opt for the fixed mounts, which will make your TV look like a piece of artwork displayed in a museum.

●     Tilt Mounts

Binge watchers, take note: Tilt mounts, as the name suggests, angle your TV downward. Ideally, that one change will enhance your viewing experience, but it may also save you from developing a crimp in your neck after straining your head upward for hours on end.

●     Full Motion Mounts

You know how you have to mount your TV over the fireplace, because it’s in the center of the room, but your couch only fits along the wall at a diagonal fifteen feet from the fireplace? That’s where full motion (or articulated) mounts come in. They allow you to swing the TV around so you can face it no matter if you’re cooking in one part of the room or doing your morning regimen of 100 burpees in another.

Pro tip: Sometimes mounts can support TVs of similar dimensions, but they can’t hold up same-size TVs with different weights. So research whether the mount you’ve chosen can support the size and weight of your TV. The mount box of the TV should list the maximum weight and screen size specifications.

Additional Hardware

Screws, washers, anchors, and the mounts of your choice are your friends when mounting your TV. Reserve a space near or under the TV to mount your soundbar with — you guessed it — a soundbar mount, which can help keep cords and wires untangled and within reach.

DIY vs. Professional Installations

If you can swing a hammer but you might also tear out a chunk of your drywall, consider the pros and cons of mounting the TV yourself or hiring someone to do it for you.

●     DIY

Look around your house. Are any of the pictures that you’ve hung on the walls lopsided? If so, imagine securing a 120” TV in place seven feet above the ground. Remember, we are talking about a device so cumbersome that you need two people to carry it. Use your leveler sloppily and you’ll watch Bravo for years with the tilted head of a confused labrador. Mount your TV one too many times and you’ll weaken the wall. So make sure you buy the right hardware that you need, and be honest with yourself if you’re feeling overmatched. The last thing you want is to strain your back or drop the TV.

●     Professional TV Mounting

You drive a nail in the wall and bang your thumb. You lift the TV and one corner thuds onto the carpet. You’re huffing and puffing and already sore. Time to call a pro — especially if you’re mounting your TV on brick, concrete, or plaster walls, all of which take more skill than working with drywall and wood-stud framing. The estimated cost of TV mount installation in 2024 is $156–$358, but that’ll vary by area. And by your willingness to ply your handyperson with a free viewing of the Super Bowl, complete with requisite snacks and drinks.

DIY It Is

Those hands of yours aren’t just for wielding a remote, you decide — they’re more than capable of mounting a TV without the help of a professional. If you go the DIY route, we’ve listed a few tips that should make the installation smooth and shatter-proof.

●     Mark the TV’s dimensions with painter’s tape.

Visualizing where the TV will eventually hang can save you from that excruciating moment post-installation when you think, ‘It looks weird right there, doesn’t it?’ Sit on your couch. Stand up again. Walk around the room. Make sure that you’re comfortable with the viewing position from a number of angles. Good? Good. You’re ready to start.

●     Put the brackets on.

Once you pick the right mount, install the brackets on the back of your TV to make sure they fit. Measuring from the bottom of your TV to the bottom of the wall plate is another way of finding out whether the TV is sitting at the optimal height on the wall. (In this cat-and-mouse game between wall and TV, precision is paramount.)

●     Find the wall studs.

Wall studs are usually 16 inches apart. So take out that stud finder and locate the first stud. Then use a ruler and a pencil to mark the wall every 16 inches. (You can always double-check for good measure.) Typically, your mount will require that you drill into two studs. You can use a strong magnet to find where the screw or the nail attaches the drywall to the stud. That point is usually in the center of the beam, which you should mark because attaching the mount in its immediate vicinity will help make the installation as secure as possible.

●     Attach the TV mount.

Drill pilot holes for mounting lag bolts or screws. Use a leveler to double-check that the holes are aligned. And even though you’re rugged and hardy and self-sufficient, you might consider asking a friend to hold the mount against the wall to make sure it lines up with the pilot holes. Drive in the lag bolts with a ratcheting socket wrench.

●     Mount the TV.

That friend you asked to help you with the TV mount is going to be indispensable once you align the wall plate with the mounting brackets on the TV. Once it’s in place, check whether you’ll still be able to access all of its inputs and ports. If so, tighten a few screws and secure the brackets. To be sure that the TV is straight, adjust the leveling screws that come with most mounts. But, at this point, you can take a bow, because you’re mostly done — although you may make additional small tweaks to fully dial in your viewing angle.

Hisense Large TVs

Now that you’ve got a grasp of mounts and installation methods, browse through some of our large TV options to plan your perfect home viewing experience:

●     U8 Series: Premium Mini-LED TVs

The U8 series comes with the next-level vividness of Peak Brightness 1500, over a billion shades of color, and the enhanced minutiae of major HDR formats. (We’re talking Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG.)

●     U6 Series: Premium Mini-LED TV

The picture performance of the U6 series is akin to what you’ll experience at the cinema, with Quantum Dot technology that infuses images with over a billion shades of color, varying across levels of brightness and saturation.

●     120L5H: 100” Laser TV

Get out the buttered popcorn, because it’s time for movie theater immersion. That’s what you get with the 120” 4K Smart Laser TV. It comes with an Ambient Light Resisting (ALR) screen specifically designed for the L5H series to produce the best possible picture quality. In addition, it supports HDR, HDR 10, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos® sound, Google TV, Game Mode, Filmmaker Mode, and a 25,000-hour laser life. The ultra-short throw projection technology lets you put it inches from the screen and enjoy a 4K image three times bigger than a 55-inch TV. Also available in a 100” model.

Upgrade Your TV Viewing Experience with Hisense

We want you to find the top-tier large TV in our collection that you want, but also to stay safe while you’re installing it. Whether you DIY or hire a professional, follow our tips and you’ll be sure to enjoy an optimal viewing experience for years to come.