The photo accompanied this article is a home theater disaster idea.  A flat screen TV above a fireplace is nothing but annoying and with lots of distraction especially in the cold winter when you have to light it up to keep warm.  How could anyone watching TV or a DVD movie with the fire burning in the fireplace is waaaay beyond me.  My opinion when I first saw the picture together with this article is that the author is clueless of what he’s writing about, to put it in a polite way.

You will be surprised to hear this, but as the editor-in-chief of Electronic House magazine I agree with you (somewhat). The somewhat is: Most people are not going to watch TV while the fireplace is blazing. The fireplace and the display being “on” at the same time is more to get the point across in the photograph and create ambiance. But hey, if the same people who have more than one display next to each other also want the fireplace ablaze while watching TV—power to them.

I have other issues. Let’s assume for a moment that viewers would choose to focus and only have one “on” at a time. IF this is the main viewing display in the home, having the display over the fireplace just is not the best viewing angle unless you stand to watch a movie. I think this whole “over the fireplace” thing came about “because you can.” That doesn’t mean you should, especially IF this is your main viewing display where you sit down and watch a movie. I can definitely see instances in which this would be fine such as in a multi-purpose room where people are moving around a lot, maybe in a bedroom where the distance works, or if it is seen from the kitchen and it’s more of a background.

If this is the main display then I would suggest investing in a tilting and vertically movable mount so that when it is movie time the display can be moved to the correct position and with the fireplace most definitely off.

This placement of the display over the fireplace has been a trend for several years. Heat and electronics have never made good bedfellows, but the flat panel manufacturers ensure us that the screen IF flush mounted to the wall above the fireplace it is safe. Think about the candles and photos that sit on mantels above fireplaces—I’ve never heard of them going up in flames. However, as soon as you tilt the screen out beyond the mantel it IS most definitely subject to heat damage if you want to have both the fireplace and the TV on at the same time. This makes total sense. Okay—I know—WHY would anyone do this anyway? I agree—just don’t.

To avoid a lengthy comment to the above article, I used the blazing fireplace while the TV is on to emphasize my point in my first post. Personnaly, I do believe with or without the fireplace is on, it’s a tremendous distraction to TV watching experience.  Because the fireplace is much bigger than the TV, it becomes the main focus point even when it’s not on.  I also have the same issue with you about the viewing angle of the TV due to the height where the TV is hung.  How long can one enjoy a TV program before one is suffered from neck strain?  Ten minutes?  The funny thing is the interior designers these days tend to think the place above a fireplace is the best spot for TV hanging as we often see in new home promotional brochures.

Ya, i just don’t get the whole TV over fireplace thing. I guess it works for those who watch the weather for 10 minutes, but thats about it.

We humans, like moths, look at the brightest light in view—which is the fire in the fireplace. Is that what the owners want to look at? Not while there is a great movie on.

The owners should feel like they are in the movie, not the room. Thus, Not Above Fireplaces, except for those who want to catch the weather channel before going out or take a peak at the streaming news.

Look at durwoodpublishers.com for my Designing Home Theaters booklet with continuing education credits for architects and interior designers.

I can tell you why our TV is over the fireplace in my family room…  There was no other place in or family room.  Buying a flat panel and putting it over our fireplace bought us so much space and comfort in our family room, it was almost as if we remodeled.