SER FAQ: TVFAQ: General TV placement considerations

S.E.R. FAQ

NotTaR of Television Sets : General TV placement considerations
Copyright © 1994-2007, Samuel M. Goldwasser. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this document in whole or in part is permitted if both of the following conditions are satisfied: 1. This notice is included in its entirety at the beginning. 2. There is no charge except to cover the costs of copying. I may be contacted via the Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ (www.repairfaq.org) Email Links Page.

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TV Placement And Preventive Maintenance

General TV placement considerations

Proper care of a TV does not require much. Following the recommendations below will assure long life and minimize repairs:

Subdued lighting is preferred for best viewing conditions but I will not attempt to tell you how to arrange your room!
Locate the TV away from extremes of hot and cold. Avoid damp or dusty locations if possible. (Right you say, keep dreaming!)
Allow adequate ventilation - TVs use more power than any of your other A/V components. Heat buildup takes its toll on electronic components. Leave at least 3 inches on top and sides for air circulation if the entertainment center does not have a wide open back panel. Do not pile other components like VCRs on top of the TV if possible (seebelow).
Do not put anything on top of the TV that might block the ventilation grill in the rear or top of the cover. This is the major avenue for the convection needed to cool internal components.
If possible, locate the VCR away from the TV. Some VCRs are particularly sensitive to interference from the TV's circuitry and while this won't usually damage anything, it may make for less than optimal performance due to RF interference. The reverse is sometimes true as well.
In addition, modern VCRs are NOT built like the Brooklyn Bridge! The weight of a TV or stereo components could affect the VCR mechanically, messing up tape path alignment or worse.
If possible, locate your computer monitor away from the TV. Interaction of the electromagnetic fields of the deflection systems may result in one or both displays jiggling, wiggling, or vibrating.
Locate loudspeakers and other sources of magnetic fields at least a couple of feet from the TV. This will minimize the possibility of color purity or geometry problems.
Make sure all input-output video and audio connections are tight and secure to minimize intermittent or noisy pictures and sound. Use proper high quality cable only long enough to make connections conveniently.
Finally, store video cassettes well away from all electronic equipment including and especially loudspeakers. Heat and magnetic fields will rapidly turn your priceless video collection into so much trash. The operation of the TV depends on magnetic fields for beam deflection. Enough said.

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