Widescreen Gaming Forum

One of the great things about running the WSGF is getting exposure to great products and companies. Our friends over at Mounted Concepts asked if I would like to take a look at a wall mount for an HDTV. This was great timing, as I was moving from a 37" LCD HDTV, to a 40" LED HDTV. While this may not seem like a consequential change (both TVs are the same height, width and weight), the larger panel moves up to a 400mm VESA pattern and rendered my previous mount insufficient.

Anyone who's been visiting the site will know, I'm a big fan of monitor stands and wall mounts. In perusing the online catalog, I came across the Peerless line of wall mounts. Based on the size and weight of my new LCD HDTV, I ended up settling on the Peerless SA750 Universal Articulating Wall Arm.

Introduction

The first thing you'll notice that this thing is heavy - damn heavy. The FedEx label on the box claimed thirty-nine pounds. I was actually surprised at how heavy it was. The TV itself only weighs about thirty-five pounds.

I was actually concerned about the feasibility of mounting almost eighty pounds on the wall. Obviously this needs to be mounted in studs, as sheetrock won't hold this weight by itself.

With the initial unboxing I found that there is little wasted in packaging, and the weight is really the unit itself. I was initially impressed with the feel and build quality of the items. Additionally, I was glad to see a mounting template and that the wall plate had slots for affixing the plate to the wall. These two features will greatly add to the ease of installation.

The template takes out the guess work of measuring between mounting points, and the slots ensure that I can overcome poor quality control from my home builder (I've yet to find a pair of studs on 16" centers). Overall, my initial impression was positive, and I expected installation to be easy.

Component Review

Luckily I also found that all of the screws and mounting hardware were individually packaged and labeled. It was refreshing to find these small components sorted so well, and packaged so neatly.

Additionally, I was pleased to find that the unique largely comes pre-assembled. I had been concerned that the arm itself would have been in several pieces, that would have required additional assembly. Luckily the only part requiring actual "assembly" was the universal mounting bracket. This assembly is to be expected, as the bracket is customized to your TV.

If your TV has a VESA pattern of 200mm or less, you can choose a model without the universal bracket. This significantly reduces both the cost and the number of steps in the installation.

Installation & Review

Overall, installation is easy. The only hitch is that they expect you to mount the arm to the plate, prior to attaching the plate to the wall. Considering the total weight of thirty-five pounds, this simply isn't feasible as a one person job. I got around this by temporarily securing the nuts and bolts (used to mount the arm to the plate), prior to mounting the plate to the wall.

In total, the installation took about 30 minutes (even with taking pics for this review). Given that it's only a few major components, there isn't much you can do wrong. I would recommend a weight test on the arm, prior to attaching the TV itself.

The points of articulation on the arm means allows for easy access to the back of the TV, making installation of cables and connections an easy task. The unit feels solid, and is easy to manipulate. You won't accidentally be pushing your TV around, and it strikes a nice balance between weight and heft, and ease of use.

Note, the lateral movement must be adjusted before installing the TV. While this freedom allows for more placement options in your home theater, I do wish it had been on some sort of roller or glide that allowed for adjustments after installation. This is my one "real" gripe of the unit, and it's not a feature I miss myself.

Final Thoughts

The Peerless SA750 Universal is a great piece of hardware, though it's not for the faint of pocketbook. At $550, it's certainly an investment and it's something you need to make sure you "need". This model in particular is meant for panels up to 58", 150 pounds and 400mm VESA hole patterns. If your HDTV only requires a 200mm VESA panel, you can reduce the price to about $375 and pick up the SA750 without the universal adapter. Dropping the lateral move, and size/weight to 40"/80lbs will get you into the SA740, and drop your price to below $250.

The SA750 is a great mount that will solve several problems - if you have them (large VESA pattern, placement between studs, etc.). If you don't have those problems, Peerless doesn't force you to overbuy and offers numerous other options. Be sure to visit our friends at Mounted Concepts and find the mount that is right for you.

You can discuss the review in the forum.