There are inherent dangers to mounting a television onto a wall or ceiling. If you're inexperienced with DIY, then the best advice is to pay for an engineer to install the mount for you. Which is especially the case with ceiling mounting, as when this mount fails, it usually results in unrepairable damage and possible serious injury.

An average wall mount will add two inches of depth to any LCD television. If you're willing to undertake the process of mounting your TV, then you'll be required to have a knowledge of how to use a drill, a solid understanding of how to accurately measure distances, a balance to level off any measurements, and the ability to follow the instructions laid out by the mount manufacturer.

With a larger LCD television, you will need the assistance of another person to place the screen onto the mount. During the mounting process it's important to take your time, not to rush, and to consider that you're dealing with an expensive piece of equipment. You should also consider the responsibility that comes with placing a heavy appliance at a position which can cause serious injury if it falls.

Most people like to watch television at eye level. Looking up or down for prolonged periods of time can become uncomfortable and cause neck strain. Therefore, if you watch television on a sofa, it should be placed lower than if you're standing up. When considering a position to mount a screen, the installer is usually standing. Therefore, it's quite easy to place the TV higher than is required.

The next issue is what to do about cables. A professional installer would probably run the cables through the wall. This is the ideal solution, otherwise, it looks untidy to have power cables and numerous sound and scart cables hanging down underneath the television.

For the amateur DIY'er, the idea of drilling additional holes in the walls will seem alarming, and rightly so. At this point you can make a real mess of your home and entertainment space. A reasonable alternative is to create a bespoke molding or camouflage which is the same colour as the wall, and which the cables can be placed within.

When you are in the process of buying a wall mount, you should ideally buy a mount which is VESA compliant. This is the industry standard for mounts and wall kits. VESA compliance brings peace of mind, and confidence, that once the bracket is fixed securely, it will not fail.

There are many options when it comes to mounts, some tilt vertically or horizontally, some are fixed, and others can swivel. Some mount can be automatically controlled, by the aid of a remote control. The vital point, however, is to make sure the mount is VESA compliant.