The new TVs today are great! Not only do they have digital tuners that greatly improve the picture you see, but they are flat and far lighter than they were when I was younger.
"Way back when" TVs came in their own wood cabinet that two men and a small boy to get into the house and set in place.
Today, a TV with exceptional clarity can be mounted on a wall, no floor space used and the height can be set by the viewer not the default height of the cabinet or table the TV sits on.
In order to ensure your TV does not fall off the wall and undoubtedly destroy itself with gravity, it is essential that care and attention be used during the mounting process.
There are a variety of mounting brackets available in the market. Some only tilt slightly up and down while others utilize a swing bracket that allows for rotation of the screen 90 degrees from the main viewing area.
You must choose which will work best in the location you are installing the TV at. There are some cases, such as a living room where the tilt may be the best choice. A kitchen may do between with a bracket that rotates the screen for viewing in different parts (the main part while cooking/cleaning and then rotated to face the table).
The bigger the TV, the more your bracket is going to cost. The swing arm will be more expensive than the tilt or fixed bracket.
Find the bracket appropriate for your budget, TV size, and type you want (fixed, tilt, or rotate).
Once you have this, set your TV face down on a soft (but not too soft) or thick cardboard surface. Ensure BEFORE placing the TV on the surface that it is perfectly flat, no objects protrude to damage the screen.
Read the directions that came with your chosen bracket and if their steps vary greatly, ensure you follow the steps for your bracket over these for the best results.
Remove the mount the TV uses for table top (pedestal) viewing. Verify your bracket holes match the TV and also confirm you have the side that mounts to the TV while making this match.
Once you are assured you have the correct bracket, use a stud finder to locate the studs in the wall you will be mounting the TV to. It may be necessary to move the location from where you truly want it up to 9 inches either direction.
This is to allow for the mount to be bolted to a stud in the wall. The stud will support the weight of the TV. If you do not mount the bracket to a stud, you will find your TV falls off the wall. Hollow walls and drywall inserts will NOT be sufficient to hold the weight of the TV and will cause damage to the wall and probably ruin the TV if you attempt this mounting method.
Once you find the studs, pick the two closest to where you want the TV and then decide which of the two is where you want your TV mounted based on your room layout.
A drill (I recommend an electric drill here over a battery powered) with a drill bit that is compatible with the material your walls are made from. This is typically a wood bit.
Your mounting bracket should come with the hardware to connect it to the wall as well as to the TV, but it may be necessary to reuse the bolts that held the pedestal bracket on if the mounting bracket isn't much thicker.
Find the drill bit slightly smaller in diameter than the lag bolts you will use to mount the bracket to the wall. Lay the bolt along the bit and using masking or scotch tape, wrap some tape around the bit at the point where the head of the bolt meets the threads. This is a frugal depth gage. It will stop you from drilling the hole deeper than necessary while making your holes.
It is important to use a slightly smaller diameter bit to allow for the lag bolts to get some "bite" in the stud to help hold the weight.
Place your bracket on the wall, ensuring at least one side is centered on the stud you located.
Mark the holes clearly indicating the center. You do not want to be off-center with drilling these holes. Typically only two holes will be in the stud while the other two will be in the hollow wall space.
Set the bracket aside and drill the first hole. Thread the bolt all the way into the hole and then remove it carefully. This "pre-installation" will be of great benefit later. Do not force the bolt by hammering or any other manner that will ruin the tight fit of the bolt in the hole.
Place the bracket back in place after you get the bolt removed. Ensure the hole is aligned with its proper position on the bracket and recheck the remaining three marks to ensure nothing has moved during the last step.
Once the hole locations have been verified again, place the bracket aside and drill the remaining holes and pre-thread the bolts into each hole taking care to not damage the hole interior surfaces that will prevent the bolt from tightening once the bracket is installed.
After all holes are drilled and "tapped" using the lag bolt and have been removed, turn your attention to the TV.
Mount the bracket to the TV in accordance with the instructions provided. DO NOT use longer bolts that did not come with the bracket. If you put generic bolts (maybe because those you got with the bracket were misplaced) you run the risk of penetrating too deep into the TV and can damage components and/or run the risk of electric shock. ONLY use hardware provided with the bracket to ensure compatibility without risk of damage.
Once the bracket it affixed to the TV and the bolts have been verified tight, have two others assist you.
If your purchased a bracket that swings as well as tilts, assemble it at this time and bolt it to the TV before continuing.
Two people lift the TV up to the mount hole height while a third person (possibly yourself) then aligns the holes of the bracket with the holes in the wall and begins installing the lag bolts.
If you didn't "tap" these holes using one of the lag bolts, you may run into issues at this time. The TV with bracket is typically heavy to hold at any height for long periods of time. Your workers may drop and/or need a break if you didn't do this step.
Once you get one bolt started, ensure you continue and get all four mounting bolts started in their respective holes. Then begin drawing them into the wall, crisscrossing your pattern after every few turns to ensure the end result with be a TV bracket that is flat against the wall.
Once you get the bolts snug, the TV should be supported by the wall bracket.
Do not do these steps with the TV powered or even plugged into an electrical outlet. If the TV is accidentally dropped during the installation, electrical power will be flowing through the damaged circuits inside.
It is best to perform these steps on a TV that is not plugged into an outlet and has no other cables connecting it to anything else. No cable, satellite cords, no surround sound cords, etc.
The people holding the TV must be free to move it, at will, if they need to. Cords attached may pull the TV in an unexpected direction causing them to lose their grip.
Do not allow the bracket to take the weight of the TV on the wall until all bolts securing the bracket to the wall are tightened snugly. Then, and only then, slowly allow the people holding the TV to transfer the weight to the bracket paying close attention to see if it will stay in place.
With care and patience, many should be able to perform this installation on their own. Some brackets feature additional features such as inserts that allow the cords to be hidden instead of hanging down in plain view. The most important steps are ensuring a bracket is attached to a stud and ensuring all fasteners are tightened.