Professional TV Accessories Guide - 7,457+ Installations

At minimum: a quality mount (rated 150% of TV weight), proper hardware (3/8" lag bolts, not included screws), basic cable management (at least power and HDMI), and a surge protector. That's the bare essentials. What makes a good installation great? In-wall power relocation kit so cables aren't dangling, CL3-rated HDMI cables if you're running them through walls, soundbar mount positioned 2-4 inches below TV, and streaming device holder with proper ventilation. If you're mounting gaming consoles, add ventilated console mounts. For smart home setups, consider bias lighting and voice control integration. We've done 7,457+ installations and the pattern's clear: plan accessories before mounting, not after. Once that TV's on the wall, adding stuff gets complicated. Wall-mounted remote holders keep controllers organized. Cable clips route everything cleanly. HDMI switchers let you connect more devices than your TV has ports. The specific accessories depend on your setup - gamers need different gear than movie watchers. Start with the basics, add features as budget allows.

Yes, absolutely. TVs have sensitive electronics worth $500-5,000+ that power surges destroy instantly. A quality surge protector ($40-80) is cheap insurance. But not all surge protectors work the same. Look for joule ratings over 2000 (that's energy absorption capacity), clamping voltage under 400V (lower is better), and multiple protection modes (line-to-neutral, line-to-ground, neutral-to-ground). Cheap $10 power strips labeled "surge protector" are basically worthless - they fail after one minor surge. We use Tripp Lite or APC models with equipment insurance (manufacturer pays to replace your gear if their surge protector fails). Mount it behind your TV or nearby, not across the room where you need long cables. Connect TV, soundbar, streaming devices, gaming consoles - everything in your entertainment system. Battery backup (UPS) adds 10-15 minutes of runtime during power outages so you can safely shut down equipment. Not essential but nice for areas with frequent power issues. What we tell every customer: surge protectors wear out after absorbing surges. Replace them every 3-5 years or after any major surge event. That $60 investment protects thousands in equipment.

VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) pattern is the spacing between mounting holes on your TV's back - basically the industry standard so any mount works with any TV. It's measured in millimeters, like 200x200mm or 600x400mm. The first number is horizontal spacing, second is vertical. Smaller TVs (32-50") typically use 200x200mm or 400x400mm patterns. Larger displays (65-85"+) use 400x400mm, 600x400mm, or even 800x400mm. Your TV manual lists the VESA pattern, or measure it yourself - distance between the center of one mounting hole to the center of the adjacent hole. This matters because you need a mount that matches your TV's pattern. Most mounts support multiple patterns (like 200x200-600x400mm). Some older or boutique TVs use non-standard patterns - check before buying a mount. Adapters exist for weird sizes but add complexity. After thousands of installs, we always verify VESA patterns first. Mismatched patterns mean the mount won't attach or hangs crooked. It's a 30-second check that prevents expensive mistakes.

For HDMI, yes - but it's more about 4K at high refresh rates. Standard HDMI cables handle 4K at 30Hz or 60Hz fine for movies and TV. Gaming at 4K/120Hz or 8K content requires HDMI 2.1 "Ultra High Speed" cables supporting 48Gbps bandwidth. These are clearly labeled "HDMI 2.1 certified" and cost $15-30 for quality ones. Don't overpay for "premium" cables - it's digital signal, either it works or it doesn't. For in-wall installations, get CL3-rated cables (fire code requirement). For runs over 15 feet, use active HDMI cables with built-in signal boosters. Optical HDMI cables work for 30-100 foot runs. Regular copper maxes out around 25 feet before signal degrades. Ethernet cables for streaming should be Cat6 or Cat6a - Cat5e technically handles 4K streaming but Cat6 future-proofs for faster speeds. Power cables don't need upgrading. Optical audio cables (TOSLINK) work the same regardless of content resolution. After 7,457+ installations, we stock certified HDMI 2.1 cables in 3, 6, 10, and 15-foot lengths. Buy once, done right.

For TVs? Maybe. For premium displays ($1500+) or large screens (75"+), extended warranties from manufacturers like SquareTrade or Asurion ($80-200) cover accidental damage, power surges, and failures after manufacturer warranty expires. They're insurance - you hope to never use it but appreciate it when needed. Read the fine print though. Some exclude "mounting damage" claiming installation caused the issue. Some require professional installation proof. Burn-in on OLEDs is often excluded. Pixel defects have minimum thresholds (like 5+ dead pixels). For budget TVs under $800? Skip it. The warranty costs 10-20% of TV price, and honestly, if a cheap TV fails you'll probably just upgrade anyway. Credit cards often provide extended warranty automatically (extra year beyond manufacturer). Check your card benefits before buying third-party coverage. What we never skip: surge protection and proper mounting. Most TV failures we see are from electrical issues (buy surge protectors) or mounting failures (hire pros for complex installs). The extended warranty won't help if your TV falls off the wall because someone skipped studs.

Plain distilled water on a microfiber cloth. That's it for most cleaning. Don't use Windex, paper towels, or household cleaners - they damage anti-glare coatings and leave scratches. TV manufacturers recommend distilled water (not tap water which has minerals) on microfiber cloths (not paper towels which are abrasive). For stubborn smudges, specialty TV screen cleaners are pH-neutral and won't harm coatings. Never spray directly on the screen - spray the cloth then wipe. Use gentle pressure, let moisture do the work. Wipe in one direction, don't scrub in circles. For the TV body and bezel, slightly damp cloth works. Once yearly, carefully vacuum vents on the back to remove dust buildup - dust blocks airflow causing overheating. Turn the TV off and let it cool before cleaning. Don't clean while it's on (can cause electrical issues or damage pixels). For OLED screens, be extra gentle - they're more delicate than LED panels. After thousands of installations, we see people damage screens more often than you'd think. Those swirl marks from rough cleaning never come out. Microfiber cloths cost $10 for a pack, proper TV cleaner is $15 - cheap protection for an expensive investment.