Flat panel mount designs have progressed from industrial-looking, heavy-duty contraptions to more airy, elegant designs as flat panel displays are used in more environments where aesthetics are important, such as in hotels and retail stores.
"Instead of 100 percent bent metal, many mounts now also incorporate other tough materials, such as high-strength plastics or extruded aluminum," according to a Peerless Industries spokesman.
In the quest for cleaner lines, manufacturers are faced with cable management conundrums that lead to designs that satisfy "a need for cable management without adding additional depth to the installation," said Chief Manufacturing's product manager Seth Baker.
Ergotron's president, Joel Hazzard added, "You don't want cables to restrict the ability of the end-user to adjust." The resolution from Ergotron has been designs wherein cable management becomes much more simple with snap-in or -under designs and O-rings that people can snap in.
Options for color coordinating a mount and its surrounding décor are also out there. ITS Enclosures's Karl Jackson said, "I think the use of color is going to start blossoming as people start using these mounts specific to their brand," Jackson said. "We're going to use vinyl shrink wrapping. This way we can keep a color in stock and then apply whatever shrink wrapping color they want."
"The two biggest sticklers for aesthetics are generally the retail environment and the home theater market," said Jason Cole, marketing communications manager for Premier Mounts.
The company supplied all the mounts for the Wynn Las Vegas hotel. "We modified our designs based on Wynn's particular influences," said Cole. With some insight as to what aesthetics the hotel industry is looking for, Premier made a custom box built into the wall of every bathroom for an LCD panel.
