Mounts and Racks cater to ever-evolving Consumer Electronics Trends

Middle Atlantic’s HRF Series half racks feature a low profile design and compact dimensions.

The sheer variety of mounts and rack developments emerging today reflects the wide breadth of technology trends happening in the market. From energy efficiency, to simplicity, active lifestyles, minimizing component sizes, and promoting projection displays, the plethora of advancements cater to the multi-faceted uses for technology in homes today.

Half-Width Components

“We’ve been seeing a trend in the use of smaller components,” noted Rebeca Villareale, public relations manager, Middle Atlantic Products, “a move that played a significant role in the design of our new HRF Series Half Rack. Many systems can benefit from half-width racking options, especially with the growing popularity of much smaller components like the Apple TV. These half-width racks carry the same benefits as a standard 19-inch width rack: superior equipment protection, ease of install, simple cable management, and cooling and power distribution options.”

The HRF Series half racks feature a low-profile design and compact dimensions. An offset cable tie area keeps their overall width to 10.625 inches. The dimensions maximize the amount of usable rack space in confined areas and can be used with halfrack equipment from a variety of manufacturers. The HRF Series half racks also feature a welded frame that enables equipment to be pre-loaded and transported to the installation site. Initial models are available in 8- and 12-space useable racking height configurations with available mounting shelves that include a pattern of holes and slots to accommodate any device-mounting pattern.

Health and Wellness

The JR3 SyncPro by Crimson was designed to be easy to install and precisely adjust without tools.

Omnimount is catering to health conscience consumers with its ActionMount line. “The increasing demand for products that facilitate health and wellness has played a big part in OmniMount’s recent product development. As the ‘well-tech’ trend started to emerge, so did the research indicating the harmful effects of an overly sedentary lifestyle,” said John Deutsch, senior VP of North American Sales, OmniMount. “It became clear very quickly that there is a huge need in the CE market for accessories that encourage the healthier use of TVs and computers, since the time spent sitting in front of each largely contributes to overall inactivity.

OmniMount’s ActionMount TV wall mounts, computer arms, and freestanding desks offer height adjustability and give users the ability to stand while using their electronics. The LIFT40 low-profile tilt wall mount utilizes Ergotron CF technology for vertical TV movement and requires only a lighttouch to adjust most 30- to 55-inch TVs up to 40 pounds. With 18-inches of vertical travel, the mount lifts and lowers to achieve the best picture and most comfort. Also in the full motion ActionMount family are the PLAY70 and PLAY40DS, designed to give TV users more screen positioning flexibility for exercising, gaming and optimizing 3D. The PLAY70 fits TVs up to 70 pounds and offers omnidirectional movement with only a light touch and the PLAY40DS has a satin black finish and doublestud frame for a different look and more flexible installation.

Energy Efficiency

For Lowell Manufacturing, energy efficiency standards continue to impact its rack accessory options. “The trend continues toward developing energy-efficient products that don’t add environmental noise pollution. To this end, Lowell developed the FDC series of 19-inch universal fan panels that run very quietly while moving a lot of air,” said Jeff Garstick, national sales manager, Lowell. The variable-speed thermostat probe option saves energy by limiting fan operation to a set temperature, which the installer can adjust. And since the panels include a universal power supply with three plug adaptors, they can be installed virtually anywhere worldwide.”

The FDC panels are available in 2RU or 3RU with different size fans. Model FDC4-2 features four fans with 80mm diameter each. Model FDC3- 3 includes three fans with 120mm diameter each.

Simplicity and Speed

Lodging Innovations offers a simple, unique Cleat Mount universal TV mount for all 32- to 55-inch flat-panels up to 60lbs. The non-tilting, simple, French cleat design is level adjustable and features a 1-inch low profile for friendly installation. The Cleat Mount is now UL listed up to 75lbs for wood stud walls and 60lbs for metal stud walls.

OmniMount’s LIFT40 low profile tilt wall mount utilizes Ergotron CF technology for vertical TV movement and requires only a light-touch to adjust most 30- to 55-inch TVs up to 40 pounds.

“A combination of simplicity and speed for TV mounting from the TV installation community spawned our Cleat Mount design,” said Anthony Lozano, principal, Lodging Innovations. “I removed what is not needed to wall mount any 32- inch to 55-inch flatscreen TV and left only what is needed and our minimalist approach that works well.”

As full on projection systems become increasingly more accessible to a broader base of consumers, and the go-to video equipment choice for installers, Crimson AV has targeted its latest mounts in this direction. “It was the ever-increasing popularity and practicality of two-piece projection systems in the residential marketplace that inspired Crimson AV to develop a new series of projector mounts that easily accommodate a wide variety of applications,” said Vlad Gleyzer, president, Crimson AV. “Utilizing a good-better-best strategy, the new JR Series of projector mounts each provide a unique combination of time and resource saving features, making them both a popular and profitable choice for integrators nationwide.”

The JR3 SyncPro by Crimson was designed to be easy to install and precisely adjust without tools. A lead screw mechanism ensures precise adjustments by simply rotating the large grip knobs to make all adjustments during installation. Heavyduty, professional-grade construction makes JR3 SyncPro appropriate for larger projectors and/or those with an off-center lens, and a universal design fits hole patterns up to 380mm diameter. Additional legs can be utilized as needed for projectors with large or irregular mounting hole patterns, and an intuitive quick release mechanism enables easy removal for projector bulb replacement without losing any preset picture adjustments.

Following the latest trends from flat-panels, Chief has focused on the ever thinner, less visible nature of home display systems. “The move toward lighter and thinner flat screen televisions has required an equally dedicated move toward thin, yet versatile mounts,” said Wade Link, product manager for Chief.

The Thinstall swing arm mounts fold in to 1.3 inch or 1.5-inch depth while offering smooth, Centris fingertip tilt. Forged steel and aluminum arms are used within the Thinstall design for extra strength. Chief’s “centerless” lateral shift feature offers up to 16 inches of post-install lateral shift, while height and leveling adjustments of up to one inch can be made after the mount is in place as well.

“When combined with the appropriate in-wall box, these already ultra-thin swing arm mounts provide a zero-depth installation. The in-wall box accessories feature large knock-outs for easier cable integration.”

On the control side, Chief has introduced a range of iPad mounts. These include portable interface brackets, tamper-resistant interface brackets for corporate and digital signage environments, and flush mount solutions for permanent installations.

Chief’sThinstall swing arm mounts fold in to 1.3 inch or 1.5-inch depth while offering smooth, Centris fingertip tilt.

Premier Mounts has also based its recent product introduction on the both the thinner and larger screens homeowners enjoy today. Designed for today’s slimline flat-panels, the AM100 is a full featured, lightweight aluminum mount with an ultra-slim mounting wall plate that provides three arm placement options for the desired swing out location. This allows the mount to swing out from the left, right, or center based on the preferred installation. Detachable mounting brackets and backplate add ease to the installation process, as the flat-panel can be mounted separately after the mount has been secured to the wall. This lowprofile mount retracts to 1.46-inches from the wall or extends up to 30-inches from the wall with the articulating arm. With 15 degrees of downward tilt, the mount provides a wide range of adjustments to achieve the desired viewing angle.

Premier Mounts’ CMT is a tilting flat-panel cable mount designed to make hanging a flatpanel as easy as hanging a picture frame. Using strong magnets, the plates behind the display are easily aligned and set in place. This makes it easy for the installer to secure the flat-panel in the right position without having to see where the mounting base is located on the wall. The CMT also provides a notable tilt feature. High tensile braided cable allows the mount to smoothly and securely tilt to the desired angle.

For simplicity, there’s also the Installers Choice SnapRax that ships flat and can be assembled in less than 5 minutes for where traditional welded racks are difficult to deploy. SnapRax is available as individual racks with the exact components needed or sold in pre-configured kits. Features include self squaring heavy duty caster base, tapped No. 10-32 mounting rails with individually labeled RU’s, and a top and base with cable egress. Flat or curved trim and doors are available to enhance the overall design aesthetic.

Peerless AV has targeted the specific needs of custom installers with its XT line of smart mounts. “We noted many lines had some of the features contained in this line, but none had all of them,” said Nick Belcore, VP of sales, Peerless. “We saw that predominately post level installation was something needed on flat tilt and full motion mounts and height adjustment, in particular, on full motion.”

The XT line features an ACCXT400 power receptacle with surge protection that incorporates internal cable management, allows the flat-panel to rest closer to the wall, the ability to switch between landscape and portrait modes without having to move the TV, surge protection, and the flexibility to add left, right, or center channels.

As each installation varies depending on a customer’s demand, the range of rack and mount options keep pace to satisfy whatever trend consumers are looking to satisfy with their home installation.

Lindsey Adler is assoc. editor of Residential Systems.