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More Elaborate Mounts Mounting your flat-panel TV in a recess in the wall offers the lowest-profile look, but this approach can come at a steep cost. Besides the extra expense of cutting a large hole, once you've made that hole, you're stuck with it. If you later decide you want a bigger - or smaller - screen, you'll have to do an elaborate modification. Also, plasma sets generate a lot of heat, so make sure the space is well ventilated. But a recessed installation combined with an articulated mount gives you the best of both worlds - a flush look as well as the flexibility to pull the TV away from the wall and angle it any which way you choose.

Robotic mounts are a couch potato's dream, since they can be adjusted up or down and side to side via remote control. And if you don't want anything on your walls at all, a ceiling mount can make your TV look like it's floating in mid-air. But mounting a flat-panel on the ceiling is even harder than mounting one on the wall, and it's best left to a professional.

Want to get even more elaborate? Motorized lifts can make a flat-panel pop up out of a piece of furniture. Installers often work with cabinetmakers to integrate TVs into furniture, but several companies offer pieces such as cabinets, chests of drawers, and even footboards for beds that can accommodate a lift-mounted flat-panel. An installer can also make your TV come down from the ceiling, but besides the extra clearance and cash needed to perform this trick, the lift alone runs about $3,000 - roughly the price of a good flat-panel set.

Keeping It Simple There's no rule that says a plasma or LCD TV has to be hung on the wall. You can instead use the table stand that comes with almost any flat-panel TV, and home theater accessory companies offer all manner of tabletop and floor stands that fit any application or décor. Placing your set on a table or a credenza certainly makes installation easy enough, and the piece of furniture helps to hide any wires hanging from the back.