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I have to say I think this trend is the absolutely ugliest, I hate the flat screen over the fireplace. It is way to high, your eyes should be in the look down position not the up position as it does hurt your eyes after a while. The fireplace should be the focus of the room, not the television.
Ugh !! It really is just an awful trend..................ugly ugly ugly !!!
I think a TV over a fireplace looks tacky. I realize people do this because it's difficult to arrange furniture around two important room features, but it's not very stylish.
I grow up in the country that does not very common to have fireplace in the house. Therefore, to us, fireplace does nothing but a piece of decoration. We even think it's kind of wast because it occupied a wall space. Hang the TV over it is basically to save the space and make the room looks more simple and modern style. We have open floor plan so family room technically only has 3 walls. One with slide door to deck, one with bay window and one occupied with fireplace. I have no choice, but put the TV up there. Luckily, the fireplace in family room does not have raised platform so it's not too high. The other fireplace has rasied platform is in formal living room. That one will remains unchanged and will be more classic style.
I am not really a fan of a tv over the fireplace. I always wanted a fireplace and with our new house we got one. I wanted it to be the main focus in the room. My neighbor has their tv over their fireplace. They could not run the wires behind the wall so the wires hang down and then run across the top of the mantel down the side to the plug in the wall. Also they have a little tv so it makes it look really odd. It seems way to high as well. BUT it would depend on how high your mantel is etc. I did see a show on HGTV where a very large tv was placed over a fireplace and it didnt look too bad. But the fireplace was not traditional. Anyway, try it out and if you dont like it you can always take it down. Just hide the wires. It drives me nuts when people hang a tv and let the wires show.
Also,
They make special hanging brackets that will allow you to hang the tv at an angle, to give you a better line of viewing,
Thanks
My mom insisted on hanging her tv over her fake fireplace. yuck! Anyway, she got the bracket that tilts. But every time I go over there I feel like I should be laying in a hospital bed.
Our wire is behind the wall as we rewire everything in the house. Our fireplace has ugly stair type bricks on the top so I have contractor to box and drywall the top portion to the ceiling so that we have plenty space to place the wire inside the drywall. Our electrician also use a tube to run the wire there so it has extra protection to the heat. We do not have any problem with rough in inspection, but just kind of worry one of the inspector who is very strict and mean. All local people know that. My contractor will take down the TV for final inspection as we cannot afford to fail it.
Most people building new houses in my area have wiring installed in that spot during construction even if they don't plan on putting their television there. I did when I built my house a few years back, but I have artwork there instead. None of the electrical shows as long as you put SOMETHING above the fireplace. Really it just gives more flexibility for potential buyers if you ever want to sell.
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Also they have a little tv so it makes it look really odd. It seems way to high as well. BUT it would depend on how high your mantel is etc. I did see a show on HGTV where a very large tv was placed over a fireplace and it didnt look too bad. But the fireplace was not traditional. Anyway, try it out and if you dont like it you can always take it down. Just hide the wires. It drives me nuts when people hang a tv and let the wires show. 
