What is an FDMI?

Flat Display Mounting Interface (FDMI) is a bracket standard for computer displays and flat panel televisions. The mounting bracket required to attach a flat panel to a wall must have hole patterns that align with holes pre-drilled into the back of the display. The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) is responsible for setting FDMI standards, dictating not just the hole pattern, but spacing, depth and thread type. Products that comply with the VESA standard can be used interchangeably so that several manufacturers, for example, can design wall brackets, increasing consumer choice and market competition.

Perhaps the most common FDMI standard is known as Mounting Interface Standard (MIS)-D 100; a square pattern of holes with a distance of 100 mm horizontally and vertically. The holes are 10 mm deep with M4 threading. This configuration is typically found on VESA-compliant displays that weigh 20 to 30 pounds (9-13.6kg). Larger, heavier displays use one of several other VESA variants, depending largely on weight.

VESA WALL MOUNT STANDARDS:

MIS-D 75
75 mm × 75 mm

MIS-D 100
100 mm x 100 mm

MIS-E
200 mm × 100 mm

MIS-F
200 mm × 200 mm
400 mm × 400 mm
600 mm × 200 mm
600 mm × 400 mm
800 mm × 400 mm
280 mm × 150 mm

The easiest way to find a compatible FDMI bracket for your display is to refer to the bracket’s stated specifications. In most cases vendors will list wall mounts as being compatible with displays that fall within a range of dimensions (screen size) or a range of weight. When shopping online you may be able to enter your television or display model into a search engine for compatible brackets.

Some people prefer a bracket that will hug the display against the wall as flush as possible. In other cases a tilting wall mount might be preferable so that the display can be angled downwards, as viewing LCD TV from an oblique angle can make some displays look less vibrant. Finally, an articulating arm can extend the TV or display out from the wall and tilt it at almost any angle, common in waiting rooms and in hospitals.

An FDMI wall mount might also lock the TV to the mount, discouraging theft. To remove the TV from the wall bracket, an included specialized tool is required.

Installing an FDMI bracket is straightforward for anyone handy with his or her hands, but if the display is heavy two people will be required to lift the HDTV on to the wall mount in the final step. The bracket includes two basic components: one is attached to the back of the display, the other to the wall, preferably on to studs. The display bracket interfaces with the wall bracket, locking the TV into place. All hardware, including screws, is typically included.

In many cases when people purchase an HDTV locally, the retailer will offer to include a wall mount at an inflated price. FDMI mounting brackets start at about $30 US Dollars (USD) but can be oversold for as much as $300 for the same basic model, so it pays to shop around. Any steel-constructed, FDMI wall mount compliant with your display will hold it securely, regardless of price, so paying more doesn’t necessarily get you more.