1. Product Knowledge: Make sure your TV has the ability to be mounted on a wall. This can be accomplished by reading the owner's manual or by asking the sales associate at the time of purchase.

2. Tools: Having the right tools for installation is crucial. Some basic tools needed include: a stud finder, screw driver, tape measure, socket wrench set, cordless drill and miscellaneous anchors and fasteners. Zip also recommends a second helper for lifting the TV.

3. Site Assessment: A best practice prior to any installation work being performed at your home is a site assessment. Please identify potential hazards in the area you will be cutting and drilling into the wall. Make sure electrical outlets in the area are shut off and your wall structure is sound for mounting.

4. Wall bracket: Make sure you have the correct wall bracket. This bracket must be able to match up with the bolt whole patterns on the back of your TV and have a load rating which will support the weight of your TV. Please check the bracket manufacturer to confirm this info.

5. Cables: Make sure you have the proper cables that meet local building and fire codes. It’s also important that your cables are the proper length for installation. For example, if you are installing your TV above the fireplace, Zip recommends 16 foot cables. For a table top TV set up and installation, 6 foot cables are recommended.

I would like to add a few more:

- measure twice, cut or drill once. (or if you are like me, measure about 5 times). Nothing looks worse than a wall mounted LCD or plasma television that is slightly crooked.

- if you need to move an electrical outlet use a professional, unless you are a competent in this field.

- depending on the size of the set, you might want more than one additional person to help with the lifting. For instance, Panasonic's TH-58PZ850U 58" plasma television weighs 128 pounds, their 103" plasma TV weighs 485 pounds - call everyone you know.

- depending on the room, you might want to consider a cantilever wall bracket; this way you can pivot the set to point at different parts of the room. Check out this one from OmniMount.

- I am not sure on their recommended cable lengths. From my experience, I have used cables that are more than 25 feet long for over the fireplace installations. I think that Zip Express Installation's suggestion is a good general recommendation, but installations vary.

- on the subject of over the fireplace installations - are you sure you want your set there? It can be a great looking installation, but in some rooms, you will be looking up too much at the set. For many people this can be uncomfortable. And some fireplaces, particularly older ones, throw a lot of heat straight up towards the television. This can slowly BBQ the TV. To test, start a fire and place your hand above the fireplace where you are thinking of installing the set. If it is quite warm, you might want to reconsider where you install the TV.

Comments? Do you have any more tips?