VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) is an international body, founded in the late 1980s by NEC Home Electronics and eight other video display adapter manufacturers whose aim was to establish an industry-wide interface standard designed for PC’s, workstations, flat panel monitors and TVs.
Identifying the VESA Standard
The standard defines, amongst other things, the various types of 4-hole patterns displayed normally in the middle on the rear side of a large number of monitors and TVs, to which alternative mounts and brackets can be attached once the base stand has been removed.
Occasionally the term is abbreviated to FDMI which is defined as Flat Display Mounting Interface standard, but is more widely known as VESA mount or bracket.
The main groupings of VESA are as follows:-
VESA MIS-D
Has mounting hole patterns in either an 100 mm x 100 mm or 75 mm x 75 mm square pattern.
VESA MIS-E
Mounting holes are in a 200 mm x 100 mm rectangular pattern.
VESA MIS-F
Several holes spaced in 200 mm increments (e.g. 400 x 200 mm, 600 x 400 mm etc.).
Making An Informed Choice
When purchasing an LCD / Plasma mount / bracket the description of the product should state whether it conforms to one or several of the VESA standard dimensions mentioned above and/or whether it has numerous hole patterns to fit non-VESA screens, often described as universal fittings. Often, the manufacturers fail to specify the exact standard, and the consumer will have to check the fittings on the back of the screen. It has even been known that different production runs of a particular screen have had mounting holes that complied with different standards. My advice would be to wait until the back of the screen can be checked, or ask a reputable dealer for advice.
Although the standard was initially limited to smaller LCD monitors and televisions, it is becoming increasingly common as the availability of third-party universal mounting has increased. Many manufacturers are now adopting the larger MIS-F standard for larger plasma and LCD screens.
