When we replaced our original 13 inch TV with a digital flat screen, we looked at a lot of TV's in stores. One important thing we discovered was that the viewing angle (left/right or up/down) varied significantly. Since our TV is mounted high, similar to your second picture, we made sure we got a TV that had a good picture when viewed from below.
The old TV was mounted in a cabinet with a VCR beside it and after careful measuring we found that we could get a 26 inch flat screen in the cabinet on the diagonal by using a fully articulating arm.
Old 13 inch TV and VCR on roll out shelf
New 26 inch TV mounted on articulating arm
NCAA basketball game - old batwing antenna can receive digital broadcasts from local stations
New TV stored on diagonal in cabinet for travel
Cabinet door I fabricated from the original roll up door panel
