entertainment centers

[MICKEY T]

I see a lot of posts regarding folks wanting to fit a new HD television into their entertainment center. They have space limitations due to the size of their furniture. Most furniture made prior to a year or so ago was not made for widescreen anyway. It is just my opinion, but shouldn't it be the other way around? Those of you buying a new widescreen tv, should consider possibly buying a new center/stand/table first. Your HD television purchase should not be dictated by furniture.
Consider the cost of something new to put your sexy new HDTV into your purchase on to.

[Rich]

Are you married, MickeyT? I think for many of us, our better half could care less about the new television, but definetly cares about the furniture.

[Blaster]

Your HD television purchase should not be dictated by furniture.


well said , I've been thinking along the same lines...

you'll most likely be sorry in the long run
if you are serious about a modern Home Theater System
you should really consider a change (boy did I...) :cool:

[MICKEY T]

been there, done that x3. I guess I'm not sensitive enough. Sorry RICH.

[Surf40]

I spent twice as much on the entertainment center as I did for the HDTV. My wife really likes the center, the HDTV is "OK".

Surf40

[gparris]

been there, done that x3. I guess I'm not sensitive enough. Sorry RICH.
WWF: Wife Wipped Factor
Always occurs unless you have something they want, too, so you play it if you are strong enough to hold your own and hold out on something SHE wants!
When I do consulting or installs, this comes into play when wife does not care about HDTV. This only occurs one out of four times, so it is significant enough to worry about use of set vs. asthetics (read: hers). :whistle:
It is like an equation: WWF= High= smaller HDTV set.
IF wife wants HDTV (usually same ratio,believe it) then NEW furniture comes into play and I have to find something that matches in oak, etc or less high tech looking, unless that is their (her) decor. :D

I believe that the set size to distance watched is the first thing, then the furniture and its placing, especially if the home has a family room, anyway, rather than just a living room or great room....then the WWF is reduced by addtional rooms. :)

[mikehbkwm]

i thought that stood for WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION... LOL

[57U]

No, that's WWE The real WWF (World Wildlife Fund) forced them to change their acronym since they had it first.

[gparris]

It gets really aggravating sometimes...
If the wife wants something then I suggest he (or in reverse, she) uses it as a bargaining tool and it usually works. :)
The other day the 26" set bit the dust and the wife wanted to replace it with the same old thing because it looked nice in the cabinent, even though the store didn't have one anymore like that, dimensionally, to fit.
So to compromise, the 3 cabinets got separated to fit a 48" HDTV set with a matching shelf placed overhead with matching wood, for asthetics, including a silk plant (no watering, of course) and the center channel speaker on it.

The result? Wife keeps her cabinents, husband gets decent set (and setup) and everyone wins...the there are 2 cabinents on the wall towards the right and the other one (on the other side of the set) to left, then there is a doorway...with the right and left speakers becoming the surround fronts, a small sub in the right-most side and the back surrounds cables under the floor (basement) as smaller speakers on stands, next to additional plants...!

But of course, it doesn't always end of this way...sometimes WWF makes it worse, but later they end up divorced as this is one more nail in their marriage "coffin". Like they complain about the football (or other sports) sometimes they complain once too much...! :whistle:

[Blaster]

:hah33: gparris you got me rolling...

but it is so true

that should be a sticky: WWF vs HD Purchase :rofl2:

boy , the stories would pile up i bet . . .

:)

[gparris]

If you think that is funny, imagine the fact out of 140 new homes being built in my immediate area, more than 2 dozen sport those horrible "fireplace/media center" combos. Was it WWF or the builder's lies upon optioning this? :wow:
By this combo, I mean the fireplace sits on the floor with barely a mantle over it and a place to hang a picture and next to it, then about 4 feet above the floor is a "TV box" that only a 27" incher could fit in and a wood box for the fireplace below...UGH! :(

When you spend what they spend for these "luxury" production homes, you would think watching a 27" set from 12-16 feet away would freak anybody out, especially with Home Theatre setups being almost everywhere!
This "lovely design" no doubt came from one of those interior decorators that are TV snobs where the fireplace is "the center of every room"...yeah, right!

My "mission", should I decide to accept it, will be figuring out what to do to rehab this mess into a useable HT setup once the sparks fly (husband or both see my setup or someone's else's of similar caliber).
This builder is wacked...I say this because in the early 1990's they offered 50" TVs built into the wall with an overhead component rack for practically nothing in price-what they have done now, is nothing short of extremely backward...and these home buyers are so screwed not knowing any better! :shootout:

[57U]

It was probably a "fake" fireplace. Perhaps instead of the fireplace, they should put in a larger TV and supply one of those "fireplace" DVDs you can play on the TV. (Fireplace DVD for the winter - fishtank DVD for the summer.)

[gparris]

No, it is an REAL fireplace that works...it still stinks...badly... :(

My first call came in recently to "fix" the situation.
Well, the "eyeball" lights that came with the "media center" got angled away to the side-walls to reduce light reflection and the woodburning fireplace will be used rarely, if ever, so not to disturb the 50" plasma that is not only taking up that blank mantlewall space. but also the small hole the TV was supposedly (ugh!) put in. :D
The plasma is getting a secure mount, centered enough to hide the hole and most of the blank wall, angled slightly and lowered to hide the mantle ledge for a closer fit, as I am aiming for more of a eye-level viewing setup.
Then the center channel will be mounted on a shelf inside of that TV hole at the top.
The A/V receiver, a DVD/CD 400-disc changer and HD DVR box (on the top for venting) on shelves will be inside the woodbox, barely off the floor, but ventilation will be good for all three of them to begin with.
The connections from (thankfully) the basement allowed for back surrounds and fishing the wires to that woodbox and all...I am still not looking forward to doing it, though.
The plasma is being installed by an insured and licensed installer, not me, but I will supervise the video and power cord placement from the set to the A/V receiver, selecting the equipment and speakers and that installation of part of the setup, as is usually the case with me.
I measured and sketched the plan for them and they seem to love it...they said anything is better than what was there.
Fortunately, I cannot blame them for this "media centre" mess, as they bought this home as "spec home"-this "media centre" was already there, but the house was so nice, at 3600 sq. ft., that it was worth it with the other features like gourmet kitchen and all. As for their bedroom HT, if this goes well, I'm coming back! :D