Flat Panel TV Mounting to Save Space

[seglie]

Hello, I recently spent all of my hard earned coin to buy a new place. It's very nice, but small and I'm looking to save space where possible. I'm also looking for an excuse to replace my old tube TV. First, a picture of where I plan to set up the new LCD.

The TV would go about where the painting is. If you look at the bottom of the picture, you can see the power outlet as well as the cable outlet. Also, there is a closet behind the wall in case I want to get creative and start punching holes through walls.

So, I'm looking for the best setup to save space. Wall mounting a TV would be a good way to go. Althought I would like to hide the cords behind the TV, I know there are cable covers that I could run from the outlets up to the TV and paint the same color as the wall to disguise the cables. The main problem is what to do with the cable box and DVD player. I think those are the only two pieces of equipment I'm looking to have set up along with the TV. Maybe some sort of shelving? They would still stick out at least the depth of the equipment. Maybe a hole through the wall to run wire and set them up in the closet behind the wall? Not sure how keen I am on that, but if easy and able to patch, I would consider it. Then would have to figure out how to get remotes to work with the DVD player and cable box since they would be behind the wall.

This area connects the the rest of the house to kitchen and living room so will be a high traffic area. I would like to opt for a small, shallow TV stand but that would impede the walkway.

Just looking for some suggestions. Thanks!

[Dennis Turner]

You could make recessed shelves into the closet that open into the room with the television. That way the equipment would be open and allow the remote to work, but it would not intrude into your room at all.

[Big Al]

Just hung one for a friend. Made a metal plate with holes drilled to fit the TV. Then made four "keyholes" or round holes with a slot going up. Put four screws in the wall to fit the slotted holes. Lift the TV, insert over the screws and work it down. No problem and the TV is dead against the wall.

Al

[RayV]

Easy enough to add an outlet inside the closet on the back side of that wall to power the TV. Just run all of you cables and what-not through a small hole in the wall behind the TV, nice house don't screw it up with plastic conduit running up the wall. For the remotes you can buy an infrared extender or similar device to control your hardware no matter where it is. One example is:

around I'm sur you will find something that will work.

[Dan Espen]

Look into cable card ready TVs. You may be able to find a way to do without a cable box.

[hillacc at yahoo.com]

A small decorative cabinet below the TV would look nice on that wall and hide extra electronics behind its doors.

Jo Ann

[Mark Lloyd]

That MIGHT work, or you could be almost constantly moving the units to try to avoid interference. It's looks like you'd do better with something like

[Mark Lloyd]

Cable Card is probably a good idea if you want digital cable, although it does limit you. You can't distribute the signal to other TVs.

There's still the DVD player, which requires physical access to insert/remove DVDs.

[seglie]

Thanks for all of your thoughts. I was thinking the same thing about the DVD player. I really like the thought of inset shelving, but that would put a large hole in the wall. Still might consider it. I think setting up a cable and power outlet in the inside of the closet is a pretty neat thought. A small hole for cords would be fine since a picture or something will be there if a TV is not. I don't have any experience with this but imagine I could find something online that shows me how or find some basic pricing for someone to come out and do it for me. I was thinking there might be some way to run infrared from the devices inside the closet and mount a little eye on the TV so I wouldn't have to worry about bouncing signals around. Not sure if something like that exists.

Thanks and let me know if there are any other thoughts!

[seglie]

Oh, just noticed that smarthome link is just what I was looking for!

[RayV]

It has been a while since I bought AV equipment but Sony devices used to have a port in the back, maybe S-link, that would transfer the remote signal. That way you would only need line of sight to one device and could link all of the others to that via cable.

[Goedjn]

Kill your television. Take up woodcarving or something.

[seglie]

I agree. Lived without TV for a year and loved it. We're both plenty active and not in front of it all day. We want less profile so that it's not the centerpiece of the room. That said, it is nice to watch "My Super Sweet 16" or "Cheaters" from time to time.

[trader4]

The size of the hole shouldn't be an issue if it solves your space problem. I like Dennis's idea of building an opening with shelves in the wall. That is, provided you can live with the loss of space at that location in the closet. The other consideration is if the wall is load bearing, which would complicate things. If it's not, then putting some shelves into an opening isn't a big project.

If not, then you could put the cable box, dvd on a shelf in the closet and use one of the remote repeater/relocater gizmos. Or locate them anywhere in the room from which you can run cabling to the LCD.

Still might consider it. I think

[Ninja67]

A friend of mind cut out the drywall completely in a spot similar to yours. Then re-applied it against the back of the wall. If you have no structure supporting beams in the spot you can easily do this. This not only saved space, but it kept people from knocking into it as they walked by. If he ever decides to take the TV out, he can andd shallow shelving instead for a very nice look.

[CptDondo]

Mount it at picture height, and get a hanging bracket that allows you to tilt it. That way, you gain the space underneath for a small table, whatever.

I have all of my gear in the closet; the only thing that protrudes is the remote control sensor, but then again I run MythTV and that's a whole different ballgame.

The *only* thing you see is the TV, and then the speakers. I am a traditionalist and have the 'old school' big speakers.

I drilled a big hole to the closet, and then used a large wire loom and an electrical outlet cover to hide the hole and the wiring.

I have a 37" TV, and you don't even notice it unless it's on. A great big improvement over the 27" CRT I used to have which dominated the room.

--Yan

[mm]

Is this the bottom floor or the top floor? If the bottom and you have a basement, or the top and you have an attic, I would put the cable box and player near the chair I would be sitting in, and run the cables through the floor (or back to a wall, into the wall and down or up to the unfinished floor), over to below or above the wall that you are showing, and arrange for the wires to come out right behind the tv. That's the advantage of owning your own home.

It also means you don't have to get up to change the DVD and you don't have to rely on a remote to; control whatever devices you are using. I have my vcr next to my bed and the tv that it feeds on the far side of the bed 10 feet away. Why people always put the vcr/dvd/cable box right by the tv, I have no idea.

Also it appears that behind that wall is a closet or something. You could without too much trouble put an added electrical outlet 3 feet above the first one, so you wouldn't see that either. You'd have to look at the back of the tv carefully before doing this, or the first part above, but there is probably plenty of room, because I'm not the first person to think of this.

I would probably do it in violation of code, but I don't recommend that. Other people here: I know you won't like running plain lamp cord or even heavier through a little hole in the wall, but if a 1 or

2 inch diameter hole was cut in the wall behind the tv -- the circumference could be plastered -- could the cord be run through that to an outlet somewhere else, or a new outlet put in back to back with the current one near the floor? That way the pretty wall wouldn't be obstructed.

I agree that the tv should be right against the wall but I don't think you should have to make your own plate. Don't they sell them for each tv?

[SJF]

With this in mind, the recessed shelving suggested by others might be attractive. The shelves could be semi hidden behind a smoked glass door similar to those on many TV stands. That would provide convenient access to auxiliary equipment and should not be too difficult to construct.

SJF

[Larry Bud]

Before you go hanging the thing like the next Mona Lisa, I highly suggest you think about hanging it in this manner.

Depending on your viewing habits for this location, hanging these TVs at this height is very unnatural. I know it looks cool, and it's the latest and greatest, but with most TVs, the bottom of the picture is perhaps 24-30" above the floor, so when you're sitting on your couch, you're looking straight ahead. If you go and hang this thing perhaps 48" above the floor and you'll be looking UP to watch TV.

In the location you want it, that might be a good thing (if it's designed for viewing when working in the kitchen, for example), but if you plan on sitting most of the time, I would do a test run and sit in the regular spot and stare at that painting for an hour or TWO (movies, of course) and see how uncomfortable it is.

[Mark Lloyd]

Yes, that would be a way to do it. Is the smoked glass door transparent to IR?