Televisions have never been so sleek, big, and beautiful. Their crisp, clear pictures brighten up a room. Unfortunately, when you turn them off, they stick to the wall or sit atop your entertainment center or kitchen countertop like black obelisks and begin gathering (and showing) dust almost immediately.
In their new form factors, HDTVs and their wires are perhaps even harder to hide or camouflage than their predecessors. Days of bringing a TV home from the store, taking it out of the box and plugging it in would seem to be over, thanks to all the wires that need to be connected to the home entertainment system and then covered up. You almost always have to hire someone to set up your system if you want it to blend into the décor of all the rooms your many screens inhabit.
Homeowners in search of that magazine look that their interior decorators intended are seeking design solutions that take their homes to a new level of elegance and sophistication, while remaining completely functional. They want to put a TV wherever they want, without compromising the look of the space.
Lift Your Décor
TV lift systems make it possible to reach that new level with ease. These high-quality, space-saving lift systems enable you to place a “pop up” TV anywhere in your home, instead of mounting them on a wall or purchasing a bulky entertainment center to hide the unsightly tangle of wires. Lighter and thinner than ever before, today’s slim design, flat panel televisions can easily be mounted on a TV lifts for a stylish solution.
You can hide the lift and TV almost anywhere — inside a piece of furniture, in a half-wall, or under your kitchen counter. Then, at the touch of a button on the remote control, your TV will slide quietly up into, or out of, view. You can also get ready-made TV lift cabinets and furniture with a pre-installed TV lift.
Manufacturers offer a wide variety of different cabinets and beautiful woods and finishes to choose from. Cabinets can be ordered to arrive fully assembled with the lift system, infrared receiver, and control box all mounted and ready to use. All you need to do is attach your TV to a universal mount and place it on the lift.
• Attractive clutter cutter in the living room. Whether you select a cabinet or install a lift in existing walls, cabinets or countertops, TV lifts also help you reduce clutter and save precious space that you would otherwise devote solely to your TV. With these space saving systems, you no longer need to put your TV in a large entertainment center in the living room. These big pieces of furniture are clutter themselves, but when your screen can disappear into a cabinet, you can avoid the closed-in look of a cabinet as well as leave your wall space free for eye-pleasing artistry, instead of a television screen.
• Bedtime viewing in style. Hanging TVs on the wall in bedrooms, kitchens, and dining rooms can be difficult because the requisite cabinets, mirrors and doorways make wall space a premium. In addition, the only place to hang a TV might not be the place you want to watch it.
• Lifts are heating up in the kitchen. Do you enjoy watching cooking shows? What about having your favorite program on while you’re preparing a meal or enjoying a cup of coffee when the kitchen chaos subsides? With the lift system innovation, a TV lift can be installed in a kitchen island or within any of your cabinetry. And when you’re not watching the TV, you still have the work surface.
• The new buffet. Imagine family movie night in the dining room or a birthday party with the added entertainment of a movie playing during cake time. Or maybe you’d just like the guys at the table while watching the game on TV. While you might not normally consider blending dining with entertainment, a TV lift system built into a buffet creates a new option for a room with limited functions.
• Take it outside. TV lifts can put the “great” in your outdoors. These systems enable homeowners who have turned their outdoor spaces into living areas to add a TV to the mix without cluttering up the look and feel of the space. Though they provide a lot of pleasure, outdoor TVs on TV lifts take up minimal space and they can be stored out of the way, and out of the elements, when they are not in use. When hidden, they also are secure from would-be thieves or vandals.
Looking Good
TV lifts enable you to put a television in places you’ve never thought of before –countertops, windowsills, and even in elegant cabinets that look like they belong to the room and not to the TV.
In essence, your room will have two looks: when the TV is in operation and when it is hidden from view. You need to take both scenarios into account when designing the room. For example:
• Choose spots wisely. Pick an area that is convenient for TV viewing and will also look great when the TV is hidden from view. For example, you might have a great view of the city or backyard from your bed, but you want the TV to be in that same place. You can install your TV lift into the wall, a compartment, or cabinet beneath the window.
• Consider the color scheme. Choose a finish or color that will complement the colors and textures used in the room today and in the future. Your lift will last longer than your current color scheme. Keep this in mind if you think you might like to keep your cabinet or custom lift compartment when it’s time to redecorate.
• Give yourself enough space. Choose cabinets or build compartments that are roomy. You will want to store your remotes, wires, video game system, DVD libraries, and other accessories depending on which room you place your system. You don’t want a cabinet that’s too small or too big. Select one that lets you hide everything so you can enjoy the effect of not having a TV in your room to its utmost. Fortunately, TVs are less bulky than ever before and make it easier to fit the in a more compact cabinet.
Our TVs are a big part of our daily lives. The bigger the better holds true when we are watching them, but not when we turn them off. We can choose to live with the effect they have on the beauty and balance of our interior aesthetic, or we can take our TVs to the next level and hide them in elegant furniture that enhances the décor of a room. TV lift systems enable us to enjoy the rooms in our homes with two lovely looks instead of just one.
For more information on TV Lifts visit Nexus 21
A Home Theater Personal Computer (HTPC), also called a media PC is the name given to a hybrid device, combining a personal computer with media center software that features music and video playback, and sometimes also allows for a digital video recorder. The use interface spans 10 feet, and is connected either to a TV or to a computer display that is the size of a TV. An HPTC can be used to portray digital photos, play music and movies, receive cable television, record videos and all this can be controlled with one remote control.
Creators of the HTPC were aiming to combine several important aspects of a home theater and entertainment system into one setup that can be placed where the consumer desires. Most HTPC systems are controlled by a remote control, while the 10 foot interface serves to provide comfortable viewing even from a significant distance. When purchasing an HTPC, you can ask for the required software and hardware to be pre-configured for your ease.
HTPC’s can function as a regular PC, but they do have additional characteristics. While normal PCs are designed for connection to an LCD TV or CRT display, HTPCs are made to be connected specifically to a television. HTPCs therefore have a TV out cable, and can be used with a DVI, VGA, HDMI or Display Port.
Standard PCs produce a large amount of noise, especially if a film is being watched on a CD or DVD. This is because PCs are designed to perform as best as the can, and the bulk of this performance is carried out by the processor. This is not the case with a HTPC. An HTPC uses passive cooling systems, vibration absorbing mounts for hard drives and fans, and low speed fans instead of the conventional cooling methods to ensure that noise is kept to a minimum so as to enhance the user experience.
Since an HTPC combines so many different components into one machine and has to function differently to a standard PC, it requires a storage capacity that is much higher than would be needed by a regular PC. The HTPC storage has to allow room for television shows, movies, videos, music, pictures, games and other forms of multimedia. It is designed to be a permanent storage device, and space can quickly run out on it because of the large nature of the files stored within it. To overcome this barrier when it comes to storage capacity of hard drives, combined with a need to keep the noise level low, HTPCs use a Network Storage Device, or similar file servers connected to a network. Some HTPC units include a DVD writer feature, which allows users to copy and move multimedia so that more room is made for newer items.
HTPCs require a TV tuner card, which is a component that allows a computer to receive television signals. TV tuners are also used in the form of video capture cards, which allow a user to record TV programs onto a hard disc.
Since the HTPC is mainly meant to be a home theater system, it has to be as comfortable as one even thought it is a specialized PC. Reaching for a mouse, and typing in instructions does not appeal to the use, and so a remote control is designed in order to integrate the HTPC into the living room. Some HTPC systems make use of in-air mouse pointers such as the Wii Remote, which can control a cursor from a distance. Common wireless keyboards, along with other peripheral devices can be used to obtain the same effect, however the range will not be similar to that of a traditional remote control.
Room acoustics are the most essential thing of any good sound system for your home theater.
If the acoustics in your home theater are not done properly it could make those awesome speakers you bought sound horrible and the sounds off the sub-woofer really boom. The room itself can make or break your home theater.
The sound that you hear from your home theater system is a combination of direct and indirect sound. A direct sound comes directly from the speakers to you and the indirect sound reflects off the various objects in your room. Sound always bounces. Unless you make it stop it travels through air and bounces off any surface that it comes into contact with and it keeps bouncing off surfaces unless you make it stop. Some of the sounds that bounce makes the audio sound more natural but too much of it will not sound as good. You will need to balance the bouncing sounds.
There are two types of materials that you can use for your acoustic panels, absorptive or diffusive. Absorptive are the most commonly used acoustic panels for the home theater systems which absorb the sounds that hit the panel. These panels do not absorb all frequencies equally. What determines the effectiveness is the type and thickness of the material. A thicker panel will absorb sound down to a lower frequency.
Understand this; there are multiple paths that the sound leaving your speakers takes to reach your ears. One is the direct path which makes the sound go directly to your ears, and then the other several longer paths which will come after the sound has reflected on one or more surfaces.
Understand the first reflection point. This is when the sound only reflects ones before reaching your ears. The same sound travels two different points before reaching your ears and it arrives at slightly different times. If the sound comes within 10-20 seconds of the direct sound it will affect your brain’s ability to perceive spatial cues and also problems with correctly containing the sound.’
A simple but effective trick for locating the first-reflection point is to think of sound as spreading it like a ray of light. So we can use a mirror to find the region on the side wall or ceiling where the sound from the speaker is reflected towards the primary seating position.
A panel that is few feet wide should do the job for you, hence there is no need to cover the wall.
It’s very easy to mount the panels in your home theater. You could either use metal mounting clips that screw into your wall and press the panels onto the clips or use a construction adhesive. The drawback of this is that ones it is dry and you want to remove it pieces of dry wall will also come off your wall. Another way you can put up your panels which will give more material thickness is to remove a selection of dry wall and fill it with acoustic-panel material. And then you can cover the hole with acoustically transparent fabric.
Too much of it will make the room sound dead. You need to use the diffuser to reflect the sound in random, multiple direction which will spread the acoustic energy around.
Although there are different styles of diffuser panels a cheaper way to diffuse your acoustic is to use a bookcase with differently sized books.
Remember that the key to a great home theater acoustic is balance. It’s best if you can use surface mount panels which you can place temporarily and mount them permanently after you have verified the proper placement. Now you can have the perfect home theater you have always dreamt of.
What are the differences between an LCD TV and a Plasma TV? Both LCD TVs and Plasma Screen TVs look somewhat similar on the outside. However, they both use very different technology on the inside on order to achieve similar results.
Plasma television technology is loosely based on the aspect of the fluorescent light bulb. The display consists of cells. In each cell, there are two glass panels. These glass panels are separated by a narrow gap. Neon gas is injected into this gap, and then it is preserved in plasma form while the manufacture of the product is complete. The neon-xenon gas is then electrically charged at very specific time intervals while the plasma set is being used. The charged gas gives colours of blue, green and red phosphors, and in this way it creates a television image. What we so often call a pixel, is made up of a single group of red, blue and green phosphors.
The technology used by plasma television removes the need for the bulky picture tube or the electron beam scanning of traditional television sets. However, plasma TVs still make use of the burning of coloured phosphors to deliver an image, and because of this, it still has some of the disadvantages of traditional television such as the generation of heat and the screen burn of still images.
LCD televisions use an entirely different technology. An LCD panel is made of two transparent layers that are polarized and then glued together. Then, one of these transparent layers is coated with a polymer intended to hold together the lone liquid crystals found within. An electric current is then sent through the individual crystals, and this allows the crystals to either pass or block light in order to create images. The crystals in an LCD panel do not produce light on their own, so an external source of light is provided in the form of a fluorescent light bulb. The image on the LCD screen, created by the crystals, then become visible to the viewer.
LCD panels are made of two layers of transparent material, which are polarized, and are “glued” together. One of the layers is coated with a special polymer that holds the individual liquid crystals. Current is then passed through individual crystals, which allow the crystals to pass or block light to create images. LCD crystals do not produce their own light, so an external light source, such as florescent bulb is needed for the image created by the LCD to become visible to the viewer.
However, unlike a plasma television, an LCD does not use phosphors, which means that less power is required for its operation. This means that an LCD television produces less heat compared to a Plasma TV or traditional television. The nature of this LCD technology is such that no radiation is emitted at all from the screen.
One may lean towards buying a Plasma TV because they have larger screens available as compared to LCD TVs. They also have a better contrast and are able to render deep, true black colours. The colour accuracy is sharper, as is the saturation. Plasma TVs are subject to very little lag when moving images are concerned. However, Plasma TVs are susceptible to burn-in when still images are being projected. They also generate more heat LCD TVs.
LCD TVs are worthwhile purchases because still images do not render a burn in, and they have a much cooler temperature than Plasma TVs while running. The image brightness is found to be better on LCD TVs, and they weight much less than Plasma counterparts. LCD TVs have lower contrast, and are not too good at rendering true blacks. They also tend to have trouble keeping track with fast motion, and there may be more lag than with Plasma TVs.
At one time, leather TV furniture could only be found in the houses of the rich and the famous. It used to be exorbitantly expensive, after all! But, soon people discovered that leather, which is essentially calf or lamb skin, is far more durable than fabric and an ideal material for upholstery. Over a period of time, leather TV furniture became more and more popular and the demand for it increased. With increasing demand, the prices of leather TV furniture also dropped. Now, it is possible to get great leather TV furniture for extremely reasonable prices and many houses in the country have taken advantage of the fact.
Leather TV furniture, if properly cared for, can last for a very long time. It can last for over two decades if maintained properly. Considering, leather TV furniture can match almost any kind of décor; most people want to make their leather TV furniture for as long as possible. Here are some tips to help you maintain your leather TV furniture.
There are many different types of leather TV furniture available. There are leather sofas, leather TV frames, leather home theater seating, leather CD racks, leather accented TV stands and leather straight chairs available among a number of other pieces. These tips for caring of leather furniture are applicable to all types of leather furniture.
- Like every other piece of furniture, leather TV furniture requires dusting on a regular basis. If dust is allowed to settle on leather TV furniture, over time it will cause color stains on the surface of the furniture and spoil its appearance. Depending on the region you live in, you will need to dust your leather TV furniture regularly in a way that dust is not allowed to settle. Just use a soft and clean cloth and wipe it against the surface of the leather TV furniture. If a lot of dust tends to collect in your house, you may want to use a vacuum cleaner with a brush setting to clean your leather TV furniture. Even if dust is not a very big problem in your house, it would be great to vacuum clean your leather TV furniture every few weeks.
- In case there is any spillage like tea, coffee or a drink, on the leather TV furniture, it is crucial that you clean it immediately. Else, a minor stain could become a permanent stain. It is important to remember that the spill should not be rubbed in any way. This could make the spill spread and become a permanent stain. Always blot the spill from leather furniture. Use blotting paper, tissue or a soft clean cloth to blot any spill, without rubbing it.
- In case of a rigid stain, make a dilute soap water solution and dip a clean cloth in it and use it to wipe the stain off. Avoid excessive rubbing. Also, read the manufacturers’ instructions. It is best to follow them.
- Even in the case of hard stains like blood, vomit, ink, etc. it is recommended that you blot the stain and use a solution of your manufacturer’s recommendation to remove the stain. You may need to apply a preservative on the leather surface after the cleaning to maintain its soft appearance.
- It is important to get proper cleaning of leather TV furniture done two to three times a year. This includes dusting, vacuum cleaning and a wipe down with a soft detergent liquid or leather cleaner. Ensure that the leather furniture is perfectly dry after this cleaning. Stagnant moisture within leather TV furniture can make it rot. After the leather furniture has been properly cleaned and dried, use a preservative on the surface.
- It is important to remember that the surface of the leather TV furniture also breathes. It is important to maintain the atmosphere in the room to ensure that there isn’t too much moisture in the room. The room should also not be too dry.
An entertainment system, sitting on your TV Furniture, whether it is a TV or a stereo system is just not complete without a remote anymore. People have gotten so used to being able to change settings from their couches that having to get up every time the volume needs to be changed or the sound has to be muted can become a grave impediment to the enjoyment you get from the Home Theater system. Also, channel surfing has become a very popular habit among TV viewers that many of them would be deeply frustrated as their ability to surf channels would be severely limited without a remote. Additionally, in houses where the rooms are large and the entertainment center is away from the seating arrangement, not having a remote can be a huge problem.
The only solution to the loss or damage of a remote is the purchase of a universal remote. A universal remote is designed in a way as to work with any Home Theater system. This means that if you lose or damage the original remote that came with your entertainment set, you can replace it with a universal remote.
There are mainly two types of universal remotes. One is the single function remote which provides replacement for the specific system remote. This means that if you lose a TV remote, you can replace it with a universal TV remote. This universal remote will work perfectly fine with your TV, but with no other entertainment system.
On the other hand, you can get a multi function universal remote that you can use with all your entertainment system collectively. This means that you will need to use only one remote whether you are using the TV, the stereo, the DVD player or the VCR. If you are the only person using the entertainment systems, then this may be a good idea. But, if different people in the house are likely to use different systems at the same time, then you are likely to need more than one universal remote.
The most important thing to look for in a universal remote is the number of functions it provides. Different users are used to the convenience offered by different functions on the remote. For instance, some viewers may have a ‘favorite channels’ settings, while other may be happy to surf all the channels that are available. Similarly, some people like to use the ‘shuffle’ option on the music system, while other do not. The ‘shuffle’ function plays all the songs from all the CDs in the system in a random order. It is important for you to identify what functions you would like on your remote. You can then choose a universal remote based on the functions you want to work with your home theater system.
The other thing you would have to keep in mind is how advanced your home theater system is. If your system is very simple, then you would not need a highly advanced remote. On the other hand, if you have a highly advanced entertainment system with a lot of advanced features, you will certainly need something more than a simple universal remote.
It is important to remember that there may be some difficulty in programming the universal remote at first. Most often, there is a programming code provided with the manual for the universal remote. However, depending on how advanced the functions are, you may have to figure out the best way to program your universal remote. Some users may find this to be more difficult than some others.
You will also need to check the memory, warranty and visual display of the universal remote to ensure that it all suits your convenience.
If you are looking to go all out with your home theater, one thing that you should not overlook is quality seating. A couch or normal arm chair is fine for after-diner-drinks and light conversation but when you want to really enjoy a movie at home these options don’t get the job done.
Elite Home Theater Seating provides The Best seating options available on the market today, Period.
Their Heavy Duty thick wall construction and high quality Italian leather will spoil you from ever going to a movie theater again. Almost all of their seats are hand crafted in Canada and come with a ten year warranty. This is TV furniture at it’s best
The chairs are available in a wide assortment to choose from and more than 80 different colors of leather and suede.
Do your self a favor and have a look at Elite Home Theater Seating and see for your self what you a missing
The use of high speed data transfer cables is common now and the many innovations in this area have eventually benefitted the user. The basic issue that the customer has to face now is to make an informed choice regarding which is better or for that matter the best. There are many devices that are available now which have some unique advantages, the catch is will they handle different scenarios with equal ease?
The Video or DVI cable over the Cat5 or Category 5 data transfer cable issue is the most closely contested one these days. Before we get into the differences we first need to understand what they basically are designed for, what are their capacities and what are their unique features.
There are various cables that are available today that serve the purpose of a DVI transfer. The Digital Video Interface cable is the current generation video transfer standard that provides the user with a very high definition sound and visual experience. They are used to transfer data to such new generation screens and monitors. They basically decode the binary signal that comes in and illuminate the pixel found on the screen to the required intensity. There is an advantage here as no heat signals are used as in analogue signals thus interfering with their functioning or nearby pixel clarity.
The CAT5e or the category 5 cable is the latest innovation in the sound and light business. It is a very high signal transfer cable that may be either shielded or unshielded. The category 5 cable has been superseded by the cat5e cable that has a specific role to play in the Ethernet networks and such other. The cat5 cable consists of many twisted pairs in a single cable jacket. The use of balancer lines helps in the preservation of a very high signal to noise ratio a very important parameter in the data transfer parlance.
Now the basic issue of which one is better is very well explained by the capacities of each in their specific roles. It is a possibility that the cat 5 cable set up is much more advanced, economical and very easy to install and run compared to the video cables. The usages of the video cable in facilities were there is a lot of RF disturbance makes the cat 5 a much better option. The other basic concerns of the using HDMI or DVI cables are that the copper elements in them are very thin and their installation should be cone with a lot of care, now as they are very thin they will not be very long lasting so this brings us to the issue of cost effectiveness, the HDMI cables are costly to buy and maintain as against the cat 5e cable. The inter connects in an HDMI system cannot be customised as in cut to various requirements and hence they need to be installed with a lot of care full planning.
Even so that does not mean that the Cat 5e has a very significant advantage over the DVI cable system. The extreme band width requirements in the DVI interface ask for two runs of the cat 5e cables. And this there is a need for shielded Cat 5e cables. This is not a feasible option due to various technical reasons, they are not preferred, and even then if it is a must it is still the economically viable solution.
The twisted pair cabling system is easy to operate, but there are certain locations were they cannot be used such as near about a foot from fluorescent lights, or near about 3 feet from a high voltage power line.
When people get home a plasma or an LCD TV, they often plan to keep it mounted on the wall. Wall mounted TVs look neat and as the cables are hidden, the absence of clutter makes the Flat Panel TV stand out. When all these plans are being made the big question will be where to place all the electronic devices that go hand in hand with your TV. The old hold- it- all entertainment centers that took up the whole wall and most of the room are outdated. As people are looking to open up space in their houses, a lot of innovative ideas are out.
A very simple solution would be to wall mount the rest of the entertainment equipment as well. A lot of shelves are now available that can be wall mounted very easily. Most of the wall mounting work can be done by anybody by following the step by step instruction manual. These wall mounted shelves are specially made to accommodate electronic devices and come with cable management as well so the cable mess will also be taken care of.
A popular arrangement is where everything is arranged close to the floor so as to create an illusion of space because of the open wall above. The shelves can be made of glass, wood or metal, all of which look great when they have the right finish. If the TV uses a Flat Panel TV Frame, the shelves can be chosen to match it to give it a look of being a set.
Since the DVD players, gaming consoles, cable boxes, speakers, etc. require space around the Flat Panel TV, a place should be thought for all these devices before you install the TV on the wall. Space should be available above or below the TV, if not all around. Even if you do not have a DVD player at the moment, space should be kept aside in case you get one in the future as, once installed you cannot easily remove the wall mounted TV.
The home theater speakers can be wall mounted so you will save up a lot of floor space and the minimalist arrangement will give your room a modern look. The three speakers can be kept on either side with one below or above. The amp and the cable box cal be kept on the wall mounted shelves above or below your TV. Keeping it below the TV is what most people do as it does not take the attention away from your precious HD TV.
When everything is wall mounted, you cannot leave your CDs and DVDs lying out. There are wall mounted TV racks on which your CDs and DVDs can be neatly stacked. It you have a large collection; you can keep them in a wall mounted media storage unit. Contemporary zigzag wall mount media shelves which even have room for a photo frame or 2, add a stylish touch to your room. These are usually made of metal and can look classy with a shiny finish. DVD wall storage is also a great idea and this will help you complete the wall.
Wall mounting is ideal especially when you have small apartments and every inch should be used wisely. Not only is wall mounting practical, it also gives the room a modern look while making everything look organized, and this goes for any place small or large. Wall mounting also shows exactly how thin your Flat Panel TV is, which is what most people want to do after the beautiful TV burns the huge hole in their pockets.
If you are looking for a way to finish off your interior design project in your living room or home theater we may have just the solution for you.
Flat Screen TV Frames by HD Envy create a finished look to any project. One thing missing in many home theater layouts or living room designs is a way to tie electronics into decor. TV Stands are nice but you still have the rear of the TV to contend with. TV Armoires add a nice touch but you still lose floor space. And if you still have a big entertainment center we really need to talk. A Plasma TV Frame can solve your problems and HD Envy seems to have the answer.
Their TV Frame models from the invidia line come in five different flavors:
The Arca Flat Panel TV Frame is drop dead simple and is sure to fit in to any decor, it may be a little to minimalistic for some designs though.
The Classical Flat Screen TV Frame is like a frame in a frame. There is a middle part of the TV frame that can be stained in assortment of colors or even use wood ornaments to match your decor.
The Modern TV Frame has a very retro 1950′ish look to it and would work well in home theaters that are set in this era.
The Traditional LCD TV Frame, which is our favorite, looks like.. well it looks like furniture. It is not too simple and not too over the top. It has an elegant design and looks like it would blend well with any decor.
The Valera TV Frame is a leather frame that is available in 3 different shades. If you are looking for something to tie in a leather couch or chair the Valera TV Frame may be just your style.
If none of these TV Frame designs tickle your fancy then a custom TV Frame may be just what the doctored ordered. HD Envy can build a custom TV Frame that is designed by you top meet your needs. The sky is the limit with custom TV Frames and the prices seem to be very reasonable.
Take a look at HD Envy TV Frame designs before you decide on a solution, we think you will be very pleased with their quality and price.
