Home Tech: Making a Media Console Work
How to manage your TV and component's wires, ventilation and communication with the remote control
I write about home technology and shopping, and love both. I'm the Tech Girl in Traditional Home magazine and contribute retail coverage to Forbes, Yahoo! and Dealnews, among others.
I write about home technology and shopping, and love both. I'm the Tech... More »
Incorporating modern devices into our homes is a perennial dilemma, and I feel for any designer trying to do it with a measure of style. That's because electronics don't just sit on a shelf. DVD or Blu-ray players, audio equipment and cable boxes have all sorts of requirements to function. Power cords are the least of it, but for functionality and safety, proper ventilation, line-of-sight and ability to work with remote controls all need to be taken into account.
Fellow Houzz contributor Natalie Myers recently wrote about stylish options for vintage-style media cabinets. For those who wondered, Where are the wires? read on.
More: Great Rooms With Great Viewing
Fellow Houzz contributor Natalie Myers recently wrote about stylish options for vintage-style media cabinets. For those who wondered, Where are the wires? read on.
More: Great Rooms With Great Viewing
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It's tempting to try to repurpose a piece of vintage furniture or use a shelving unit, buffet or console table as a media cabinet, but there is a big difference between a standard cabinet and a media console.
This unit is produced by Bello, a company that specializes in media mounts and furniture. There are several companies that do so, and while they often don't make the cut in some home designs, it's important to look at reasons why these pieces are the right tools for the job. Whether you choose a dedicated media console or not, keep in mind these features.
This unit is produced by Bello, a company that specializes in media mounts and furniture. There are several companies that do so, and while they often don't make the cut in some home designs, it's important to look at reasons why these pieces are the right tools for the job. Whether you choose a dedicated media console or not, keep in mind these features.
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Adjustable shelves make room for a variety of components. While most pieces have the same depth, they won't always be the same height. Using furniture with fixed shelves means running the risk of having a component not fit or needing to stack on on top of the other, potentially limiting its use and risking overheating.
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Cutouts in the rear of a media console do more than allow cords through. The openings also permit much-needed ventilation. Electronics get hot when in use, and you'll want air to flow around them and vent outside the cabinet. This reduces the risk of fire, and can lengthen the life of the components.
Many commercially-available media cabinets don't have as wide an opening as this unit, and for most of us with a few basic media components cutsouts for cord management are enough. Just remember to leave a few inches around each electronic item for safety.
Many commercially-available media cabinets don't have as wide an opening as this unit, and for most of us with a few basic media components cutsouts for cord management are enough. Just remember to leave a few inches around each electronic item for safety.
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On specialized media cabinets, each piece is designed for functionality. A grill below the TV is situated for a five-channel home-theater audio system; this is where the center speaker sits. Using a screen rather than wood allows sound to flow unobstructed.
The inclusion of tempered glass doors might seem odd, even unwelcome, for those who wish to hide their components, but glass allows the pieces to work with remote controls.
The inclusion of tempered glass doors might seem odd, even unwelcome, for those who wish to hide their components, but glass allows the pieces to work with remote controls.
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| Media armoires worked great back in the day of analog TVs. Close the doors to hide the electronics and open them to watch. Those were simpler times. |
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| But today, flat-panel TVs are put on display more often than not. Mounting on walls or being set on top of consoles can actually complicate matters since remote controls typically use infrared signals to communicate with the devices. The little red light needs to be pointed directly at the component to change the channel, turn up the audio or pause the movie. A solid surface blocks this communication. |
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That's why putting devices on display often helps them function at their best.
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In pieces designed to hold media, screens on the front will function like tempered glass and let devices breathe and talk to the remote control.
by Candelabra
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You can still get vintage style in a new, dedicated media cabinet.
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by Room & Board
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| This piece from Room & Board features stretched fabric across the front. |
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by Emily Ruddo
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| And remember it's not always a crime to let a few components show. A beautiful room is a beautiful room. This is one of my favorites on Houzz. It's not hard to image a couple of component boxes sitting just below the flat screen and atop this console. More: Where to Put the TV? Great Rooms With Great Viewing How to Arrange Your Room for TV and People, Too Where to Put the TV When the Wall Won't Work |
Ideabook published on Oct. 23, 2011.
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Just the fact that these units roll "and they look hot) has made these very popular with loft apartment residents in Brooklyn & Manhattan. Free curbside delivery in NYC metro area makes these custom built units a big hit as well.
http://www.standoutdesigns.com/collections/haven-solid-wood-tv-consoles-media-stands