I've linked (below) our TV that is recessed. DH found the tv he wanted to purchased and built the niche to accept it. He left several inches all around (picture is a bit deceiving, mantle is 6ft tall) for heat to escape. We've been in 4 years and haven't had any problems.

It's not open on the back, just left space around the TV for air flow. They sell fans for TVs and/or equipment if you want the wall to come all the way to the TV....but this may cause problems in the future when you need to replace TV.

Also be sure niche is deep enough to hold TV and the holder.

Here is a link that might be useful: our tv

The drywall is only 1/2 inch thick, so that alone os not enough depth.

You can frame the opening with a header and easily create a pocket 3 inches deep.

Any decent carpenter should have no problem if you give the the dimensions.

A non-weight bearing wall is very simple.

Weight bearing will need a header to support the load above.

i would advice it for a couple of reasons, but mostly because of what you already said. Heat would be an issue i would assume. Secondly if you ever need access to the side of the tv or rear you won't have it if it's recessed. I would just get a samsung 1.2" tv and a low profile mount, it won't stick out more than 2-3 inches off the wall.

Heat is not really an issue with an Led TV. Even LCD are very cool running. Don't try it with a Plasma. I might spend a few extra bucks on a swing out mount to make the wiring easier - I just picked up a swing out for $35 as opposed to $20 for a fixed mount.

The niche is easy to create. My builder would warn something about future proofing when the TV dies and they don't make that size anymore.

Now I'm just mad that I didn't do this. In the living room, we are in a built-in so that is basically recessed. But in the bedroom, it would have been slick....

What are you people gonna do when the Tv has to be replaced and its dimensions are different?

In our build, we had the contractor construct a recess above the FP (14"D x 55"W x 48"H) and include a cable connection and electrical outlet on the rear wall of the recess. We put a 52" LCD TV in and it looks really nice. We hid all the components in a closet behind the FP.

Same in the master bedroom: niche above the FP, only slightly smaller as it holds a smaller TV.

You can mount the TV on the rear wall of the niche or use the stand that comes with the TV.

What are you people gonna do when the Tv has to be replaced and its dimensions are different?

Actually, we have a 4yo 42" tv in our niche. Now, we could be a 46" tv that would fit.

I would suggested a niche that is at least 5-6 inches deep. Reason being, you not only have to have depth for the tv itself, but for any measurement added due to tilting. Even if just a tad tilted.

Ours, when slightly tilted is just at the front of niche. The guy who made the sliding cover I designed took everything into consideration.

If for some reason we cannot put a tv in the niche in the future (I don't really see manufacturers going back to deep tvs), then the cover will just act as "art."

In the lower right, you can see a little black thing. That is the "eye" for the remote that runs everything - which is stored in the equipment niche to the right of the FP. I had the same guys build the door for that niche from an old shutter. It holds all the necessary TV/DISH equipment and has shelves for DVDs.

*Advice* Run an extra set of cables during construction in case the original is blown by lightning. We did this at the installers advice. Also have extra wire running to the DISH location. Much easier now than later!

Here is a link that might be useful: our tv

This is easy and just takes a little extra planning. Allison has pretty much described what happens in commercial applications such as what I was involved with in conference rooms. It really comes down to what is behind the wall you want to place the TV into. Otherwise, you can easily build the niche to the required size. You can build the niche framing bigger and finish it to accommodate your current TV (just figure the opening size on standard 16:9 aspect ratios for flat screens). TV manufacturers can provide clearances for natural cooling or a small very quiet fan can be flush mounted inside the niche.

I recommend installing a TVSS (transient voltage surge suppressor) receptacle in the niche to save space and eliminate the need for a power strip. Also, it is never a bad idea to run extra cabling but all cabling should be surge protected as close to their entry into the house as possible.

Look at the samsung led 1 1/2" thick tv's, the led runs a lot cooler than the lcd

What happens when the price for 8' wide TV's get to be $1K? Won't DH want to get that TV? A recessed area is like a home entertainment center - you're stuck with the TV that fit in it.

Properly size the TV for the room so there will not be a reason to make it larger later.

The design below worked well with extension arms. The speakers were supposed to be attached to the bottom of the screen but ended up at the bottom of the recess.

"I would suggested a niche that is at least 5-6 inches deep."

Residential walls are normally built using 2x4 studs, so there is only 3.5 inches of space available inside the wall.

If you have drywall at the back of the niche on the TV side you have 3.5 inches.
If you omit the extra layer at the back of the niche you have 4 inches from the face of the drywall in the TV room.

"5-6 inches" is going to come from somewhere, and reduce room size on one side of the wall or the other.

You will have to decide where the 2" is most useful which is just another design decision.

david_cary - where did you find a wall mount for so little $$? DH and I are buying a 42" plasma (about 50 lbs) and I'm having trouble finding a tilting (not even full-motion) wall mount for much less than $100 (US).

Then I have to do a channel cover and paint to hide cords to DVD player and power below, since I plan on using the coffee table (18" high - haven't figured out yet what height to mount TV) for DVD player (and maybe DH will want to buy surround sound) since I just have it shoved up against a different wall right now - the kids like to sit on floor in front of sofa so I can't put table or ottoman there. This is exterior wall so don't want to fish wires through insulation.

ajsmama, check out monoprice.com they have high quality stuff for great prices. im just a happy customer by the way, not affiliated with them.

Residential walls are normally built using 2x4 studs, so there is only 3.5 inches of space available inside the wall.

Isn't a problem when the TV is over the FP...as you can see in link provided in my previous post. Not a problem if it's not over FP if you plan ahead.

Thanks david_cary - wow, they have a lot of choices and all about $100 less than Best Buy etc. Which mount do you have? How big is your TV? I was looking at "Ultra Slim" mount which is 1.81" from wall (I've seen them about 1/2" that's too close to tilt), was thinking that might be good but making connections and tightening bolts seems to be a pain. I *do* have small hands. What do you think?

"Not a problem if it's not over FP if you plan ahead."

If you are building new, almost any change like this would not be difficult, but you are going to give up space in the rooms involved by having to build something as thick (or thicker) than a wet wall.

While wet walls are usually required somewhere in two story construction (and not in single story) you will loose some usable square footage to the thicker wall.
Depending on the room dimensions involved it can be anything from 'who cares' to a decent chunk of space and volume.

They make recessed metal boxed for this purpose, or a custom non-combustsble one could be fabricated.  It would be wise to ventilate it some how, like a few small slotted grills above.  Regarding comments above on trying to replace it with a larger tv later, tv should be sizes for the room and the viewers distance away from the screen, so this likely would not be an issue.