I think it depends on whether you just use a tv or if you have lots of accessories to go with it. The one in our LR sits on top of a big cabinet where we store the dvd player, set top box, an old vcr (Im not sure why we still have that), dvds etc so it's actually our accessories that take up all the space and the cabinet.

We have a smaller one in the bedroom now which is on a wall bracket and that was mainly so we could set it at a comfortable height and angle to watch from bed. But we still need a shelf underneath for another dvd player and speakers etc.

But if you just have the tv without all the other junk we seem to have then you could save some space by having one. They take up less space visually so they do look neater but I cant say we've gained any actual space because we still need somewhere to store the other bits and pieces.

I agree with Trancegemina, I don't think it saves very much useable room (unless you get rid of the large cab/tables they sit on). But having said that, I think in a small room, even a foot of space could be a big deal. For example, when I got my first flatscreen, my bedroom was only 11.5' x 13' and the table took up a lot of space. I was able to put the new tv on top of the dresser and get rid of the tv table - extra room! It fit the dresser top so well that I decided not to hang it on the wall.

I have a 57" in my living room (24X16). Everything is on/in a sofa table which has a shelf added and holds the components. It is much slimmer than a standard TV cabinet, the components fit perfectly underneath since the table is long, plus the right height. There is also a small PC for streaming included. Because the house is old, I hesitated to mount the TV on the wall which is plaster and difficult to patch.

My room works really well, the location is on the wall between front door and kitchen entry. An area which couldn't be used for other furniture due to traffic flow. This wall is the smaller width of room. Flat screen makes a huge difference and could save up to 2'.

Also components are getting smaller. The need for larger TV storage is becoming less, thankfully. With a flat screen there are more options for thinking outside the box as to where it can sit or furniture used for it. My DVDs/CDs are in a small trunk.

I think it made a huge difference when we went from the older deep TV to a flat screen. We do not have it mounted on the wall. Just the visual space it created feels better to us. We had to get a new TV anyway cause our old one blew up. REALLY, smoke and everything. Stinky. YUCK. We do not have all the added components and we use the base to a gun cabinet to sit the flat screen on. Not great but works for us. We could always put the components into one of the gun cabinets cupboards below. So far we are low tech here.

Chris

Same with us Chris. Plus with us, we had all the vcr's, dvd players, etc, hanging out of the too-small cabinet. Getting it all streamlined really made the whole area look bigger.

Emagineer, I don't want to hijack this thread, but could you email me so I can talk to you about the technical stuff you mentioned. I really don't want to show my ignorance here. lol

Marti,
Give me a couple of days and I will send you some info. I need to go on the computer in the living room and write down the links.

Marti....did you get my email?

Yes, and just emailed you back. I think I know what you are talking about. I am sooo not technical. Dh used to be, but I think it's passed him by. It's the receiver I'm most unclear about.

flat screen tv's are a really wonderful invention for small spaces..the electronics that are used to run them however do creat a small problem ..you do need to house them.

one possiblity is to use the stud area of a wall to put them INTO the wall so that they will not be taking up room space..you can only do this in interior walls that haven't got ductwork or something in the way..

generally you will have a satellite t v box, or cable, or dvd player, or games..but they can easily fit between studs on a small shelf..may need to have deeper than stud shelves..but that is easy to do.

Apologies Marti, I missed your post. A reciever is used to combine a number of other options depending upon what you have. Mine has the outside aerial (used to pull in local stations), speakers, Tivo for recording and Netflix downloads, DVD and computer hooked into it. Sort of a manager of all. You don't necessarily need it and they can be simple or complicated. The computer could be connected only to the TV, but I'd be using speakers from the computer. Major surround sound going on with the reciever speakers added.

In response to the OP, yes I did that exactly. Getting rid of the heavy old tv meant I could get rid of the heavy old cabinet it sat on and free up about 4 sq ft of floor space. In my 600 sq ft house, the tv didn't fit in open plan living area anyway, it was in spare bedroom.

The other thing about flat screens is that they're so light, they can be moved. Now my flat screen is on my bedroom dresser, but can be brought into living area and plopped on dining table.

I should say though that I don't watch TV much and don't have cable. I mostly use TV for watching DVD/videos.

I did buy the flat HDTV for our bedroom to save space and to get a better picture too.
We used a flat wall bracket to mount it to the wall between two windows directly opposite the foot of the bed. Beneath it, I mounted a 10" deep bracket free shelf. The shelf is the exact depth of a DVD player. My husband installed electrical outlet and cable connection there and it does not show.

I put a leather covered storage bench beneath the shelf to make sure no one banged their heads on the shelf. It works like a champ for that and for sitting down to put on socks, or disrobing for bed.

Just checking to see if I can upload a shot of the installation I described above.

Great job, moccasinlanding!

I really like our flat screen TV. I think it takes up way less room in the LR than our old one, and it has a much bigger screen. We got ours through air miles, so it didn't cost us anything. :o)

On another note, I tried to look at your 'did you name your house' thread, but it won't open for me. You may want to create a new one.

~Missy

Ahhh, thank you Missy. GardenWeb is acting kind of funny, not wanting to load and such. Such an aggravation when that happens. I'll do another one.

I have flat screen TVs and got them largely because they looked better and didn't overwhelm the rooms as much.

moccasinlanding I love the color in your bedroom. I do think Flat screen TV's are the bomb and almost glad our big bruiser blew up. Wish we could mount it between our windows in the living room here but there is only about 6 inches of wall. Yes we have to have the TV in front of the window. OH well it works for us.

Chris

moccasinlanding, I love your tv setup. Love the shutters, its such a clean, modern look.

Shades of Idaho, I saw in some TV program, I think BANG FOR YOUR BUCK on HGTV, where a couple had somehow mounted the TV inside a console or buffet, and changed the top of the furniture piece to hinge up like a trunk. They had it at the foot of their bed in a smallish master suite. BUT, I think it would work also between a pair of windows even if they go floor to ceiling or have shutters or drapes. Even a TV cabinet like a bench with drawers beneath it, could have the top set to lift up for a wide screen TV, and when closed there could be a cushion on top for extra seating.

Thinking up ideas is always a lot easier than doing the real thing, isn't it!!! And besides, the real charm is in making a less than perfect situation work for you.

If you notice, our shutters were ordered with the TV location in mind. Each window has only one shutter and it opens away from the TV, so we can get to the full window for maintenance.

Moc, I really like the trunk idea. What a space saver and unique use.

Yesterday I decided my living room is not a living room. It is a TV room....decorating around this has had me churning forever to get the right furniture placement. Think it is time to acknowledge this is a TV room and deal with all. Not a lot of company, so might as well use what room we have in our homes.

OH I saw that at the end of a bed and it was pretty neat. Here the TV is on so much it would be up all of the time anyway so we will just live with it as it is. Thinking to put a tall plant next to it in one of the windows for balance. Going to have to haul it out here from the back bathroom to see how it looks. I hope good because it will be a huge effort to move it.

Chris

Chris,
Just put it on the floor with sliders (if carpet) or a towel if wood. Hubby can lift the thing before/after and not have to deal with the norm of "what are we doing this for".

Oh Hahaha that is funny emagineer, I am afraid if this plant and pot got all the way down to the floor we would never get it back up. Even with both of us trying .

So I did get it hauled out from the back bathroom and it is a good thing I think the plant size takes away from the size of the TV. I need to fix the curtain rod it got bent awhile ago. Sigh.

Chris

Here is a link that might be useful: TV and plant

Chris,

I do most of my hauling/moving alone. With your plant my plan would have been moving a table by it, sliding over and then reverse the process of where it was going. Sounds dumb, but works for me if wanted to do it badly enough. Then my kids get after me and start the 'ole "stop doing this stuff" alone. I actually think my plans work better than having to watch their eyes roll when thinking up stuff for them to help. Although, I may stop short of moving the large TV alone. Can see it coming towards me.....

Well Dang that REALLY is a good idea. I am thinking of taking this one step further and making one of my sturdy little tables roll. Why not?? I know just the one too. It is strong oak. Narrow but wide enough to hold most things and when not needed for rolling I can just park it in casters.

WAY TO GO Emagineer!!! I can easily put wheels on this table. Will add to it's character too. Hate to whine but getting older is a time a person needs to look at things differently to be able to get what we want done. I am not ready to just give up and say I can't yet. Wonder where a person finds wheels. Hummmmmmmm The restore store!!!! Going on the list for our trip.

Thanks so much! Chris

Well, no wheels on table. Just the sliders for carpet or big 'ole towel for wood floors. In fact, I may be a tad concerned about wheels with tipping, unless that table is really heavy. This is where I should post a legal statement to say I hold no responsibilty for any suggestions. But the idea of casters is a good one for a table that may be something you want to move around.

If you go to Restore and don't find any, ask someone in the incoming area. Sometimes these things sit for a while depending upon the number of voluteers or they wait until more than a few are available to price and stock at one time.

If you're serious about doing this, instead of wheels that roll all the time, you might want to look at lockable wheels (avail at any hardware store). I think that they might be a bit safer under a table.