I'm thinking about the same thing. I'm interested in one that flips up under the cabinets if possible.

I have one that's a bit too big sitting right on my island. The thing about HD flat screens is that you get a much smaller picture if the broadcast is in letterbox format, but not HD, hence the big TV (one size up from the smallest). The cable box sits on the table part at the back of the island, where there's a cable jack under the island surface. Sounds inconvenient? The cable box is, but it has to be in the open to work, and I wasn't having it peek out of a cabinet. Where it is, it's very removable, as is the TV. I think the TV is lighter.

My reasoning is that if I'm going to be watching TV I'm not going to apologize for it or hide it. And when I have a lot of people over, and don't have excess island space, it's really easy to remove these things to the laundry room. The TV is on a little slate turntable so that it can be seen from anywhere, and I got a DVR cablebox so that if I miss something while cooking I can back up. The remote works from most angles by bouncing the signal off the ceiling or a cabinet...so long as there isn't a chair in the way.

If I'm really cooking, I prefer music. When I'm throwing together dinner or something, where there's waiting around for it to cook with no more work to do, or if I'm having a meal by myself in the kitchen, I'd rather watch TV. And if I'm going to watch TV I want to be able to watch it, not sort of kind of get the gist kind of sort of. (Hence the TV kitchens knowledge!)

I looked into going wireless, but besides signal (no antenna reception here) the cable company has features I like that require the box.

I don't know if I'd have a TV in the kitchen. At one time, I would have said yes, because it always seemed I was in the kitchen in the middle of a really great show. Now, with DVR, I just record something and watch it later, when it's convenient for me. What a difference! I love DVR :)

I'm planning one for my new kitchen...a largish one mounted in a cabinet above the refrigerator, on a swivel so I can turn it to make sure I can see wherever I'm working. I like to watch old classic movies and the like while I'm cooking on weekends (single mom who makes lots of big batches on weekends to freeze and eat after work/school, M-Fri). It's usually stews, soups, pasta sauces, etc. that don't completely occupy my attention, but might require several hours in the kitchen to make a week's worth of food.
Now that my son is a teen and dinner conversation frequently consists more of nagging vs. complaining, I'm thinking we might watch the evening news together at the eating counter as well...giving us something neutral to talk about and keeping up on current events, too!

We have one on the Cleanup Zone side of the kitchen. My DH likes to watch TV while cleaning up. The kids watch it too if they're helping. I think it makes the cleanup chores easier to "take". (I know I really dislike doing the dishes!)

Now that we have FIOS, the box is quite a bit larger and no longer fits under the cabinet, so it now sits behind the TV and next to the wall shared by the double ovens...just in front of the light rail on the upper cabinet. I don't have a pic of it, sorry!

The "cable" outlet and a power outlet are inside the cabinet above. This is in case we decide to move the TV or remove it altogether...the outlets won't be seen. B/c the TV is so tall, it hides the cords pretty well...actually, better now that we can push it farther underneath since the box is no longer on the inside. (Plus, the undercabinet lighting isn't used much on that side.)

Like Plllog, I prefer music when I'm cooking but, unlike her, I prefer to check the Kitchens Forum while waiting for something to finish! My laptop is usually on the peninsula and easy to use and still keep an eye on things in the kitchen. For music, we put speakers in the ceilings of both the Kitchen & DR.

We considered putting the TV In the cabinet over the refrigerator, but then it wouldn't be easy to watch while cleaning up unless it was on a pullout shelf...but then it would be sticking into the aisle and I can guarantee my DS or DH would bump their heads on it! (Our refrigerator is just shy of 6' and my DS is 6'6" and my DH is 6'5"...perfect height for head-bumping!)

BTW...if you want to have a flip-down TV, then don't put undercabinet lights at that location and think about how deep the cabinet will have to be to accommodate a TV stored underneath it plus any hardware that might be needed for the "flip" mechanism. We had also considered that, but the undercabinet lights were already installed and our upper cabinet wasn't quite deep enough for what my DH wanted.

Oh, and be sure your light rail is tall enough to hide the TV when flipped up (for aesthetic reasons).

Mine fits inside an alcove above the wall ovens. It is framed with moulding and the tv sits on a rollout tray. It is a small old time tv, not a flat screen. Family room is next to kitchen, so I usually just use it to listen to the news while cooking.

We put the tv on an arm in the cabinet above the fridge. This is an ideal spot for us since it's visible from all spots in the kitchen and we can turn it toward our table.

I like being able to put it away when not in use--the screen stays nice and clean. It's small enough that we are able to still use half the cabinet for other storage. But it's an old style flat screen (not wide screen), making the fit a little easier.

We considered getting doors that tucked away inside but I didn't want to lose the interior space + mounting the tv to the side of the cabinet would have been problematic. I don't find the open door at all distracting.

We have satellite tv and originally this tv ran off of a receiver in another room. Now we have a receiver standing up on its side next to the tv (I don't have an updated picture.) We ran electrical and a tv cable to the cabinet while installing the kitchen.

{{!gwi}}

{{gwi:1592776}}

We have two. Both are up high and tilted forward so they can be seen. One is inside a "hutch" on the top shelf that can be seen from the table that sits across from it. My kids spend a lot of time at the table with snacks, computer time, etc. The other one is recessed into a cubby space in the working part of the kitchen so whoever is cooking or cleaning can see the tv. Both tv's are linked so they are on the same channel. Either tv could be removed and the spaces used for something else.

We eat our meals in the dining room so it doesn't disturb family time. My husband resisted putting speakers in the ceiling but I wish I had stuck firm on that one. The tv's are linked to a music player (something that plays cd's, dvd's and can you can dock those ithings on) so a better sound system would be nice. We can retro fit but it would have been super easy when everything was opened up.

We have installed an undercupboard tv-radio-CD/DVD player I bought online after searching for a replacement for an old unit that died just as we demolished the old kitchen. New one is bigger in screen, cost about $300, I think. "Venturer" is the brand. Screen can be rotated or pushed up out of the way. Sound quality is very good, although I wish it could make things just a little louder.

Haven't put it through all its paces yet--as with most old people, I just run electronics to suit my immediate purpose--so don't ask many technical questions.

Biggest gripe is that it has a remote control unit made for very strong, skinny fingers and sharp eyes. Unit was designed for kitchens, so remote controller has a magnet in it to attach to a metal surface, such as stove or range hood if the spirit moves in those directions.

Second biggest gripe is that in the CD/DVD mode, I have played a lot of novels on tape and have found that the unit cuts out sometimes. Not sure if this is caused by a glitch in the digital media, a power surge, or gremlins. Also, if the CD mode allows the machine to memorize a place and return there after being shut off and turned on again, I've not figured this out, so I have to write down where I left off in my beloved recorded books.

Third gripe is that you need the t.v. screen showing when running the CD mode, which means that there's that black hole hanging there much too much, sigh. We are watching more t.v. than I had anticipated, which also means that the black hole is facing the room a lot.

There is a way to assign numbers to various radio stations like a car radio. If the power goes out, it forgets them, though.

Crazy timing, this thread. I've spent SO MUCH TIME trying to find the right kitchen TV and it's nearly impossible (due partly because we need it to sit on the countertop, in the corner, for a few reasons - so relatively up-close). But then my standards are apparently too high for other reasons too. I miss having a TV in my kitchen since the remodeling began. I hadn't before realized what an addict I am! It was also my hiding place from the kids...I'd sit in there and watch CNN or the DIY channel for a few stolen moments while I fixed/ate a bowl of cereal or made a sandwich and it saved my sanity, I swear...

But the power button on ours broke off of my sweet, little, white, high-quality, 9" TV and it's just become pretty beat up over time (still works though)! I'd like a replacement for the pretty new counter but they don't make the TV anymore.

I still want a small, white one, cause our kitchen's small and I don't want the space taken up, and white matches everything and feels clean and sanitary and just "kitcheny!" ;) Any bigger and why have one in the family room? There's something really embarrassing to me about the concept of having a TV in every room of one's house. They're like an additional family member only way more important than anyone else, or like an I.V. that you can't walk far from. I say that as a hypocrite, mind you. I could EASILY do that!!

I don't want one as small as 7" which is the size of the typical portable one. They only make the rectangular shaped screens for the most part now and 7" would be waaaaay too small. But it's hard to find one that has even halfway decent reviews in the 9"-12" range.

What I want to know is: why can't Samsung or Toshiba or Sony or one of the reputable brands make a good-quality smaller-sized flat screen TV, that's small enough and God-forbid, white!? The one we have that's about 14 years old is STILL highly sought-after. It was a huge hit...so why not repeat that?

Bastards...

;)

p.s. I like the idea of drop-down but should one ever want to go digital without being connected to cable or satellite, I think you'd still have to have a box sitting on your counter which defeats the purpose of drop-down. Is there another way, besides taking up cupboard space?

We have a 23'' on the wall on a swivel mount so we can reposition it as required. Because it is a smaller screen we have it hooked up to cable but not a box. However the cable is wired to a closet so the box will not be visible if we decide to add it. Out kitchen is not that big and the 23" is just fine for us.

Unless my plans change drastically, I'm going to have a 24" flat panel mounted on an articulating arm, mounted such that the TV will fold flat against the wall when not in use (which is basically never).

Since I have a galley style kitchen with an adjacent breakfast space (creating a long room), I need for the TV to swivel so it can be viewed in both spaces.

The bottom edge of the screen will be approximately 42" (or so from the floor). The reason being, I have a little stool I sit on to watch TV and I don't want to have to crick my neck so much. And it will be a good height to watch while sitting at the table.

The electrical and cable outlet will be mounted in the upper adjacent wall cabinet which will help with cord management.

I'm planning on having a space in the same cabinet for a VCR (I know, old school) as I have my Tivo attached to the main telly and I don't plan to purchase another so I can do networking. I have to draw the line somewhere right?

: )
Pepper
~ Almost a telly in each room. Ridiculous!

Agree with theresse. I just spent 2 weeks looking for a small television for a bedroom and discovered that none of the reputable brands make anything smaller than a 19.'' I also discovered that a built-in DVD-CD player usually stops working well before the television has any problems, so most salespeople don't recommend buying a combination unit.

Teresse, my kitchen TV was a gift. It's a Samsung 22", which, according to the giver's A/V specialist, is the most reliable. And it's black. Black as coal, black as night, paint it black black. The frame is actually dark red, but for all intents and purposes it's sun blotted out from the sky black. Sigh. It makes the little black induction top look positively cheery with its light circles. I've gotten used to the black hole in the center of the room.

There's a cure!! Get a skin! Skinit.com has lots of cook laptop skins you could cut out and adapt, plus you can make custom ones, including wall sized. Or you might find some of the same vinyl in white at a craft supply. Use a craft knife to cut it to size. Make a paper template for the base so that you can get the curves right and cut one for that too. Most of the uprights are clear.

My mother wallpapered a TV in the early '80's. They didn't have almond, and she wasn't having black. I still have it. The wallpaper still looks good. :) A skin will stick well on the new kind of flat TV, and it won't wreck the surface of the plastic.

Not the greatest photo (but at least I've remembered how to resize!) I'm working up to the whole "finished kitchen" pics. Not quite there.
My TV is mounted on the wall so it can pull out and swivel, but is just above the open shelf. My plan is to put some piece of art on the open shelf if I decide to hide the TV, but to tell the truth it's not very intrusive. Also a samsung, maybe 19"-sorry, I've had it a few years.
The cabinet just above the pantry door has a shelf in it and I have the cable box in there (allow for ventilation if you do something similar), then a wire coming through the wall with the cable to the TV, and a magic do-hickey so it picks up the remote control signals without my opening the doors. I wish the radio alone would do it for me...I do like NPR, but find I'm happier in long stretches in the kitchen if Alton Brown or Brian Williams keeps me company.
{{!gwi}}

We just installed our cabinets, and the plan is to hide a TV up above the refrigerator in the 36x24x24" deep wall cab. Our plan is to modify the doors into pocket doors (doors that slide back in upon themselves so they don't bonk anyone in the head).

I planned this TV in this location from the first draft of the kitchen layout. I think everything BUT the tv got revised in some way.
It's a (now out of date) 26" Sharp Aquos on an articulating arm so it can face any direction.

What a charming kitchen, Casey!

I have a kitchen with a step down to our contiguous dining room. At the step down wall in the dining room we've planned a 42" flat screen that can swivel toward the kitchen or dining room. We have serious football and baseball fans in our family, so it's a must!

I planned our kitchen layout that our work island faces the den tv. When we moved into the house, there was a wall between the kitchen and living room so I was boxed in while cooking. After a few days, I asked dh's cousin to cut a hole in the wall so I can see the kids (yeah, right, lol) and watch the tv in the living room from the kitchen. He cut an approx 3 x 3' opening, jagged edges and all, complete with electric box on an exposed beam in the middle, and it is still like that 4 years later because that wall is coming down when we demo.
Our den will be next to the kitchen in our extension so will be able to watch from the kitchen easily. We TIVO everything and if I did not watch while cooking, I'd miss many of my favorite shows. If the kids want to watch tv when I cook, they can go to the bsmt where they have their own playroom with tv. The cook gets the remote!

We have a tv above the refrigerator. It's mostly on when we're eating at the island. We have pocket doors for when we want to hide it, which isn't very often.

It's fun to see what others are doing with their kitchen tv's! Thanks for the ideas!

I have a 15 inch flat screen with a built in DVD player. I don't love cooking but if I have to cook I like to be able to watch TV if I want. It's just hooked up to an antenna in the attic but it has a good HD picture.

It can't be seen from the eating area, if there's something on while we are eating I just record it on my TiVo.