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brian_hunt

Need help with my entertainment center

13 years ago
Just bought a new house and the livingroom isnt very wide. We want the TV over the fireplace but dont want the clutter of all our gadgets visible.

There is a 3' crawl space under the living room floor.

Any idea how to go about making an entertainment center that sinks into the floor and controlled by an up/down switch?

Comments (12)

  • 13 years ago
    It is a custom job, but if you're clever and handy, here is a mechanism to use for the installation.
    TV Lift · More Info
  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 13 years ago
    That would just lift the TV, not the entire console. Your idea would be quite expensive.

    I would rethink this a bit.

    What about getting a decorative media console and put it on the wall to the right of your fireplace? Then, get a fully articulating wall mount for the TV and have it hang over the console. The console would hide all your media equipment.

    The articulating mount would allow you to push the TV up flat against the wall when not in use or pull out and angle towards the seating area when sitting near the fireplace or angle towards your dining area when eating.

    Also, the TV could be mounted a bit lower than above the fireplace for more comfortable viewing.
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    If you are concerned about seeing your components. Then we would suggest locating all of your components in another room or devote a nearby closet for your audio/visual equipment... In order to do this you would need an infrared remote "eye". Hope this helps...
  • 13 years ago
    The room is very open and on the outer walls of the house.

    I cant believe they havent made something to do this. Travis, Could you explain to me how this "eye" works?

    Is the a good looking way to make a coffee table that doubles as an entertainment center?
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    Your coffee table route is less expensive than the pop up as you can affix the screen on the back of the table top, hing it with toy box hinges to soft close and put the equipment in the table. The only superficial change will be to add a Museum floor outlet in the floor under the table for power and CAT 6 wires. All your remotes control can be radio frequency controlled from your smart phone or laptop or mini computer. I'd say that the only limitation is the size of the screen verses the table size, but remember the screen will be much closer than it would have been on the wall. You might use a padded bench if you wanted a little larger screen.
  • 13 years ago
    The "eye" works by having an infrared sensor out near your TV so you can aim the remote. It then picks up that remote signal and relays it off into the cabinetry or closet where your AV equipment is stored.
  • 13 years ago
    Another option:
    San Francisco Whole House Remodel · More Info
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    I would like suggest you some options of entertaiment center. You can find other models in my houzz profile.
  • 13 years ago
    I've never seen a media center that rises from the floor. That would be cool. But I'd have to think that it would also be a pretty expensive custom job. Check with home theatre fabricators in your area -- not Best Buy but a higher end place that builds custom theatres. I'd bet they could do what you're looking for. The only AV components visible in our family room are the TV mounted over the fireplace and the two front speakers. The components are all stored in a cabinet off to the side. A BluRay player or a DVD player will hook up to the flat screen TV via an HDMI cable. The cable between our BluRay and TV is 50', and we don't have any problems. We then use an infrared repeater system to control the components in the cabinet. If you need some ideas for cool AV furniture, check out Salamander Designs.
    http://salamanderdesigns.com
  • 13 years ago
    With the fireplace so close to the window there, I'd build a low window bench and instead of opening like a chest put shelving and doors on the bottom, then with a little drywall patching you could run all cables from behind the bench in the wall and over to be behind the tv. You'd still need an rf receiver for the remote and I'd mount the tv on an articulating arm but all components would be hidden but easily accessible and you wouldn't be covering those nice tall windows.
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    I agree with Darzy. I seem to do that a lot. I guess she has good ideas.