Home Theatre Furniture

Bringing it all together

You’re going to want to plan how to get everything set up so you can enjoy it.

Once you have a clear idea of which components you want in your home theatre system, you're going to want to plan how to get everything set up so you can enjoy it. Well-chosen furniture for your home theatre equipment can make all the difference in your media room, if you know what to look for.

Decide what you want to accomplish

Your system probably consists of a TV screen, a home theatre receiver, a digital cable or satellite receiver, a DVD player and speakers. How you set them up depends on your needs.

Do you want to keep absolutely everything off the floor, or just keep all of the pieces where they can be the most effective? Do you have some room on your walls, or do you need to find an all-in-one furniture solution to save space?

You can choose to mount most, if not all, of your components on the wall, with your cables tucked away out of sight, or you can have everything contained in a cabinet, with the TV perched on top. A solution somewhere in between the two might be best for you; your budget and space will dictate what you do.

If your ideal setup requires hiring a professional to mount your TV screen and speakers or recess your display into the wall. If you're quite handy, you can undertake the job yourself, but make sure you have the skills and tools you need to be able to work with wiring. Even if you go with a cabinet, some options are more expensive than others. In the end, however, you should be able to find something that suits both your needs and your budget.

As far as space limitations go, if your room is too small to accommodate a huge audio/video stand, it will influence how you install your equipment. Mounting your TV and speakers on the wall is a great way to save you floor space.

Things to keep in mind

While you should choose furniture that looks right for your room, there are some other considerations to keep in mind:

• Strength - Is the furniture strong enough to hold up the equipment? For example, a TV can be very heavy. Make sure your wall mount has a UL Rating appropriate for your TV's weight. It's also a good idea to check that the hole pattern on the back of your TV matches your mount. Luckily, most TVs use a VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) hole layout and will fit most VESA mounts.
• Airflow - Be sure your components aren't locked away without any air circulating around them. It can not only interfere with their performance, but it can also reduce their lifespan.
• Access - Be sure you can get the components out if you should need to change the connections or add or remove a piece. Also, if you know that you'll be adding pieces to your system down the road, make sure there's enough room to accommodate them.

Determine optimal placement

If you do decide to install your TV screen or speakers on the wall and want to run your cables through the wall, there are a few things to consider.

First, picture where you want to sit while you watch. The screen should hang at a reasonable height as you're sitting on the couch, or it will be uncomfortable to watch. This may influence the placement of other furniture. If a hutch or a bookcase is too tall for your display to hang at a comfortable height above it, you might want to think about placing another piece of furniture there. Also, try to avoid placing your TV on a wall that directly faces a window. Most displays now have features that reduce glare, but why make it work against bright light if it can be avoided?

While you're trying to decide which walls to mount equipment on, consider that in many homes, the inside walls are less likely to have insulation and other obstacles that can get in the way when you're running cables through them than the outside walls. You can still mount equipment on an outside wall, but it may take a little more effort to work the cable through.

If your home is built with metal studs on the inside walls, you'll need to get a professional in to help with the installation, because metal studs aren't as well suited to holding up a display as wooden studs are. It can be done, but some special measures may be required.

If you're installing your video cables in the wall, you should include component cables and DVI or HDMI cables. If you have some slightly older gear, you should include regular RCA-style composite cables and an S-Video cable, too.

Speaking of speakers

Placement of your speakers is key when setting up your home theatre system. Each speaker has a very specific function, and they all work in relation to each other. As you sit in your optimal viewing position, your speakers should be angled towards you, with no obstructions. Getting your speakers positioned this way may simply be a matter of adjusting the angle of the wall mounts, or adjusting the height of your stands, if possible.

Keeping everything under control

Nothing ruins the look of an otherwise sophisticated home theatre system like a rat's nest of wires. Wire management systems have become a very popular way to wrangle cables at the source and run them between components as inconspicuously as possible.

There are some custom solutions available that run wires behind false baseboards or crown mouldings. You can also run low-profile channels up the wall to your TV screen from a receiver. Some speaker systems have wireless links between the front receiver and the rear speakers.

In all cases, consider where you're going to be placing your components in order to make sure they're reasonably close together and will not have to cross any difficult obstacles, like fireplaces or open doorways.

A great-looking, space-saving, tidy home entertainment system is easy to set up with the right furniture. With a little planning ahead of time, you can find everything you need for just the right look, at the right price. Drop by your nearest Best Buy, and explore your many options for creating your ultimate home theatre space.