False walls, brackets and other queries

[Croker]

Hi!

After some deliberation, I've decided to build a false wall, to which my Samsung LE32R51BD will be attached. Well, I say attached, what I mean is that there will be a space for the TV in this wall section, and the cables will run behind it.

What I need is some assistance with the design stage. I assume I'll still need a bracket, even though I'll be working from a false wall, not the real one. As such, how can I get at the wires and cables that will be behind the wall? Is there a bracket that will pull out from the wall and allow me access? If there is, can anyone recommend one that doesn't cost the earth?

Secondly, I want to store my DVD, Xbox, wireless headphones, PC base unit, wireless keyboard and mouse, printer and scanner all together, underneath the TV, especially as I now use the TV as my PC monitor. However, I'm having real trouble finding a suitable cabinet, largely because my PC base unit is 50cm high, and probably a similar depth (especially when allowing for cables at the rear).

I saw one particular design here that was quite interesting - the user had installed shelves below and to the right of the TV, on which he kept all his AV equipment. I liked it, but I'd prefer something more enclosed. Moreover, the shelves would have to be very deep to keep my base unit on. If you have any suggestions of how to store all these devices together neatly without taking up lots of space, please - for the love of God! - tell me!

Oh yes - I'll be sure to take plenty of "before", "during" and "after" photos once the project gets going!

[Croker]

Come on, guys - does no-one have any advice for me at all?

[IronGiant]

How about something like this:
http://www.av-sales.com/proddetail.p...1&cat=190&nav=

As far as cabinets are concerned it might be worth getting a more compact case

[stroppygoblin]

Originally Posted by Croker

I saw one particular design here that was quite interesting - the user had installed shelves below and to the right of the TV, on which he kept all his AV equipment.

I'm gonna assume thats mine (it sure sounds like it!)
If you are going to mount the plasma in the same manner as me (ie only a slim false wall) you can get away with the mount from rgbdirect. It allows the plasma to pivot from the top (approx 6" gap at the bottom) it's fiddley put perfectly possible to remove and insert all the cables. (just remember to leave a little slack!)

[IronGiant]

Now there's a thought, I guess any tilting mount mounted upside down would do this.

Dave

[Croker]

Yes, Stroppy, it was yours - I couldn't remember your username when I was writing my post. Apologies!

Anyway, yes, a false wall similar to yours is pretty much my idea at the moment, but how have you gone about ventilation? I was planning on doing a slim false wall that would run from floor to ceiling, and which I could run the existing archetrave and skirting board around. However, it struck me the other night that I've not given any consideration to ventilation. Mind you, do LCDs generate so much heat as to need ventilation in a false wall setup? I know plasmas put out a lot of heat, but I'm not so sure on the correct proceedure when it comes to LCDs.

By the way, exactly how far does your false wall come out from the real one? Some specs for the timber surround you used (materials, sizes, costs) would be nice to see, too, if at all possible! I know I'm a nuisance, but I'm trying to get everything right first time

As for the bracket you mentioned - aside from hoping it doesn't cost £198 (!) did you buy it and install it upside down, as Regmarch says? Or does this particular one tilt from the top anyway? It does sound good, though, being able to tilt it forward and get at the wires behind. I'm quite hamfisted, though, if I'm honest, so I need to be able to get at the cables easily!

[tariqt]

This one did the trick for me

http://www.chaseavdirect.co.uk/acata...et-UNI-06.html

Its an articulated arm that allows you to easily fit the screen then just push it back into place.

[stroppygoblin]

Originally Posted by Croker

Yes, Stroppy, it was yours - I couldn't remember your username when I was writing my post. Apologies!

Anyway, yes, a false wall similar to yours is pretty much my idea at the moment, but how have you gone about ventilation? I was planning on doing a slim false wall that would run from floor to ceiling, and which I could run the existing archetrave and skirting board around. However, it struck me the other night that I've not given any consideration to ventilation. Mind you, do LCDs generate so much heat as to need ventilation in a false wall setup? I know plasmas put out a lot of heat, but I'm not so sure on the correct proceedure when it comes to LCDs.

By the way, exactly how far does your false wall come out from the real one? Some specs for the timber surround you used (materials, sizes, costs) would be nice to see, too, if at all possible! I know I'm a nuisance, but I'm trying to get everything right first time

As for the bracket you mentioned - aside from hoping it doesn't cost £198 (!) did you buy it and install it upside down, as Regmarch says? Or does this particular one tilt from the top anyway? It does sound good, though, being able to tilt it forward and get at the wires behind. I'm quite hamfisted, though, if I'm honest, so I need to be able to get at the cables easily!

Phew, lots of Q's
Ok the timber battening is 12.5mm and the wallboard is 9mm so approx 22mm allowing for a slightly uneven wall.
This is *exactly* the gap between the original wall and the back of the plasma at the bottom. The PV500 has a wider bottom than the top so I don't actually need to worry about ventilation as there is about a 3cm gap between most of the plasma and the wall. (i'll try and post a side on picture later) This effectivly means that my PV500 is as close to the wall it is mounted on as is humanly possible *without* actually being within the wall itself.

The Wall mount came included in the price of the plasma, but it can be bought seperately here. Price is £135.

It wasn't installed upside down, but the it does pivot at the top (basically you lift it straight up and disengage the bottom horizontal member then tilt the bottom forward and allow it to reengage just at the top, this then gives you a pivot of about 25 degrees from the top)

removing cables is easy, inserting them is a little trickier (you are effectively doing it by feel) but isn't too difficult. The only one I had a problem with was the VGA lead for computer input as I left the slack a bit short

another alternative is to have two people hold the tv while you engage the cables and then lift it direct onto the wall. Once it's in, you won't be doing much swapping and changing anyway I wouldn't have thought.

Cost wise, I reckon on it being < £50 for all the battening, wallboard, screws, joint tape and joint filler

Hope this helps and don't worry about asking questions, as Mrs Goblin will tell you, I have no problem talking about my plasma and it's installation

[IronGiant]

Originally Posted by Croker

As for the bracket you mentioned - aside from hoping it doesn't cost £198 (!)

Yes, sorry about that I note Tariqt's was £198.52 ex VAT these things are expensive...

My philips plasma hooks onto its wall mount, I can pull it about six inches out from the wall to plug cables in (before I chicken out, in case I pull it off its hooks) does your LCD have mounting holes to take hooks or just screw threads?

Dave

[SCo4]

Im going to hide all of my kit in the wall, and just leave a few small holes for USB extensions or wireless dongles etc if need be , I'll make sure the consoles are located near the rear access point, save a bit of money this way on furniture and doesnt matter what your HCPC case looks like, it solves all of the unsightly wire problems and leaning behind cabinets to plug stuff in

[IronGiant]

ah, I wouldn't mount one of these upside down, as the fixing plate hooks onto the wall plate, but if mounted the right way up the hook on feature may allow you to pull the bottom out enough to fit cables (no guarantee though!)

http://www.av-sales.com/proddetail.p...cat=191&nav=26

63.74 inc VAT in case you were worrying!

Dave

[Croker]

Ah, despite all your sterling advice - for which I'm genuinely appreciative - I've come up with yet another way of setting up my TV and AV equipment. Basically, I'm going to hang it from the ceiling!

I'm going to use one of these:

Ceiling Mount

EDIT: It won't let me link directly. It's under LCD Mounts, and it's the BT8017 Ceiling Adaptor.

What do you reckon? Does this look like an okay quality product?

The reason I'm thinking of going down this route is due to my nightmarish attempts to get some sort of cabinet into which I can put all of my AV gear and my PC's base unit. Basically, such a thing doesn't exist in the mainstream market, and I don't want to pay the extortionate amounts needed to have one custom made.

Instead, I want to reorganise the interior of the built-in wardrobe that's in the same room with shelving, dividers and so on, and make part of it into a dedicated AV cupboard. Then, once that's done, I can run the cables up through the top of the wardrobe, into the loft, across, down through the ceiling into tubing of the bracket, and then into the relevant sockets of the TV.

There are a few more questions I need answering, though (surprise, surprise!)

1. I'm getting an Xbox 360 when it launches - obviously, the propietary cable isn't going to be anywhere near long enough to go into my loft and out again. Are there any good quality component cables that basically work as an extender, i.e. you plug the component cables into one end, and then use this longer cable to carry the signal to the TV as normal?

2. The wardrobe doors are opaque. Obviously. As such, I'm considering an IR Extender so I can still use my remotes. Do I have to have a receiver (or whatever it is) for every single device? I know you have one big receiver for outside the cupboard, which you point your remotes at, but when passing the signal into the cupboard, does every device need one?

3. I've got a second gen Kameleon OFA and charger. Is there a better all-in-one solution that doesn't cost more than all of the gold in King Solomon's Mines? I don't mind my Kameleon, but there are quite low limits on how many functions it can learn, which has browned me off of late.

4. My Sammy's power lead is basically exactly the same as the one you'd get on a kettle. Can you get really long versions of these power cables, so it could be run through the loft and down into the wardrobe?

5. Finally (!), power sockets...what's the best way of getting power into a wardrobe that's previously had none? The layout of the room means that there's a socket nearby, but it's sadly about 4 feet across the way, and the door out of the room is between it and the wardrobe. Any suggestions on how to go about getting the wardrobe powered up with the minimum of fuss and expense?

Will all this work, or be a horrible, horrible disaster?

Cheers for any advice you can provide!

[IronGiant]

Neat solution. I like it.

There are various ways of IR extendors working, some use a Christmas tree light-like arrangement so you can put one transmitting LED on each piece of equipment, obviously you'd need the right number for all your equipment. Others transmit more like a regular remote which would be fine across a room but might not work so well in the confines of a wardrobe where your sensors may be close to the back of the door

HTH

Dave