Home Cinema Living Room - To Mount and hide or not to Mount and hide?

[Jaffatubes]

Hello all, having taken the time to first search and browse this forum looking for similar situations and setups and finding a few, I thought I would post details and pics of my setup and ask you DIY veterans for some info and help.

This is a photo of my living room as is at the moment (excuse SWMBO - she's recovering from a broken leg!).

We are planning to completely redecorate the room and as it is a open-plan / through lounge from hall/kitchen through french doors to garden, we want to install a partition wall and box in under the stairs (effectively exactly where the camera is that is taking the picture), making the room a proper room.

At the same time I am toying with the idea of wall mounting the LCD.

However, I have a number of concerns/problems which I could do with some advice on how to overcome.

a) The house is timber framed/plasterboard walls. From experience of doing DIY upstairs the plasterboard is the sort with a honeycomb cardboard backing , and then plastic and mineral wool for insulation etc. Wooden studs are not that big - tips on wall hanging the LCD please and fixings for plasterboard? Are the plasterboard expanding fixings mentioned elsewhere really up to the job of supporting the 20 odd KG's of TV?

b) TV is a Hitachi 32LD7200. From posts on these forums I believe this TV does not have a VESA std mount fitting, although many brackets can be adapated. My main problem is where to mount the TV? On the main wall pictured, approx where our wedding picture is? Or in the corner on a bracket arm thing? or elsewhere? Also how high up? I more than aware that the position will affect where all the rest of the furniture will go in the room - i don't want to get it wrong. The SKY and TV cables come in behind the TV currently. All tips gratefully recieved.

c) MS Genie speakers, rears are wall mounted at the moment, but cable just hangs down wall, secured with drawing pins. I've seen the posts about cutting channels and hiding cables, but has any one done this with plasterboard walls? How easy was it to cut out and then hide again? Floor is solid concrete, but laminated wood on top. Easy to hide speaker wire under laminate? how do you negotiate the floor to wall transition? Also wall to outside transition? This applies to hiding the cables for the TV too?

These are my major concerns at the moment. I want to get this all planned out first before starting, mainly due to SWMBO demanding that when the project starts it is over in 2 wks and doesn't drag on. I have a habit of letting things drag on as I stand by the mantra if its worth doing its worth doing right.

For info, other planned works are to remove curtains and install vertical blinds. Build partition wall and box in under stairs to make a cupboard, also installing living room door. Relocate radiator to new partition wall - one of those designer 1800mm vertical rads to save on space. New coving, skirting, flooring and also remove the existing dado rail as we both hate it.

Any other tips from those who have done this? Especially the "if only I'd new/thought/remembered/planned this/that........." kinds of things.

I'm pretty handy with the DIY etc, but this room will be a living room with AV kit, not a Home Cinema. Also we don't have kids, so it doesn't have to be small people friendly.

I look forward to all your help.

Many Thanks