Buying a TV stand to match your television is often overlooked in terms of importance. Not only does your TV stand have to look good, it has to be suited to the size and style of your new TV, be it 32”, 50” or even bigger, as well as the weight, is it a brand new state of the art, light weight, thin LCD TV, a slightly older, slightly heavier LCD TV or a good old CRT television.

Design and Material

Design is normally number one on a buyers list when they shop for a new TV stand. How it looks and what material its made of are of great importance to how the stand is going to suit the room its going to be occupying for the foreseeable future. The last thing we want is for the stand to be totally out of place, a modern black glass TV stand in an old country cottage, or the opposite, a traditional oak TV stand in a ultra modern apartment. Clearly this is what we're trying to avoid. As unlikely as it seems, the materials and the construction even have an effect on picture quality. There are many of different details which we will be having a closer look at later.

Dimensions

While considering the design of your new TV stand you have to take into account the space that the stand is going to be occupying. If your 1 bedroom apartment isn't particularly big do you really want a 60” TV with a matching stand taking up all of the space in your living room? Of course the dimensions of the stand have to match that of the TV. A stand too narrow for your TV and you risk having your lovely TV end up on the floor when the stand buckles under the weight. Choose a stand that's too big and you lose out on all important living space. Although having a stand too big for your TV will make it the focal point of your room, should you wish it.

You have to take depth into account here as well, not so much with new LCD TVs, but with older CRT televisions you don't want the deep TV hanging off the front or back of the stand and risk it falling off, its fairly unsightly too.

Features

Most if not all LCD TVs come with the ability to be mounted on a wall, this is a potential feature of many designs. To have the effect of being wall mount but without drilling holes in your wall and having wires running all over the place is ideal. It also leaves you plenty of space on the TV stand for your DVD/Bluray player, games console Etc. Some stands come with multiple adjustable shelves which may be a bonus for you, maybe the amplifier you have for your surround sound system is taller than the average DVD player or maybe its the centre speaker of the surround sound system itself that's tall, will they fit on your stand? If the shelves can be moved it certainly will!

Another potential useful feature could be casters or wheels on the bottom of the stand. Perhaps you're having friends over for a party and the TV needs to be out of the way, either moved across the room or moved out the room entirely. Casters as going to save you a lot of trouble, moving the TV and everything that goes along with it in one move!

There are a number of reasons why you should want to install home theater seating, not only is it going to give you the full cinema experience but it is going to offer you a lot more comfort than most seating that is available. These days films are getting longer and longer all the time, so if you are going to be sitting in front on your screen for three hours or more at a time, then you really want to be using the most comfortable you possibly can. Not only that but these chairs are going to have features that your average arm chair isn’t going to have, like built in heating or cooling to keep your body as comfortable as possible, loads of cinema type features, like built in speakers to make you feel like you are right in the middle of all the action and also things like built in cup holders, even miniature fridges to keep your drinks cool, perfect for drinking. As well as a number of other features. But these things fall into insignificance compared to the last thing, showing off to your friends. There’s nothing quite like unveiling a new boys toy to your friends and see the look of amazement, excitement and jealousy on their faces.

Choosing Home Theater Seating

When it comes to choosing what home theater seating furniture you are going to use, you need to give some thought to what the room is going to be used for. It could just be a family room for watching movies, it might be a place for all your friends to come round and watch sports, or it could be a gaming room.

If you are going to mainly be using the room for family then you are really only going to need enough seats for your family, plus maybe one or two more in case there are visitors. Because you don’t need to buy as many seats it means that you might be able to afford to spend a little bit extra on your seats, so that you can get a higher quality leather finish, or a thicker, more comfortable stuffing, or perhaps buy some of the extras that are mentioned above like refrigerated cup holders, heated seats, built in speakers and so on, and maybe even some foot stools as well, for some extra comfort.

If the room is going to be used mainly as a mans room, for watching sports or something along those lines, then you are going to need to get some extra seats than if it was just a family room. This might mean that you need to spend a little bit less on each seat. The number of seats you buy will depend on how far your budget will stretch, you might need to leave out some of those extra features that are mentioned above, like heated seats, cooling drink holders and so on. You might want to consider spare seats as well, in case you have extra visitors. Maybe something that can be stored away when they are not in use, like bean bag seats, or fold away chairs. I've used bean bag furniture before and I really like them, I find them pretty comfortable and can sit in them for a good length of time. The fold away chairs might be a bit less comfortable, but they are better than having nothing at all.

If the room is going to be used as a gaming room, then you have some other options to go for regarding your home theater seating. Rather than going for the big leather armchair you could instead opt to use gamer chairs. These chairs can sometimes look fairly similar to other theater chairs they have some extra features. They will have the same built in speakers and sometimes they come with chilled cup holders, but the biggest feature that they have is built in vibrations functions, just like the controllers we use today have, giving you that added sense of reality. They can also be really comfortable, if you are like me then you will spend hours and hours sitting in front of the computer at the weekends playing games, so you really do need that extra comfort.

If you have had a look at the price of theater seating you will have seen that it can be quite expensive, and for a lot of us it can be far too expensive to justify buying. But there are places where you can get discount home theater seating, most of the stores you have looked at will no doubt have sales going on a certain times of the year where they try to get rid of old stock that hasn’t sold. Times like this are the best times to shop. Also right now many people are not buying luxury items all that often, so there is every chance that you could walk into a store that sells home theater seating furniture and because you a buying quite a few pieces of furniture you could demand quite a bit of power and get a fair discount on what you want.

As you can see there is a bit for you to think about, don’t be put off though, its not really that hard a choice to make. All you need to do is figure out how the room is going to be used, how much money you have available to spend and what kind of features you want to have and then you can work from there. Once you have your home theater all set up you are going to be so happy with it you wont want to leave it!

When you are on the lookout for a new TV bracket, you obviously need to make sure that you are selecting one that will fit your television. Not all TV bracket mountings are the same, so some wont fit your TV, even the brackets that are sold as being “universal” will not fit every single television set. There are size limits which cannot be exceeded for safety reasons. You could get a TV bracket for a specific mounting system that is rated for 22 to 42 inches or 37 to 60 inches, or a universal which can suit, 15 to 23 inch, 26 to 32 inch or 37 to 65 inch, you can even get a smaller TV bracket to suit a 10 inch screen.

When you are shopping online for your new LCD TV bracket then you want to find a store that allows you to search using four attributes, these are - TV brand, model, screen size and VESA size. By searching using these properties you should be able to find the right bracket you need out of the hundreds or thousands that are on offer. If you were to only search by screen size for example, you will end up with LCD TV wall brackets that can handle the size of your television, but they might not use the correct mounting system that you need, as most TV manufacturers will have their own styles of mounting system. So the least you want to search by is TV brand and screen size, this should narrow the choice down enough for you to make a good decision.

I mentioned the VESA mounting sizes before, this is the Video Electronics Standards Association. And what this depicts is a standard mounting system used in many new TV sets. Using a VESA mount ensures that your TV is supported by a quality item and will be totally secured. Of course you still need to make sure that you have the right bracket to support the size of your TV, if you buy the right TV bracket you can rest assured that your TV will be securely fixed to the bracket. If your TV does not offer VESA mounts then you will have to go for a universal TV bracket instead.

You also need to think about whether you want a floor or wall mounting system. If you are like me a live in rented apartment you wont be allowed by the landlord to fix anything to the walls. So in cases like this you need to consider getting a TV stand mounted TV bracket, this still gives the effect of being wall mounted, but it is firmly rooted to the floor.

If you are going to be mounting your TV to the wall then you have quite a few selections of TV wall bracket to choose from. The most popular LCD TV wall brackets are flat mounts, swivel mounts, tilting mounts and cantilever brackets. There are also motorised LCD brackets available, which are well worth the month if you can afford them, as they are quite expensive. They allow you to control the angles of the TV from the comfort your chair using a remote control, they are great if you have a number of sofas in your living room and adjust the TV to suit them at different times. Say, if there are a number of people in the room you have the TV set at a central position, or if you are in the room yourself you can turn the TV to face where you are sitting for a better view.

If you want this type of movement but are not too fussed about it being motorised you could just go for a tilt or swivel TV bracket, which offers all of the above movements but will cost you far less. On the other hand if your TV will always be facing the one way and doesn't need adjusting you could go for the flat mount TV bracket.

There is quite a lot for you to take into consideration, TV brands and their different mounting systems, VESA and universal mounts, motorised or not, tilt and swivel or fixed? If you find a decent store on line you will be able to search through all of these different types and hopefully find something that is perfect for you and within your budget.

One of the key parts of your home theatre setup is also one that is surprisingly often overlooked, or picked solely on the basis of cost – your TV stand. There are plenty of good models around, that will cater to any system, but one of the more satisfying options for a home handyperson is to make your own stand!

If you do want to try making your own TV stand, there are a few basic tools you will need. A cordless drill with a screwdriver bit will be indispensable, as will a jigsaw if you have one. If you have access to a table saw you will have no problems cutting wood to size, but if not your hardware store may be able to cut most of your wood to size to save some time.

Before you start planning, consider the style of your theater seating and other furniture. If you have fairly traditional or rustic styled seats, a stained wood TV cabinet with beveled edges and ornate trim might fit the bill; for contemporary furniture you may be better off either constructing your TV stand out of laminated particle board, which comes in a range of colors, or using wood and painting with a gloss enamel afterwards. If you are really creative, and handy with your tools, there are even options to use alternative materials like Perspex, or checker plate steel. If you are taking this route, try auto supply stores – many sell a plastic based version of checker plate, used for decoration.

For a simple wooden TV stand, you will need:

• Plywood or particle board for the sides
• Sturdy pine for the legs and rails
• Sturdier wood for the top and shelves (using interlocking floorboards is cheaper than buying one larger board)
• Dowels for joining

The basic design is simple – start by cutting four posts to the height you want your stand to be. Then, cut four rails to fit between these, top and bottom for each. Lay out these pieces on your work surface to make 2 rectangular shapes. Now, start joining these frames together by drilling matching holes for the dowel joints, and fitting the dowels in these holes with some wood glue to secure them. Clamp or put pressure on the joints while they dry. You should end up with two frames, which can now be joined together by the addition of two more rails for the left and right sides to make a cube. Now, it is just a matter of using wood screws to attach the sides and top of the TV stand. For a professional finish, countersink these screws and use some wood putty to fill in the holes afterward. Voila! A professional quality, homemade TV stand is yours – with only a half day work and well under $100 in costs. All that remains is stain and varnish, and enjoy your new stand.

As I just mentioned, there are an unmeasurable number of designs when it comes to CD storage furniture. CD cabinets come in all shapes and sizes, as well as in many materials, anything you can think of, metal, wood, plastic and glass. They can be in the style of cupboards, shelves or drawers. Not only that, there are fantastic new designs popping up all the time, so you will have no problems finding something unique and beautiful. If you already have a nice TV stand or AV stand, then you should be able to find something that will match that perfectly.

Here we are going to have a look at some of the options available.

CD Cabinets

A CD cabinet is just like a big cupboard for all of your music. Many of them come with doors at the front, these are either glass, so that you can easily see all of your collection from the outside, or a solid front, so that everything is kept hidden, out of sight and tidy. These can also come in a number of sizes, from pretty small and holding a few hundred CDs all the way up to taking up a whole wall in your living room and storing thousands of your CDs. Because the front doors open right up, it allows to to view your whole collection all at once, so if you have been smart enough to arrange all of your CDs in alphabetical order then it makes navigating your collection really easy.

CD Boxes

A CD box isn't really one that I would consider for my home, although they do have their good points. Like the ability to keep the clutter of your CDs out of sight and the ability to utilise spaces that you might not have used before. There is also the potential to have a lot of CD storage space, there are many ranges of CD box that are stackable and joinable, so when your collection grows every other day you can just buy a new box to add onto your current one. This ability will be money saving, meaning you don't have to buy a totally new CD storage rack every few months or years.

CD boxes also come in a huge range of colors, as many of the popular choices are made from plastic this means that any color you can think of is available. No matter how your room is decorated there will be a match, whether thats black or brown, or maybe pink or neon green.

CD Wallets

If you are on the move and want to take your music collection with you then a CD wallet is just what you need, no bulky CD cases taking up loads of room in your bag or car. Again, if you arrange your CDs in order of artists or in alphabetical order, then CD wallets make it really easy to find the music your are looking for. These wallets are really cheap as well, one with a simple fabric outer sleeve will only cost you a few dollars. Even though they do have plus points, I personally would only use a CD wallet for my CD-R discs, I don't like running the risk of scratching my discs when putting them in and out of the sleeves in the wallet.

Wall CD Storage Units

Wall media storage units can be a combination cabinets or boxes as mentioned above. The same concept, except mounted on your wall rather than sitting on the floor. But along with them there are some really fantastic designs of wall shelving. There are shapes and designs that you would never have thought of in a hundred years. Though this type of unit is going to cost you a fair amount of money. If you are interested in these wall CD racks then speak to a specialist AV store, who will be able to guide you in the right direction.

You will have no trouble whatsoever locating a Hi-Fi stand that will meet whatever particular requirements are theirs. The finishes available are widespread and among so many others include dark cherry, black glass,  frost, silver metallic and so many others. The glass surfaces in all cases are considered and designed to be immune to basic handling, and will maintain a clean and polished finish. There are many options available to incorporate the Hi-Fi into co-ordination with the flat screen TV. The fact of the matter is that the unit can and should be incorporated into any and all systems that currently exist and are a part of one's home. In fact if you are looking for some good new home gifts then a Hi-Fi TV stand is a  wonderful gift for someone who has just moved into a new house and is a music aficionado.
 
With just a minimum of time and effort invested, a person seeking to achieve great sound and rewarding returns can very easily reach that goal. The key ingredient as it is in most situations, is to be willing to expend the time and effort required to satisfactorily complete the task. This effort taken will usually assure a long lasting and positive result.

Although similar to an entertainment center in many respects, audio towers are used primarily to store audio/video components. Most of these towers feature adjustable shelves for storing individual components and some of the fancier ones even feature sophisticated power and cable management systems. Anyone that’s ever had to pull out one of their components to diagnose an issue knows that doing so can be a real pain. By purchasing an audio cabinet with slide out shelves this no longer presents itself as a problem.

When most people hear the term “audio rack” they think of some industrial looking thing made from metal, and while these types of cabinets certainly have their place, they aren’t the only ones available. In fact, there are many different models designed to fit in perfectly with most types of home décor. Don’t have the space for an audio tower? Perhaps you should consider a corner audio tower to maximize your available space. You may also want to consider placing your cabinet in another room and using an RF remote to control your components. This can create a very clean look while allowing you to take advantage of some of the latest in technology. Regardless of what you choose, a tower is a great way to protect your equipment while making your system appear professional and well organized.

When it comes to buying a TV stand for you plasma or LCD television, it has to be wide enough and strong enough to take your specific TV so that it won't fall off and cause unneeded damage. The LCD or plasma stand is also a great way to add some style to your room depending on what design you go for, obviously you want to choose something that will compliment the existing room design. These is a huge range of designs and styles to choose from on the market today. Although, before you go out and spend your hard earned money there are some things you might want to take into consideration regarding your LCD or plasma stand.

These days most TVs you buy will be pretty wide and there for will need a wide TV stand. The stands come in many sizes so you need to make sure you are buying an appropriate size. The next thing to consider when buying your new TV furniture is the specifications of the stands available. Make sure you know how much space you have in the room that the plasma stand will be in. As much as you may need a wide stand for you new TV, you don't want to buy something that is far too big for your room.

As I just mentioned you need to take in to consideration the size of the LCD or plasma TV that you have. TV stands for flat screens are designed individually to take specific widths of TV. You don't want to buy a really wide TV stand just because your room can take it, it will leave your smaller TV looking even smaller and out of proportion.

Once you have a clear idea of the size of the screen you have and the space available, think about the design of the wide TV stand that you want. Try and think about the features you want the TV stand to have, Do you want a simple design that is basically a flat surface for your television to sit on. More than likely you will want some storage underneath for your DVD player, games consoles etc, most plasma stands will come with this storage space.

You can also get your new plasma TV stand in a huge number of different materials and colors. Normally though for LCD and plasma stands, metal and glass are the most popular. But, you do have the option to get a wooden TV stand if that would suit your room more.

Your TV stand comes under close inspection from visitors to your home whether you realise it or not. More often than not these days, when you buy a new TV it comes with a free, mass produced, cheap TV stand. These are only to get you home and up and running. You need to replace this low quality stand with something beautiful, something that's going to get visitors attention for all the right reasons. A contemporary TV stand is lovely piece of furniture that's going to get people talking. How long do you sit and watch your TV every night? Probably for a few hours and for those few hours you want your television to be surrounded something that's well designed and pleasant to the eye.

Of course a contemporary TV stand isn't cheap, in some cases they can cost a small fortune. What are you getting for your money? Well some might say “Buy it cheap, buy it twice” this is certainly true of some TV stands out there, but not these. They are of the highest quality and penned by top designers, to look fantastic and to last for many many years. It might cost a lot initially but you are going to be getting your money worth as the years pass by. Even in few years down the line, when it comes to redecorate and you decide that you want a new style for you home, one that maybe your TV stand no longer matches, then that initial purchase of a quality item is going to come back and re pay you. These designs will always have a place in someone's home and therefore they are going to keep their resale value up.

Paying out for the more expensive item may seem pointless or excessive right now, but in years to come you are going to be glad that you went with a quality item over the cheap one. There's a design out there for everyone's tastes, maybe it isn't new, it could be second hand, not that it matters it's still going to last you many years!

The room that the Entertainment centre is going in is going to be a big factor in your choice. Too big a centre and it overwhelms the surroundings and too small and it doesn't have that effect that such a huge item should. Along with this you need to consider TV size, obviously it the TV needs to fit. I should mention here if you plan on have the biggest TV possible for your room you may want to consider sticking to a normal TV stand, its going to take up less room and leave you with more living space, but if you have you mind set on an entertainment centre keep reading.

Next on the list is the type of screen you want. There is of course the usual LCD and Plasma screens, which have the advantage of being easy to come by, relatively cheap for what you are getting and easy to use. Alternatively you can go all out and get that home cinema feel, with a Projector. Though sadly to get real quality your are going to be spending a lot more of your money than you would do if you bought an LCD or Plasma screen.

Finally its the all important surround sound system, what home entertainment centre would be complete without surround sound? So what are going to choose 5.1 Dolby or go for 7.1? There's no point cutting corners here, if you want to full experience you can't skimp on the sound system, its probably the most important feature of any action movie and really creates that intense atmosphere.

Yes, there's a lot to consider here and its certainly not a decision that should be rushed. It takes time to sculpt a magnificent entertainment centre but the reward at the end will worth it! That's for sure!