[ghporter]

Is there some standardized term for "a stand for a flat panel TV that has a VESA/wall mount one attaches the TV to"? I want that for my upcoming flat panel, but searching for "TV stand" generates tons of hits for plain credenza-style stands or entertainment centers, with only a few "VESA" stands showing up.

Here's a picture of the kind of thing I want:

I'm looking for something wider, and in more of a Mission-style, but I'll feel better just knowing what to call the thing!

By the way, just adding "VESA" to the search terms simply gets lots of wall mounts... This is frustrating.

[turtle777]

When I was in the market for a TV stand a couple of months back, I was wondering what advantages TV stands with a VESA mounts would have. I could never come up with any real good reasons. All the models I saw where not that great looking.

Mission-style VESA mount TV stand ?

That's like good American beer - not impossible to find, but definitely not the mainstream :-)

-t

[phantomdragonz]

try searching for "flat panel tv stands"

-Zach

EDITED to be a little nicer

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

When I was in the market for a TV stand a couple of months back, I was wondering what advantages TV stands with a VESA mounts would have. I could never come up with any real good reasons. All the models I saw where not that great looking.

Mission-style VESA mount TV stand ?

That's like good American beer - not impossible to find, but definitely not the mainstream :-)

-t

Yeah, but that's me: "not in the mainstream." I may have to build the cabinet part and graft on the stand. I want the screen to sort of look like it's floating over the furniture, but I want furniture that goes with the rest of the house. Dark oak in a simple, rectangular design, with a very few added details (spindle sides rather than solid, exposed mortise joints) would go with everything in the house, and I like the classical simplicity of this design. Adding a modern screen above that sort of thing should be something more than just plopping it down on the top.

There are mechanical advantages to having a VESA mount on a fairly large piece of furniture. The most important to me is that mechanically attaching the screen to the furniture means that the whole cabinet acts as a base for the screen, so it is far less likely to tip over.

The unfortunate part of the selection of flat panel TV stands is that most try to be "ultramodern." They don't succeed in most cases, and instead look "cheesy" or "avant garde," neither style fitting in in my living room.

[residentEvil]

find the cabinet you want/like then buy a "flat panel floor stand". the base will slide under the cabinet you pick and will be the proper size to support your TV; instead of "making and attaching" something.

they are adjustable, so the stand can hold the TV and still hover over the cabinet and you won't see much if any of the stand support. specially if you have a component or art or nicknack on the top of the cabinet.

note: i have a modern cabinet with attached TV mount. black metal/glass. and i like it. the advantage is, is the extra shelf. so instead of table top setting your TV on top, it now floats above high enough and gets you an extra shelf....the top of the cabinet.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Yeah, but that's me: "not in the mainstream." I may have to build the cabinet part and graft on the stand. I want the screen to sort of look like it's floating over the furniture, but I want furniture that goes with the rest of the house.

Why don't you get a nice cabinet, and then mount the TV on the wall over it ?

-t

[dav]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Why don't you get a nice cabinet, and then mount the TV on the wall over it ?

-t

that's what i did. a wall mount should be more stable than either a floor or cabinet stand, and i'd think would give you more options in furniture.

[exca1ibur]

This is the stand I have with a 40" mounted to it.



Works best for me, and I move the TV and stand if I want/need to. Besides can't drill holes in walls where I'm at, even if I wanted to.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Why don't you get a nice cabinet, and then mount the TV on the wall over it ?

-t

That is a pretty strong thought, I have to admit. I am still having trouble getting the whole "this thing is incredibly easy to set up and you'll never need to fuss with the back of it when you finish" thing. My current setup is a piece of furniture with the CRT TV in a big square opening; it's deep because of the depth of the TV, but the rest of the stuff in it doesn't need all that depth. Also, the TV family I'm looking at, Samsung's 7000 or 8000 series LED TVs, offer a more subtle mounting system that works very much like hanging a picture on the wall.

How does one hide the cables when one hangs a flat-panel on the wall?

[dav]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

How does one hide the cables when one hangs a flat-panel on the wall?

I cut a two holes in the drywall and installed two pass-through wall plates (similar to this). One behind the flat panel, one behind the cabinet. It's only a span of approximately four feet so passing the cables through the wall wasn't too difficult.

[andi*pandi]

This thread is very helpful, we just bought a flatpanel and I was wondering what to do with it.

[shifuimam]

FWIW, IKEA has some really nice flat panel entertainment furniture.

This is what we ended up getting:

IKEA | Bookcases | BESTÅ/FRAMSTÅ/INREDA storage system | BESTÅ BOÅS | TV storage unit

I LOVE it. I know that particle board furniture won't last as long as solid wood, but this thing is really sturdy and heavy. It's made of very thick MDF-type paneling. There's a big cutout in the back of the TV panel for passing through cables, with a big trough behind for shoving all the cables into, so nothing is left on the floor. The area behind the TV was also deep enough to mount a large surge protector on one side. There's enough room in the cabinet for our 360, PS2, Wii, DVD player, and a small HTPC. Receiver goes up top so it gets plenty of ventilation (plus the thing is huge). The feet screw into the bottom with big threaded bolts, so they can be adjusted for uneven flooring, etc.

We like it, at any rate:



Their stuff is obviously mostly quite modern, but if you're into that style, it's worth considering. I'd say that this stand is definitely very well-built.

[reader50]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

This thread is very helpful, we just bought a flatpanel and I was wondering what to do with it.

You could ship it to me. No need to get fancy.

[andi*pandi]

Originally Posted by reader50 

You could ship it to me. No need to get fancy.

Go to tiger direct and get yer own!

For now it can live on our old tv stand, but having it be up a bit more would be better.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by dav 

I cut a two holes in the drywall and installed two pass-through wall plates (similar to this). One behind the flat panel, one behind the cabinet. It's only a span of approximately four feet so passing the cables through the wall wasn't too difficult.

Interesting. Very neat, and not too much effort for the wall, either. I'll have to think about that. I'm already planning on running speaker wire up inside the wall (10' ceilings aren't a problem, but I need to find the right spot from the attic first), so some more sheetrock "surgery" wouldn't be that big a deal.

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

FWIW, IKEA has some really nice flat panel entertainment furniture.
<snip>
Their stuff is obviously mostly quite modern, but if you're into that style, it's worth considering. I'd say that this stand is definitely very well-built.

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't "not like" Ikea furniture, but their stuff just won't go with the rest of the room. Or, for that matter, the rest of the house.

[shifuimam]

Understandable; IKEA's stuff is quite modern, and it sounds like you've got a more traditional/rustic look to your furniture.

Seems like the wall-mount idea might be good for what you want. Maybe find a mission cabinet for your A/V stuff and replace the door panels with frosted glass so your remotes will still work...

[The Godfather]

I don't understand why people crave for the thinnest TV they can afford, yet they buy furniture that is as deep as the CRT they owned before.

[cjrivera]

Originally Posted by The Godfather 

I don't understand why people crave for the thinnest TV they can afford, yet they buy furniture that is as deep as the CRT they owned before.

Not necessarily. I'm sure a 40-60" CRT TV would have to have TV stands much deeper than the current credenza style stands

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

FWIW, IKEA has some really nice flat panel entertainment furniture.

I picked some stuff up there two weeks ago. While it's clearly better quality than other particle board stuff, it's nowhere near the quality of real wood stuff. That said, it's cheap as hell and since my kids will outgrow the stuff, it works in that regard.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by The Godfather 

I don't understand why people crave for the thinnest TV they can afford, yet they buy furniture that is as deep as the CRT they owned before.

The furniture typically has to be deep enough to house home theater components, video games systems, etc. None of the flat panel-based furniture I've seen recently is as deep as my 36" CRT TV.

[The Godfather]

That's what the closet if for.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by The Godfather 

That's what the closet if for.

I thought that was were I was supposed to keep the dead bodies.

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

I thought that was were I was supposed to keep the dead bodies.

No, that's what your trunk is for.

[Railroader]

Then where do I keep the live bodies?!?

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by The Godfather 

I don't understand why people crave for the thinnest TV they can afford, yet they buy furniture that is as deep as the CRT they owned before.

That's one issue I'm trying to address with this new furniture, actually. My current entertainment center is just deep enough for my 32" CRT TV, which means it's something like twice as deep as the biggest box in the system (the receiver). I have found some really nice credenza-style cabinets that are OK, but they're still a bit too deep for my tastes. Again, I'm thinking that I may need to actually build a cabinet that's "deep enough" but not too deep if I don't find anything more reasonable. What's a reasonable depth? About 12", roughly the depth of many bookcases. My front speakers are on 15" square tables, so I could have a 12" cabinet a little bit away from the wall (for cabling) and have it all fronted evenly...but first I have to find a cabinet that isn't 22" or more deep.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

Then where do I keep the live bodies?!?

Cellar. Don't forget to bar that door, too.

[dav]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

What's a reasonable depth? About 12", roughly the depth of many bookcases. My front speakers are on 15" square tables, so I could have a 12" cabinet a little bit away from the wall (for cabling) and have it all fronted evenly...but first I have to find a cabinet that isn't 22" or more deep.

careful with that, my console/cabinet is 15.75" deep (interior shelf depth), the receiver i'm considering as a pre/pro is 14.375". doesn't leave room for banana plugs!

fitting some components in under 12" could be a problem even with the cables running out behind. check the depth of components you have, and estimate what you might need in the future. 17" might be a better compromise.

[ghporter]

dav, that's an excellent point. I measured my amp, and it DOES need a shelf deeper than 12". In fact, to accommodate both connectors on the back and the knobs on the front, it needs about 14" of shelf depth.

But I'm posting this morning to announce that I found 'what I wanted.'

(store photo, I'll post a real one when I get everything set up)
It's made of wood (mostly), it's deep enough without being monstrously deep, it has the integral wall-mount design I was looking for, and it was quite inexpensive. And surprisingly, I got it at Wal-Mart. I would take the "easy to assemble" bit on the web page with a grain of salt-the instructions (and experience bear this out) call for 2 1/2 hours assembly time AND two people doing the work. With that said, it's solid and it suits and fits my room quite nicely.

I'm finishing plans for wiring the rear speakers now, and I've given up on ceiling mounts. The 10' ceiling is less than ideal for ceiling mounted (not "in-ceiling") speakers, and getting to both location to run wires through the attic would be a bigger hassle than I want. Instead, I've discovered that the existing wiring (coax and phone lines) is going to be REALLY easy to piggy back off of. Phone line electrical boxes are open-backed and except for the couple of boxes that have a single phone line going into them, the wall plates are modular "keystone" plates-this will be a snap to modify for my needs.

[tc3]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

FWIW, IKEA has some really nice flat panel entertainment furniture.

This is what we ended up getting:


I LOVE it. I know that particle board furniture won't last as long as solid wood, but this thing is really sturdy and heavy. It's made of very thick MDF-type paneling. There's a big cutout in the back of the TV panel for passing through cables, with a big trough behind for shoving all the cables into, so nothing is left on the floor. The area behind the TV was also deep enough to mount a large surge protector on one side. There's enough room in the cabinet for our 360, PS2, Wii, DVD player, and a small HTPC. Receiver goes up top so it gets plenty of ventilation (plus the thing is huge). The feet screw into the bottom with big threaded bolts, so they can be adjusted for uneven flooring, etc.

We like it, at any rate:



Their stuff is obviously mostly quite modern, but if you're into that style, it's worth considering. I'd say that this stand is definitely very well-built.

Hi i tried sending you a private message but your inbox is too full. Am curious as to how the tv is attached. Looks like you have a 40 inch tv but there does not seem much space between tv and unit sides so was just wondering how easy it is to mount onto the panel? Want to order online but IKEA websire is no good for help and found this post on google search. Did u use the IKEA mounts and if so how does the tv attavh? Thanks for any info and sorry to drag this old post back.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by tc3 

Hi i tried sending you a private message but your inbox is too full. Am curious as to how the tv is attached. Looks like you have a 40 inch tv but there does not seem much space between tv and unit sides so was just wondering how easy it is to mount onto the panel? Want to order online but IKEA websire is no good for help and found this post on google search. Did u use the IKEA mounts and if so how does the tv attavh? Thanks for any info and sorry to drag this old post back.

Hey, sorry about the PM thing.

Mounting the TV was super easy. We bought the mounting rail from IKEA along with the TV stand. The instructions are included with the stand - it comes with these plastic cup thingies that you attach to the four holes on the VESA mount on the back of the TV. The top ones slide into metal brackets that hang off the mounting rail.

The TV fits plenty well - I suppose a 42" might fit too, but I'm not sure. Ours is a 40" Sony Bravia.

Hope that helps!

[analogue SPRINKLES]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

This is the stand I have with a 40" mounted to it.



Works best for me, and I move the TV and stand if I want/need to. Besides can't drill holes in walls where I'm at, even if I wanted to.

Keep in mind with shelves like this you get to see the ugly assed side panels of most electronic equipments as most of them don't bother putting anything into the design of the side because it slides into a shelve usually. So unless different colours, sizes, dusty vents, seams and screws are your thing it is better to get something else.

[tc3]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Hey, sorry about the PM thing.

Mounting the TV was super easy. We bought the mounting rail from IKEA along with the TV stand. The instructions are included with the stand - it comes with these plastic cup thingies that you attach to the four holes on the VESA mount on the back of the TV. The top ones slide into metal brackets that hang off the mounting rail.

The TV fits plenty well - I suppose a 42" might fit too, but I'm not sure. Ours is a 40" Sony Bravia.

Hope that helps!

Thanks a lot for that helpful info. We too have a Sony Bravia so you have pretty much put my mind at ease. I like the look of the unit very much and there is a very attractive combo of bookcases doors etc shown on the UK website which is the look i have been wanting for a good while.
Looking at the IKEA site....is this what you used to mount the TV?
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90147936

[ghporter]

I haven't gotten a picture of my installation yet-too busy with lots of stuff. However, I'd like to follow up on analogue's point about open shelves. There's a balance between seeing the ugly sides (vent slots, screws, etc.) and being able to fit the boxes into an enclosed cabinet. Case in point, my cabinet/VESA mount furniture. The picture shows lots of hardware inside the cabinet. Yep, you can do that. If your boxes are narrow enough. Which (yes, you guessed right) mine aren't. So I have 2 high def disc players, an amp, and a satellite receiver all sitting on top of the credenza base. Honestly it's not ugly or anything, but it's not what I envisioned. Pictures are coming, once I get around to it, but don't hold your breath.

On the other hand, I do have to say that the VESA mounting process was childs' play. Fasten the bracket onto the back of the display, hang the bracket on the cross bar, tighten the thumb screws and you're done. Cake.

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES 

Keep in mind with shelves like this you get to see the ugly assed side panels of most electronic equipments as most of them don't bother putting anything into the design of the side because it slides into a shelve usually. So unless different colours, sizes, dusty vents, seams and screws are your thing it is better to get something else.

Not an issue for me, as all I have is a Dish receiver (black), AV Receiver(black) and a PS3(black), which is vertical right under the TV itself. Lastly, a center channel speaker (black) on the top shelf and a pile of PS3 games on the bottom shelf.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by tc3 

Thanks a lot for that helpful info. We too have a Sony Bravia so you have pretty much put my mind at ease. I like the look of the unit very much and there is a very attractive combo of bookcases doors etc shown on the UK website which is the look i have been wanting for a good while.
Looking at the IKEA site....is this what you used to mount the TV?
IKEA | TV solutions | TV solutions for flatscreen TVs larger than 37" | UPPLEVA ORMO | Wall bracket for flat TV

Yep! That's exactly what we used for our TV.

Also, FWIW, we moved recently, and the unit didn't sustain any damages at all. It's really sturdy and well-built compared to a lot of particleboard furniture.

[analogue SPRINKLES]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

Not an issue for me, as all I have is a Dish receiver (black), AV Receiver(black) and a PS3(black), which is vertical right under the TV itself. Lastly, a center channel speaker (black) on the top shelf and a pile of PS3 games on the bottom shelf.

Well as long as they are all black I guess it is ok

Oh that nice picture above also forgot to include the minimum of 2 cables coming from each unit and the wall outlet.

[tc3]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Yep! That's exactly what we used for our TV.

Also, FWIW, we moved recently, and the unit didn't sustain any damages at all. It's really sturdy and well-built compared to a lot of particleboard furniture.

Ok great will be ordering it all tonight. The IKEA mount looked a bit fragile to me but it has given you no trouble so i am happy to go with that.
Thanks again

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES 

Well as long as they are all black I guess it is ok

Oh that nice picture above also forgot to include the minimum of 2 cables coming from each unit and the wall outlet.

You can't see it but there is a unified rail along the back for all the cables to run in one line down the spine of the tower. You have the same concerns I had though, trust me.

[analogue SPRINKLES]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

You can't see it but there is a unified rail along the back for all the cables to run in one line down the spine of the tower. You have the same concerns I had though, trust me.

Oh trust me i know that. Still doesn't show the big cables in the corners and middle of any of the units running there. There should be at LEAST 8 cables in that picture if they are using HDMI and you can bet many of them are using 4 - 6 cables per UNIT.

[greenmama]

How about something like this?

I found it at Removed spam link to subsidiary of poster's employer. Left the pretty picture.

[dav]

Originally Posted by greenmama 

How about something like this?

whatever works for your decor, and electronics. i'd caution that any component behind the doors (and drawer) won't respond to remotes, leaving you effectively two spots for remote controlled components. and you might take up one of those slots for a center channel speaker if you want to leave the table top clean. ?

[analogue SPRINKLES]

Originally Posted by dav 

whatever works for your decor, and electronics. i'd caution that any component behind the doors (and drawer) won't respond to remotes, leaving you effectively two spots for remote controlled components. and you might take up one of those slots for a center channel speaker if you want to leave the table top clean. ?

You can get those little relay cable things that you stick on the IR port of the unit and then run up and outside of the unit and stick it somewhere nobody will see it other than the remote.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by dav 

that's what i did. a wall mount should be more stable than either a floor or cabinet stand, and i'd think would give you more options in furniture.

Wow, that looks great! I'd love to do something like that with my TV, but I live in an apartment. I'm not allowed to hang anything from a wall (which is scary, because I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to drill wire supports for my book cases.)

[jonesrq]

What do you think of this from LCD Cabinet?



removed link to furniture store
removed link to different store at same IP address

[Laminar]

It would be kind of hard to watch TV from the couch.

[Jay Sherman]

Originally Posted by jonesrq 

What do you think of this from LCD Cabinet?

It stinks!

[andi*pandi]

ow my eyes.

[The Godfather]

The ultimate flat panel setup is one where the display is stuck to the wall, 29 inches away from any wall attachment or furniture. All the AV components are neatly hidden under your sofa cushions: emphasis on the hidden aspect. Extra points if you can reduce it to one single PC. The HDMI would be run under the floor rug/wood or over the ceiling.