haha no i found that on google images and the caption was "my husband wanted this NOT ME!" I personally just have an LCD mounted above a low-ish long stand. My gf would think I was crazy if I had two TV's but my buddies would love it

Def not something to do if you are married (well assuming you value your life). On a side note, one of my buddies has a 42" mounted above a mantle and then with the push of a button a 103" drops from the ceiling covering the "small" TV and I must say it looks pretty good. Again, no wife

 

I think the TV with a slightly smaller mantel looks okay.

 

Dom are you any good with the woodwork? You can easily make a new mantel top. Maybe a compromise.



Bunch of ideas and styles here:
http://www.mantelsllc.com/custom-portfolio.php

 

Not really. And I don't have any of the tools required for something like that either.

I think we're going to go with the mantel we have. If it looks ridiculous we can always change it. I'd like to see it up on the wall first.

 

Agree with that.. No point in not putting it up first and then deciding..


I'm sure you can find a local handyman/craftsman around to build a custom mantle for around 500 loonies..

 

Looks great so far. Just go with what you have. If it looks out of place you can always change the mantle wood work slightly to make it look right.

 

Bigger TV looks fine to me. The TV is the focal point not the fireplace (maybe because I'm a guy)

 

TV and mantle are now up and I think it looks fine. The TV isn't actually that much bigger.

Where I royally fawked up was the placement of the components (Receiver, BD player etc) which is above the TV. I put a shelf up there to hold them which looks dumb. So I'll be making some changes and moving them to one side of the mantel.

I'll be waiting to pick up a new AVR before doing any of this so I only have to run the one cable to the TV.

 

WTF... Where are the pics focker??

 

I can't post pics with that shelf above the TV

 

:whocares:


Post up pics..!

 

Here you go Jonsei.









Have to get rid of that shelf above the TV.

Get new curtain rods

Paint the ceiling in the kitchen

Get a new chair or recliner and new kitchen.

 

TV to mantle ratio looks great.. Perfect fit..!


Where are you going to put the components?

 

Not sure yet. But probably to the left of the mantle. Hopefully I only have to run one or 2wires to the TV once I get a receiver.

I'll have to patch the holes that are in the wall behind that shelf so there's still some work to do but I'll wait until I get a receiver/speakers first.

I'm beggining to love this TV. Standard TV HD content isn't that much better than my DLP but the colors are much, much better.

 

From the pictures looks like that's the best spot..


Invite a few friends over and I'm sure they'll convince you to like your tv. I'm positive you'll get Alot of compliments..

 

at the shelf with the components. Everything else looks really nice though.

 

The room looks good dom. And will look 10x better once the shelf and components are gone. Does your TV radiate much heat when you've had it on for some time. I wonder if it will affect the thermostat right next to it.

 

Not that I've noticed but an interesting point to check.

@ that shelf. One of those things that I didn't give much thought to but was stunned at the results. The good news is my kids are no longer getting their dirty little fingers on all the DVD's.

 

Looks real good.

How many little doms are there? And it looks like Mrs. dom purposely got up from the chair so she wouldn't end up being posted here.

 

Wow that shelf really looks bad, props to you for posting the pic. Put the components in another room if you can and use an RF remote to control them.

 

Dom, it looks great (minus the shelf) but damn, you got screwed on the budget today. Maybe you can get the receipts reprinted with todays date or something to get the tax refund?

 

I'm not sure the details but I think the reno's need to be energy related.

 

Thanks for your honesty. No way I can put them in another room.

 

2. Nah, not this time.

 

put them under the sofa/couch/chesterfield.

 

Is there a minimum? I heard $1350 for 10k. I spent maybe $600 (not including the TV) on this room. But that may come in handy when its time to redo the kitchen as that will likely cost 10k+.

 

I think a pic of that shelf is going in my AV.

 

What did you do with the cable/sat box and the shelf? Ever decide or do anything for the surround sound?

 

Still there until I pick up a a receiver and speakers. Since I don't like the idea of dropping $5-600 on a HD capable receiver I'll likely be waiting until prices come down a bit.

I did find some nice AV units that I think would work beside the mantel. Thing that's really holding me up is having to break and drywall and put it back up, mud + tape etc. I'll have to wait until after my hernia surgery.

I switched cable providers so I'm getting 2 HD PVR's in a couple of weeks as well.

 

you didn't switch to rogers, did you?

 

A little off-topic, but we decided to return our rental PVR and just set up Dan's old computer as a media centre. Bought two TV tuners (because we often have two shows recording at the same time) and we're just as happy with our homemade PVR.

 

Okay, so I suck...Off-topic again, but when is your surgery? Did you get a quick date?

 

Yup, I'm guessing it was a bad move?

I couldn't pass up the deal. 2 free HD PVR's and a 2 stand def receiver's for 2 years. Plus the monthly savings on Cable and phone were impossible to pass up. I'll be saving from 50 to 30 over the next 2 years compared to what I'm paying now.

 

Still no date. The doctor I saw last week is now off for 2 weeks but I figured his secretary would be making the appointment with a specialist. I'll likely be contacting a hernia clinic dirctly as I'd like it done well before summer.

 

Which cable company did you have before?

 

it's not a "bad" move but there's 2 things you'll notice that are super annoying.

1. The guide, it's SLOW as balls, and looks like ass.
2. HD channels aren't broadcast at a full HD bitrate, so you'll probably notice the picture quality won't compare to whomever you were with before. They downgraded the bitrate by 1/3 so that they could fit more channels on the same amount of bandwidth.

 

SS, I was with Bell until Nov, then went with StartChoice (not by choice, long story)

I though Rogers had the best HD quality. When did this switch happen?

I knew about the guide. I know a few people with Rogers. But I'll live with it. StarChoice's guide sucks as well. I miss Bell's.

I'll be looking forward to On Demand. That was the real deal maker. Treehouse and movie's on Demand FTW with 2 kids.

Besides. Its no contarct and no install fee. Like Starchoice. I can cancel upto 30 days in and at any time but pay the receiver rental fees for the months I used.

Switching between comapnies seems to be the way to go these days. Starchoice gave me a pretty good deal and tried to sweeten the pot when I said I was cancelling. Rogers deal was great so I'm sure I'll be able to get something out of Bell if I have to go back at some point.

 

Just got Rogers yesterday, couple of things.

The guide on the PVR is not slow, quite the opposite actually. Fast and Accurate. Works perfectly IMO. The guide on the standard def box, still slow.

As far as HD quality goes, if there is one, I havn't been able to see a drop off in picture quality. Looks just as good. Although I've never had Bell HD.

The one thing that stands out so far, there's no longer any split second pixelation like their was with Starchoice. Example, when I used to watch something like TSN sportscentre or HNIC, the logo that they have pop up when beggining the show or going to commercial would always be pixelated for a split second. Not sure if that was a Starchoice thing but its no longer happening on either of my HDTV's with the PVR. It looked like it took time for the picture to develop in fast moving scenes.

And PVR and On Demand FTW. I'll be using those 2 heavily.

 

We rarely watch Live tv. Anything we truly care about watching is recorded on our Media Centre and we watch it whenever. Otherwise, the TV is rarely on.