Options for Hiding the TV

16 years ago

Is there a way to hide the TV in a retractible mechanism in front of the fireplace (not above it, it's too high)? I'm looking for something that would go down into the basement when company arrives, leaving the fireplace looking decorative. I love the look of a fireplace, but we never use it. I hate the look of a flatscreen TV, but we use it all the time.

And also, have you any advice for positioning the windows in the Great Room so a TV can be seen? Do I need an inside wall facing it?

Thanks for your ideas.

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Comments (7)

blindstar
16 years ago
An alternative approach you might consider is a screen that retracts into the ceiling in front of your fireplace. You would need a front projector with this setup. It could be ceiling mounted or mounted on an opposite wall with a long throw lens.
ash6181
16 years ago
Not sure if this will help you as I don't think its really what you're describing, but it popped into my head, so I thought I'd post just in case. There was an article in Southern Living a few months ago about a device that looks like a picture/painting that hides your T.V. The actual picture/painting part is controlled by remote and will roll up or move out of the way for watching the TV, leaving the frame around the TV. This might be an option for you. If you're interested, I can post more details when I get home. In the article, it was above the fireplace, but I'm sure you could put in on the wall or somewhere else.
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So a couple of other ideas you might want to try. Samsung makes their Frame TV that shows your favorite artwork when not in use. https://www.samsung.com/us/explore/frame-tv/highlights/ Only downside is there is a separate 14.3" x 4.5" x 1.2" IO box that needs to be hidden out of view somewhere and still connect to this TV. You could actually hide the IO box in the recess and then install the frame TV over the top assuming the mounting hardware will reach past the edges of the recess. Another option to look at his Seura TV which is the same idea but a mirror when not in use. https://www.seura.com/products/smart/ They have two flavors-- a bathroom mirror type where even at 2-3" from the mirror you cannot see the TV. The TV quality is not as good but a better mirror. The second is the Living Room mirror type where you cannot see the TV when standing 3ft or farther from the TV. Not as good of a mirror but a better quality TV. On this one be careful on the 4k side as they are 4kUHD compliant but not HDMI 2.0, HDCP 2.2, or HDR compliant the last I checked. That's a bunch of tech compliance but bottom line is you want all that in your TV if you want the very best picture available these days.
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LMAO. I would strongly argue it's coincidence.....however there IS a tiny bit of physics in there, as the knot may be acting as a sort of poor person's choke despite the lack of a ferrite or amorphous iron core. I created my own with a video camera power supply that had a lot of hum, by winding a spiral of the cord up a ferrite rod til the hum disappeared... There is a proper formulae for creating chokes but they are more for filtering noise than 'protection' but most good surge protectors incorporate chokes - and good mains chokes are wound around a donut-shaped core, rather than a straight one. However, as I indicated , lots of things that shouldn't work, often do. HOWEVER- as for the knot in the cord - has nothing to do with any 'straight path' and is more likely to do harm than good, if it damages the insulation or inner stranded wire, it could overheat and cause a fire, similarly, coiling or knotting a wire also (in ac power-land) causes a 'transformer effect' which will create noise, and potentially heat, therefore again a fire risk. If you have a lot of electrical problems/burnouts, you either have loose neutrals in your house (not uncommon) a poor supply from the poco (rare) or above ground lines in a lightning-prone area. A decent surge protector will help but mostly by preventing your death in a lightning strike - I have provided tech support to many customers who were victims of lightning strikes - a line conditioner is better, and an UPS that provides line conditioning and switchover to backup power when poco power is subpar is ideal, however, they will not necessarily protect equipment downstream in all cases but increase your chance of survivability in a catastrophe. Amongst recognised/respected brands of surge protectors etc the warranty/insurance may be worthwhile (surely keeping/preserving receipts is not rocket surgery) but for the most part I suspect the warranty/insurance is a gamble for the company, for every 10,000 units they sell, they might get one claim. Many household insurance policies protect against electrical damage. Personally, I'd start with a whole-house surge protector. Remember that surge protectors are consumables and need to be replaced periodically, when and if they do absorb a big surge, they may fail completely (but have hopefully saved devices down the line) For those tempted, "Monster Cable" type premium cables/suppressors 'audiophile power cables' do not work. Their benefits are purely subjective. There is no scientific evidence they work. Don't be sucked in http://hydrogenaudio.org/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t29989.html I have no doubt Monster cable et als surge protectors etc are nice quality products but I would not pay the premium. Nor would I buy audio cables at the dollar store. Here is a link that might be useful: Choke theory
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It would never occur to me, upon entering someone's home, to think negatively if I saw a back of a sofa. Anyway.... RE: The TV frame.... I have seen some in person that were very lovely. I wish we could do it to ours, but we can't because the TV is tilted down as much as possible. Because of the angle, a frame would look silly from the side and wouldn't fit on the bottom. If your TV ends up at a high level and needs to be tilted, the frame might not be an option. The examples of frames I've seen were not tilted. There are other setups for TVs over fireplaces with decorative doors that cover the TV. We use our TV often enough that that would be inconvenient.... but it would also be a nice option to hide the TV if you want. I couldn't find a better example than this:
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Wow. Thank you for the suggestions and the cold water on the face about a picture being mounted so low. I'm often in this pickle of wanting something that is not quite possible.. I just disliked the idea of centering a room on a television, but maybe if I have the right image in the frame it would be ok? I really appreciate the tip on the specific mount as well. I think if it's over the fireplace I'd need one of the mounts that comes out and down, right? And is it an issue if a fire is lit? And thank you prickleypear, I like the shelf idea a lot, maybe when I'm a little more financially stable. Sorry I couldn't figure out how to respond individually, but am very grateful for each your suggestions. If you have any other thoughts on the space (need a rug and debating hanging curtains) I'm all ears.
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kaydles
16 years ago
If you end up doing a flatscreen TV above the fireplace, you may want to check out having it professionally framed. I saw one at a home show and it looked really elegant!

The link below shows you what I mean but the one I saw at the home show looked even nicer with fabric matting and and heavy ornate frames.

The TV doesn't even have to be dark or off when you have company. You could use it as a giant digital picture frame and have your digital photos scrolling on there. There are even DVDs that have fine artwork and even fish for an aquarium look. (kind of like a giant screensaver for your TV).

Here is a link that might be useful: Framed TV
oruboris
16 years ago
I've seen cabinets with electric lifts that raise and lower the TV. You might find using one of these is simpler than trying to purchase the mechanism separately, but I've included a link to a company that offers several different kind of lifts at the bottom.

How tough the install would be all depends on how the floor framing is done. If the joists run parallel with the FP, it *could* be fairly simple: you'd just need a structure in the basement to support the bottom of the cab/lift mech at the appropriate height.

I'd do a rasied hearth, though, so the TV would be 18 inches or so off the floor for more comfortable viewing. It would also allow the hinged board that covers the retracted tv to be disguised amid the moldings around the hearth.

I think you'd also need the whole installation to meet FP codes, so that it would be safe to raise the TV while the FP was burning, even though you wouldn't normally want to. It may be possible, with a gas fp, to use some sort of mechanism that would turn off the gas supply when the fp raises, or prevent the tv from raising when the fp was above a certain temp., though I'm not sure that would satisfy code requirements.

Here is a link that might be useful: TV lift company
shannonking
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for these great ideas!
lagrant
16 years ago
This was the most creative thing I've seen done to hide a TV - the "fireplace" is faux, hiding a 50" rear projection TV. Just beautiful!

Here is a link that might be useful: Faux Fireplace
dassykee
16 years ago
We are having our architect design a piece of low furniture housing a lift that will be off to the side of the fireplace. The TV will descend partly into the floor joists...so that DH can have a larger TV!!! I have never enjoyed a TV over the fireplace and we didn't want to block our view or be unable to have a fire while watching TV. Good luck!

Options for Hiding the TV

Comments (7)

blindstar

ash6181

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Options for Hiding the TV

Comments (7)

blindstar

ash6181

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