HDTV revisited-best one (42"+) for wall-DVD built-in?

[lawmax]

OK...what should I buy, when should I get it (''tis the season for tv bargains, right?)? Do any come with a built-in DVD player?

Main need--mounted on wall over fireplace in living room/great room. Will need an articulating arm. Will probably need over 42". 48"?

I don''t know what to buy and I don''t want to be storing DVD players, digital boxes, etc. around the room.

Help!!!!!!

Thanks!

lawmax

 

[pennquaker09]

First, do not mount the TV over the fireplace, it voids the warranty. If I had to recommend a TV, it would either be the Sony Bravia or the Sharp Aquos.

 

[Catmom]

As an owner of both a Sony Bravia and a Sharp Aquos I would have to say the Sony Bravia, hands down!

ETA: I haven't seen where any LCD TV's come with a built in DVD player but I could be wrong.

 

[moremoremore]

Me too! I also have them both...I don''t say hands down b/c to be honest, I''m low tech and don''t notice a huge difference but I love my Bravia!

 

[lawmax]

no warranty? Oh Cr*p. I didn''t know that. I really have nowhere else to put a tv in that room.

 

[butterfly 17]

I have a Panasonic Vieta that is 42 " and set above my fireplace in the family room. It actually came with the house, the previous owners decided to leave it for me

, but if I were going to buy one, I would probably go with the Sony Bravia or the Sharp Aquos. I prefer Sony and Panasonic brands in general.

I had no idea that hanging a TV over a fireplace voids the warranty. I suppose just in case it burns the TV or the heat damages it. Since I didn't purchase the TV and the owners never gave me any warranty information, I just never thought about it. It seemed like the perfect place to put it.


ETA: I have a gas fireplace, not a real log burning one, I wonder if that would make any difference..

 

[pennquaker09]

Honestly, I havent known anyone that has had an issues, but I work in the design industry and installers will have came in and said, we recommend to not mount the TV above the fireplace because some manufacturers will not support it in case of damage. I know that in the case of a wood burning, smoke can be sucked into the TV.

As a designer, I dislike the trendiness of hanging it above the fireplace.

 

[butterfly 17]

JUst wanted to add that the TV was already over the fireplace when we purchased house and we actually tried to remove it when we repainted the room, but we couldn''t figure out how the brackets worked.

In our case, I don''t think that it was so much a trendy thing to do, as much as it really seems to be the perfect place. OUr family is not huge and it opens up to the kitchen and breakfast area, so there are only three walls. One walll has a window that takes up most of the wall and the fireplace is to the right of it, the other wall has a sliding glass door that basically takes up the whole wall and then there is the third wall but it is completely blocked off by the island area, so if we put a TV there we would not be able to put a couch in front fireplace, we would have to put the couch facing the TV which would mean that the back of the couch would face the sliding glass door and the side would be next to the fireplace.

Okay, that''s confusing I know. But where it is now seems just right. I can see it from the breakfast nook, the island and even when I am cooking. The only other wall that it could have gone onto, you would not be able to see it from any of those angles.


Lawmax, perhaps you can post a floorplan of your room and pennquaker09 can help you with the best place to hang your TV..

 

[lawmax]

Interesting.

Well, as a non-designer, I don't like it over the fireplace either. I just don't have another place to put it. I may not put one in the room at all.

The room is rectangular. Facing the entrance to the room, the fireplace (gas) is straight ahead on the far wall. To the left side (the shorter side of the room, i.e., fireplace is not quite centered), there is a bay window and I've had a window seat built there. The left wall on that side of the room has custom wood built-ins with lighted glass shelves and door-covered cabinets below.

The other side of the fireplace wall has sliding glass doors that take up almost all of the rest of the wall. That side of the room is more square.

The sofa is L-shaped along the back walls (i.e., the ones without the slider) and there is a round button-tufted ottoman and there is also a swivel club chair (small) that can face the sofa or turn to face the fireplace head on or turn to face the window seat/built-ins. The built-ins won't hold a tv large enough to be seen all the way across the room.

I suppose I could consider reconfiguring the sofa (I've had it every which way), but turning it means that nobody ever faces the fireplace, which is weird as it is in the "center" of the room. It also cuts off the flow of the room/cuts it in half with the fireplace just an odd space in the middle.

If one did as most designers would and put two very small loveseats around the fireplace, (they would have to be quite small), one is left with weird, pretty unusable space remaining on both sides of the room. A small "great" room worked for the condo builders, but does not work for interior design.

I've read that one can put up a temperature strip on the wall and run the fireplace to be sure that the temp does not go over 100 degrees F.

I'd really love a way to hide the tv that does not cost a fortune. I'd like artwork that covers it or to build a cabinet around it, but I'm not sure how doable that is.

 

[pennquaker09]

Can you take a few photos? I could space plan it better.

 

[lawmax]

OK

Waiting for a black nourison rug (arriving monday)

 

[lawmax]

entering livingroom

 

[lawmax]

Turn a bit to the left

Window seat...awaiting black curtains with gold detail and black w/gold coordinating cushion

 

[lawmax]

built-ins with lighted shelves (will have glass shelves soon) and a desk with file drawer over to left

 

[lawmax]

back to center and other side of fireplace

awaiting coordinating drapes (black--will post when I get the samples from the designer)

 

[lawmax]

turning right (I know it''s all sooooooo monochromatic)...

sigh...needing artwork

 

[lawmax]

last turn to the right

notice the annoying partial wall.

 

[lawmax]

I wish I had chosen different fabrics. The first sofa I chose was a lovely pale yellow matelesse as well, but nicer...the price came in at $14,000 discounted for just the sofa. I went with what is affordable and kept the walls neutral as I don''t know how long I''ll live here and want to be able to sell without repainting. I''m learning designing lessons!

I''m currently hating the toile. My taste seems to be changing moment by moment. Maybe it''s a midlife thing....

 

[lawmax]

hmmmm...photo failure...

fabric samples arrived today. will try again

 

[lawmax]

the bottom fabric is for the window seat cushion and the top for the curtains (3 for the bay and long panels for the sliding glass doors). Rotate 90 degrees to the right...the raised fabric "striping" texture for the curtains is vertical.

 

[lawmax]

I think there''s some lilac as well as gold and maybe a touch of sage in the rug. I''m very into pale lavender lately. I bought the Barbara Barry Tiara collection for my bedroom and I love it. The headboard is gold, button tufted (I thought it was ivory when I ordered it. Oh well. It looks nice.

 

[pennquaker09]

We have similar taste. I love the area rug and the fabric choices. After looking at the photos, I think in your case mounting the TV above the fireplace is really the only option. You've got so much great natural lighting that if you put it somewhere else, you wouldn't be able to view the television. Did you go out yesterday and get a TV or did you just purchase one? We went to Best Buy and got a Sharp.

I would just make sure to see if the TV will still be covered by the warranty.

I'm assuming that you will be keeping the sectional sofa? If so, I would bring it off of the wall and move it closer to the fireplace. And do you have one chair or two? And will you be painting the room? I think a nice gold would be wonderful. That would be my safe color choice, if you're interested, I could come up with more.

 

[lawmax]

Thanks Penn! I lived in Philly for 8 years and still miss it. I lived on city line when we were in school, then moved to havertown just over the wynnewood line. My daughter was born at Bryn Mawr.

The rug looks great. Now to get my contractor to finish the built-ins (glass shelves) and fix up where the outlets are! I need artwork/wall decor badly.

Anyway, the room actually was just painted! The matchy-matchy with the furniture, which had not yet arrived was a boo-boo. Still, I went neutral as I anticipate possibly selling in the next few years. I went with Ellen Kennon full-spectrum paint which is interesting. I did her lilac at 50% in my daughter's bedroom with full-strength lilac on the ceiling. The way the light plays on it is amazing! My son's room is done in her Alexandra blue, walls and ceiling and my room and the hallway upstairs is done in blush. I have luminaire in my kitchen, which is quite nice. She loves to do colors like her gustavian gray on ceilings, but I matched the wall and ceiling colors for resale appeal.

How far off the wall would you move the sofa? I may play with that soon. There is only one chair. Taking the sofa off the wall may help with that total blending into the paint problem! I put the black game table back on the side of the sofa where those lamps are. They were a gift and look great now on my more art-deco nightstands in my master bedroom.

Thanks!

lawmax

 

[lawmax]

Oh...didn''t buy the tv yet. I feel like I''ve been pouring money in getting so much done at once. I had the whole house painted including the garage!, put columns and beams in to make the dining area more of a separate space and a tray ceiling in the foyer, did the built-ins in the living room, the window seat, the crown mouldings, etc., bought furniture for the living room and master bedroom all at once. Yikes!

I feel like I''ll need a pretty big tv and like prices will keep coming down on the better models. I''m learning to go with my intuition on timing. You know, I''d like to see the walls finished, throws, maybe bringing in color with the artwork...ideas are forming, but I have to find things slowly as they turn up.

If you have any suggestions for types of artwork, mirrors, single frames or clusters, etc., shout ''em out. I am a good therapist and a good mom and I know a gorgeous room when I see one (I can see that with design and free reign financially, I could go crazy buying gorgeous things (I have perpetual problems with having champagne taste on a beer budget) as the possibilities are endless!), but it''s a real challenge for me to envision a finished product and put the pieces together. Where is my right brain, anyway?

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 11/24/2007 9:49:54 PM
Author: lawmax
Oh...didn''t buy the tv yet. I feel like I''ve been pouring money in getting so much done at once. I had the whole house painted including the garage!, put columns and beams in to make the dining area more of a separate space and a tray ceiling in the foyer, did the built-ins in the living room, the window seat, the crown mouldings, etc., bought furniture for the living room and master bedroom all at once. Yikes!


I feel like I''ll need a pretty big tv and like prices will keep coming down on the better models. I''m learning to go with my intuition on timing. You know, I''d like to see the walls finished, throws, maybe bringing in color with the artwork...ideas are forming, but I have to find things slowly as they turn up.


If you have any suggestions for types of artwork, mirrors, single frames or clusters, etc., shout ''em out. I am a good therapist and a good mom and I know a gorgeous room when I see one (I can see that with design and free reign financially, I could go crazy buying gorgeous things (I have perpetual problems with having champagne taste on a beer budget) as the possibilities are endless!), but it''s a real challenge for me to envision a finished product and put the pieces together. Where is my right brain, anyway?

Okay, so now that I look at the picture on my new monitor, I can totally tell you''ve painted. You''ve got a little interior designer in you because not many people know about Ellen Kennon paints. I ended up using BM AURA, but I would like to try EK paints. It looks like we won''t be in PA for as long as I thought so maybe I''ll use EK at the next house.

I can tell you, I totally feel what you''re talking about, I can''t tell you how much money I''ve spent and I feel like there has been very little progress.

Where did you get that sofa from? I''ve been looking for something such as that.

 

[lawmax]

Oh, I highly recommend EK''s white opal trim paint. It really is fabulous, IMHO.

I have to find out the brand: Here is the fabric and order info as on my bill:

Fabric: Cottage Haven (463507)
Color: shell, plush seat

Can you figure out the manufacturer?

If you really want to know, I''ll call and ask or look on the furniture.

 

[pennquaker09]

It''s okay, I don''t want to bite your style. I''ve looked at different places - from Ralph Lauren to Pottery Barn and everywhere in between and I just haven''t made my mind up. I suppose if I sat still for more than 5 minutes and really thought about it, I would make a decision. I think I''m going to look at Norwalk again.

 

[lawmax]

Date: 11/29/2007 6:27:54 PM
Author: pennquaker09
It''s okay, I don''t want to bite your style. I''ve looked at different places - from Ralph Lauren to Pottery Barn and everywhere in between and I just haven''t made my mind up. I suppose if I sat still for more than 5 minutes and really thought about it, I would make a decision. I think I''m going to look at Norwalk again.

so not a problem and I don''t even know that this is my style anymore! I would make totally different choices today. My style is really evolving quickly as I live and learn. I did recall that these fabrics were from Kincaid. I went to a local rug and home store and the owner ordered custom for me.

I''m sure you could do this much better!

I have learned a lot from doing the project though.

 

[pennquaker09]

I feel like we''re having the most broken up conversation ever and I was tempted to give you one of my instant messaging screen names but I don''t know if that is against the rules or not.

Personally, I like the choices that you''ve made. I love the built ins, the wall color, and I really love the fabric choices. A lot of my personal design style is derived from my time spent in New Orleans. I love me some dark wood and wrought iron, whereas I probably wouldn''t if I hadn''t lived there. But I think I will always prefer more traditional things. Like, my dream house would be a Tudor. I really hate the McMansions being built around the country today, even though, I would have to be honest and say that I do live in one.

I''ve learned that everything doesn''t have to be expensive for it to look good. So, you don''t have to change your taste, you just have to be more creative in how you shop. Like, yesterday I went to TJ Maxx and I found a leopard print throw for $19.99. And I also get a lot of things from Kirklands and Target.

 

[lawmax]

Date: 11/30/2007 3:38:33 AM
Author: pennquaker09
I feel like we're having the most broken up conversation ever and I was tempted to give you one of my instant messaging screen names but I don't know if that is against the rules or not.

Personally, I like the choices that you've made. I love the built ins, the wall color, and I really love the fabric choices. A lot of my personal design style is derived from my time spent in New Orleans. I love me some dark wood and wrought iron, whereas I probably wouldn't if I hadn't lived there. But I think I will always prefer more traditional things. Like, my dream house would be a Tudor. I really hate the McMansions being built around the country today, even though, I would have to be honest and say that I do live in one.

I've learned that everything doesn't have to be expensive for it to look good. So, you don't have to change your taste, you just have to be more creative in how you shop. Like, yesterday I went to TJ Maxx and I found a leopard print throw for $19.99. And I also get a lot of things from Kirklands and Target.

LOL

We are having a very broken-up conversation. Much of it is me being way too busy and spouting out a stream of consciousness post when I get a moment.

Thanks for saying you like my choices. The designer (he works with Costco) who came in to help me with the curtains was really making me feel bad about my choices though he thought they were "salvagable"...he said over and over, "see, you should have had a designer!"

I love things french, but I like chic, Parisian French and am generally over Country French. It has become nauseatingly commercial and McDonald's-esqe, IMHO.

I was just talking to my sister about painting the two walls behind the sofa in Gold. We'll see. That may be an easy fix.

I like the idea of getting throws and mirrors in Target, Home Goods, Marshall's. I may well do that as I need a big mirror in my dining room. The more I trust myself, the more fun this becomes.

I like your McMansion. You've done a beautiful job and it is very much au courant. I know exactly what you mean though about the interesting character in a gorgeous Tudor (one that has good energy vs. one with gargoyle creepiness ).

Thanks for being supportive!

Many thanks once again.