Silver to Black... revisited (1 Viewer)

[SeanA]

I know this may seem kinda crazy, but I hate the silver cabinet of my Sony KV-34XBR800 TV (but otherwise love the TV). I have tried a few things to change the silver cabinet to black, but so far nothing too successful. For instance, I tried using black cling vinyl (the stuff that clings to windows) that I cut to fit the frame, but it would not cling. I am now considering trying some limo black window tint.

Just wondering if anyone has found an easy and non-permanent way to give their silver appliance a black look ??? Would the window tint work ? I don't really want to paint the cabinet because I may mess it up, and the permanence of a custom paint job may make it difficult to sell if I want to upgrade in a few years.

 

[Jack Briggs]

You know, Sean, I wouldn't muck with the WEGA's cosmetics. But your post brings to light something I've been concerned about ever since Sony started the silver-spaceship craze with its first WEGAs back in 1998: The company started a style fad that will look terribly dated once the craze gives way to more basic designs (and it will)—especially now that the company is making these units look even swoopier. Further, basic black minimizes distracting reflections.

 

[Cary P]

Well, I for one like the space age designs of the Wega's. However, the model I own (32HV600) is actually a two-tone design with the dark bezel around the screen.

I've wondered before why the 34XBR800 doesn't have the black bezel like the 36" and 40" XBR800's - it would really give the widescreen set a distinctive and swank look, IMO.

I agree that all silver is a bit much, and the dark bezel really helps to set off the screen and give it a bit more pop. I think the upcoming widescreen XBR910 will have a dark bezel around the screen area.

Perhaps the Wega sets will look dated in a few years - but in a good way, like all the modern architecture and furniture designs from the late-50's/early 60's. Who knows, maybe these sets will one day be prized as collectables by hipsters looking for retro-styled furnishings.

Cary

 

[Lew Crippen]

The company started a style fad that will look terribly dated once the fad gives way to more basic designs (and it will),

You wouldn’t happen to have an avocado green refrigerator in your kitchen would you Jack?

 

[Citizen87645]

This doesn't just apply to home electronics. How many people are tired of seeing silver automobiles?

 

[SeanA]

I too hate silver cars... it looks like they forgot to paint them. BTW, I have a black car... go figure.

If my Sony had the black bezel like other WEGA models I would probably leave it alone, but Jack is right... another reason I don't like the silver is the distracting glare. You shouldn't notice the TV itself when watching a movie. Silver should be reserved for things like toasters !!!

 

[sean_pecor]

To answer the original question, I don't think there is any non-permanent way to change the enclosure from silver to black. The best way is to remove the enclosure and paint it with some sort of black matte paint that is designed for hard plastic enclosures. You also stand less risk of damaging your set in this manner.

I'd like to address the comments about distracting glare on silver TVs. The fact is, that in a light controlled room, there should be no visible reflection coming off the silver enclosure. If there is indeed visible reflection then the enclosure is not designed correctly. I have a silver kp46wt500 and in a dark viewing environment, you can't see the enclosure at all. This is because when the light output of the TV is high, your irises shrink, and any small reflections from the enclosure aren't visible. When there is low light output from the TV (a dark scene), then your irises are larger, but there are still no visible reflections because the light output is much lower. The only time when light reflecting off the enclosure would become an issue, is when you're watching TV with direct or indirect light coming from other sources (the sun, room lighting, etc). In this case, there is light reflecting off of everything in the room, including the silver enclosure, so the silver enclosure isn't the problem.

To illustrate this reasoning, look at the snapshot below:

http://extranet.digitalspinner.com/pics/tv_after.jpg

You'll notice that I'm hitting the TV (turned off) with a mighty strong direct flash, and this shot is taken during the day with two huge open windows on the left. The bulb is clearly visible on the screen, creating some strong reflections on the screen. There are no discernible areas on the silver enclosure that are giving off a specular glow that would indicate a distracting reflection. Yes, the enclosure is bright, but no more bright than many other things in the room. If I were watching TV in this environment (I don't), there are 50 other things that are distracting me much more than the silver enclosure. And in the dark, you don't see anything in this room at all, except for the vibrant screen.

Lastly, I'd like to take issue with the word Fad used in this context, because I believe it is being mis-applied. A fad is something that comes and goes within a year or two (at the most). Silver enclosures have been around for YEARS and YEARS and YEARS. I have a 20+ year old Sony TV with a silver enclosure that is sitting in storage. Silver and black have been the dominant enclosure choices for decades, and there is a market for both because some people prefer black enclosures, while others prefer silver.


And oh, about silver cars. Boy, I hate them too. Here are some hideous looking silver cars:

http://www.tomcirillo.com/modena/side.jpg
Yuck!
http://www.wallpapers.cz/cars/porsche.jpg
Barf!
http://www.britneyfans.com/images/jaguar.jpg
Feh!
http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/0.../03_350z_2.jpg
Haha!
http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/01images/02q45.jpg
Boo!




Sean.

 

[SeanA]

Hey Sean,

Like the name !!!

You make some good points. But perhaps, the best point is that everyone has different preferences. The world would really be boring if that wasn't the case.

I must say that I looked at your home theater photo, and my first thought was... boy if the TV was black, your set-up would look much better. I still find your silver TV to be distracting, but that's just my opinion. I have a very similar color arrangement in that my entertainment center is a light wood finish and I just think black contrasts so nicely against the natural wood finish. If you had a modern metal and glass entertainment center, the TV would fit in better. Just wish manufacturers would give you a choice of both black and silver, but I guess that would increase costs.

And the cars were great... but they would look so much better in black !!!

 

[Bill Will]

I have a friend of mine who owns an autobody shop & I know he has sprayed a bunch of Sony silver sets black for people. I also have two other friends who used "Contac Paper" on their sets which will peel right off if you want to sell the set & etc. One used black Contac & the other could not find black paper so he put it on his tv & then painted the Contac Paper black. This would also work for anyone who wanted an avocado green tv

 

[Jack Briggs]

Lew, it was about 10:20 p.m. PDT when I read your post. I was lighting a cigarette and choked because I started laughing when I read the message. I won't sue you, though!

 

[sean_pecor]

SeanA,

Yes the living room is in the midway point of it's revamp. The bookshelves were removed from my home office and dropped on either side of the TV:
http://extranet.digitalspinner.com/pics/office1.jpg

This summer I'm building a custom wall unit, that will suit the silver when the doors are open, but hide the TV completely when it's not being used. Even with three kids we don't watch TV very often, movies mostly, so we don't want to have to see it if we're not using it.

Here is the last rendering of the wall unit:

http://extranet.digitalspinner.com/ht/ecenter15.jpg

The design is a bit different now but you get the general idea. Good luck painting your enclosure, and don't forget to post pics!

Sean.

 

[BenK]

I must say that I looked at your home theater photo, and my first thought was... boy if the TV was black, your set-up would look much better. I still find your silver TV to be distracting, but that's just my opinion. I have a very similar color arrangement in that my entertainment center is a light wood finish and I just think black contrasts so nicely against the natural wood finish. If you had a modern metal and glass entertainment center, the TV would fit in better. Just wish manufacturers would give you a choice of both black and silver, but I guess that would increase costs.

I totally agree with SeanA on this. I too found the silver tv distracting and black would of blended so much nicer. Especially in a rear projection since there is more of the tv itself showing. If I was looking to buy a Wega I would actually be willing to pay extra for an all black or dark gray one. Whether you realize or not the silver does reflect light as does just about every other color except black which absorbs light. As for the silver cars I dont mind them. But I do think they would look better in black

 

[SeanA]

I also have two other friends who used "Contac Paper" on their sets which will peel right off if you want to sell the set & etc.

Bill,

Contact paper... interesting !?!? I've heard of it but not sure what it is. Is this the stuff you use to line the shelving in kitchen cabinets ? If so, I thought that stuff was pretty permanent. And that is the key... I don't want to do anything to the TV that can't be undone. I might give this a try if it can indeed be peeled right off.

************************************************** ******

BenK,

I too would have been willing to pay a little more for a black TV. As it was, everything I could find in a conventional 34" widescreen was in "silver".

************************************************** ******

Sean,

I actually did like the looks of your bookshelves (just not with the silver TV). I think you are right about your future custom wall unit... it definitely be a better match for your TV.

I will definitely post "before" and "after" photos if I can come up with something that works. I appreciate all the friendly banter.

TGIF, everyone !!!

 

[Bill Will]

Yes, But before I used Contac Paper myself I would check to make sure that it would come off without doing any damage to the paint on the set like leaving glue behind & etc. Just a thought, but I known you can buy wide masking tape that will come right off without damaging anything & that could also be painted any color you wanted. I'll bet if you checked a paint supply store or even asked them at Home Depot or Lowes they might be able to help you out. I would think in this day & age of "Post-It-Notes" & soforth there must be some kind of material that would come off easily without doing any damage to your tv. Just make sure you tell them what it's for because the tv does generate some heat & that might be a factor. If you do use something let us know what you used & how it came out.

 

[Adrian_S]

All I like is black for components, I don't and will never like silver components. With speakers, I am way more flexible because of all the choices we sometimes have.

My biggest gripe is that we are not given an option, especially on TV's. I especially dislike the gold or bronze color they sometimes use. The only compromise I like is with my HK 325, but that's it. It's a good enough combination for me...

I have used Vinyl Paint (black) to mask some of my components in the past, but I would have to think twice if I would do this on a LCD TV. The contact paper seems like a good idea....

 

[SeanA]

I would think in this day & age of "Post-It-Notes" & so forth there must be some kind of material that would come off easily without doing any damage to your tv

Believe me, I looked and looked for removeable tape in "black". No luck, even on the 3M website, but they did have "clear" removeable tape. The clear tape is the stuff used to protect glass and the like from scratches during packaging and shipping. Of course clear tape does me no good.

 

[Bill Will]

Why can't you just put the clear tape on the set & then use masking tape to mask the set off & then spray paint the clear tape black or any other color you wanted? I would check with 3M to find out what kind of paint to use though just to make sure the paint would not eat through the tape.

 

[Bill Will]

I forgot to add that you might also try painting the tape first by cutting over-sized strips of tape & then stick the tape strips on a big window or a door mirror & then mask the glass off & spray paint the tape or if your not handy with spray painting you could use one of those little paint rollers instead. Again I would check with 3M first on what kind of paint to use. 3M might even be able to give you some more suggestions on how to make the tape black. I am figureing that the tape is not a one-time stick only kind of tape though.

 

[SeanA]

Well, I did it. I found a company that made repositionable (low tack) contact paper in black, and ordered a large roll of the stuff. It was a piece of cake laying the contact paper out on the TV because it was very easy to pick up and reposition if necessary. Took less than an hour and I am very pleased with the results. The next step may be to get some speaker grill mesh material and place this over the speakers on each side. Here is a link to my before and after photos: http://groups.msn.com/HomeTheaterEquipment/shoebox.msnw

If anyone else is interested in doing this, the product is called "Magic Cover" and is manufactured by Kittrich in California. You probably won't be able to find the black product in the stores, but you can place a phone order with Kittrich by calling 800-321-1741. Less than $20 for an 18" x 75' roll. If you want to check out their website, here is a link: http://www.kittrich.com/MC/Regular/MC2.htm

 

[Daniel T.]

Might try speaker grill cloth, cut to fit the bezel shape. Put a few velcro attachment points on the bezel, and stretch it a bit to fit around. That way only a few spots on the edge get glue on em. I have the same problem with a 50" Samsung DLP. I think I'm gonna leave the bit around the screen silver and black-out the base/speakers. So it'll look like the panel is floating above the stand. I'm scared to use paint around the screen in ANY fashion, as I'm kinda a clutz.

*edit*

Just saw you figured out a tidy solution, gonna bookmark that one. Cool, thanks