Please Help (1 Viewer)

[ultrasp99]

I have been struggling with this decision for about a year. I would like to build a basic Home Theater in our family room which is our main living area. My goal is to have a flat screen, left/right and center speaker mounted on the wall and 2 rear speakers in the cieling. We would like to eliminate the entertainment center completely. I know this is not the ideal set up but this is our main living area.

So hear is my dilemma… Should I build all my A/V gear into a cabinet which will extend into my garage? Or can I put all the A/V stuff in the basement and run it via remote? I have given this a lot of thought and I am leaning towards building a rack into the garage. I have kids and it seams like they and my wife are always changing the DVD/tape etc… I can’t imagine going downstairs every time. I know they make a muti DVD player but we also rent a lot of movies.

Unfortunately building this rack will be difficult as I have heat runs, wires and to top it all off it is a bearing wall.

So I am asking for your suggestions!

Looking forward to your responses.
Steve

 

[mylan]

I would not suggest you build a recess into a garage, it would be a real gear killer. Garages get very hot in summer and cold in winter and your equipment will suffer an early death as a result unless you plan to control temps and humidity in that recess.
Yes, you can put everything in the basement but I think you would get tired of running downstairs to change a disc, not to mention the cost of extra cabling, IR blasters or a decent RF universal remote.
You are going through a lot of trouble to conceal your equipment when at most you will have three components: a DVD player/changer, a receiver, and a cable/sat box. There are many entertainment centers that are really attractive these days and will double as a a piece of furniture, I think the emphasis will be on the plasma you will have hanging on the wall and speakers flanking it and it (the ent. ceter) would visually go away. Check companies like Salamander, I have a "triple 20" that is 20" high and comes in furniture grade finishes with panels that concel the equipment.

 

[king]

You must have a closet somewhere close by?? I would put the components hidden away in the closet and use an IR extender to control everything. If not, then yeah maybe some kind of modern furniture that will take up less space than your entertainment center. One of my friends has small square looking coffee/side tables next to his sofa with lamps on them and his components on the bottom shelf...don't know if that's another option for you...

I saw a post on this forum where someone had put his plasma screen in the basement, and at the touch of a button the whole unit came up out of the floor into his family room...now that's cool!