[DeadDuck]

Hi everyone!


First I want to say "thank you" to everyone here. This is a great resource and I've used it for research into my first HDTV! =)


So now that I have a new TV, I need a suitable entertainment center. I don't have a particular preference in terms of wood / glass / etc. However, I think a relatively simple cabinet with open shelves will do (no doors). I plan on putting the televsion on the stand and putting the whole thing free-standing on top.


My television is a 42" Panasonic, dimensions (H x W x D) 27.1 x 44.7 x 13. The pedestal is 26.625 wide and 13.125 deep.


What size of entertainment center do I need? I figure the width is really the deciding factor. Do I buy one as wide as the TV or as wide as the pedestal or somewhere in between?


I ask because there is not a whole lot of wall space, so I'd like to keep it under 40" width if possible.


Does anyone have any suggestions for a good entertainment center? Like I said, I don't care too much about the material. Right now I just have a 3-wall cabinet with no doors. I like it just fine. The TV sits on top. I'm looking for something similar.


I'll be putting 4 components in there: DirectTV DVR, a Blu-Ray player, an Onkyo receiver and an XBox 360. The receiver is the largest component standing at 7.6 inches tall. I assume I'll probably want another inch or two to allow for airflow.


Also, for any fellow members in California, should I be concerned with using the pedestal in earthquake country? Does the weight of the television (~95 lbs) keep it pretty firmly on the table?


Thanks!

 

[perryw]

 http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=416358


That thread will make your eyes bleed with ideas for a stand / entertainment center. I think that it'd look best to have something at least as wide as the tv, I suppose a couple inches of overhang wouldn't be bad, but I'm thinking it would look strange if there was too much overhang. http://www.racksandstands.com sells a ton of different stands but I ended up buying my stand at Circuit City - got a good price and I was able to see it before I bought it.

 

[DeadDuck]

Thanks for the link. Oops, sorry. I missed that thread. I did a search for "entertainment center" and read all the Forum channels, but didn't see furniture. I didn't think to look in the Flat Panel General thread.


Wow, lots of good ideas out there.


Thanks for the tip about the overhang. I have an odd family room. There is this built-into-the-wall cabinet that is the "official" TV cabinet, which is ridiculous because it can hold, at best a 19" 4:3 TV ... and the house was built in 2001! So I use it to store some movies and my subwoofer. If I buy a center that's the full width of the TV, it'll block the door so I can't access it.


I may just pull everything out of the cabinet and block it, anyway. We'll see how the entertainment center looks. =)


Thanks again!

 

[perryw]

Good luck! I think I spent more time deciding on my stand than I did on the TV