[sejngordon]

I am looking to purchase either the panasonic or toshiba 34 inch widescreen sets, but I am concerned that they will not fit in a bedroom tv armoire. Is there anyone that owns one of these that has fit one in. I know my wife will be upset if I buy one and it doesnt!


Thanks

 

[Dearth]

Why don't you help us out and measure your cabinet. I don't think it really helps you if someone somewhere has fit a TV into a cabinet that you don't own. I have the Sony 34xbr910 and it is pretty wide with the speakers on the outside it is about 39 inches wide. I think at least one of the models you are looking at has the speakers below so it should be a bit narrower.

 

[sejngordon]

Dearth,


The point is that I don't own a cabinet yet, so I can't measure it. THe point is that they only come so wide before one would have to be custom made and I am trying to avoid that. But thanks fot the advise

 

[NorthJersey]

most sites selling these TV's will have the dimensions, take down the dimensions for them, and then when shopping for armoires match it to the space in it. I don't think you're going to have a luck finding one that'll fit a widescreen tv, though

 

[kmadel]

I am getting the Toshiba 34HF83 and it is just under 37" wide. I believe that the Sony 34XBR910 is over 40 inches wide. Aslo, I believe that the Panasonic and JVC 34 inchers are under 36" wide, but definitely check.

 

[ThumperBoy]

Remember these sets need air flow around them for cooling and they weight 200pounds+ - I wouldn't risk an armoire being able to handle that much weight! Use a real TV stand designed for it.

 

[DocSpine99]

The real problem is depth with a tv cabinet.

 

[Nightanole]

Last time we put a tv in one of those things, the shelf held for about 2 hours and then did a swan dive onto the floor. Those things are not meant to hold a 100+lbs tv. There's a reason why they have 3/4-1" think mdf (they dont even use partical board) for tube tv stands. THEY BE HEAVY!!!

 

[Bionic Manaus]

You don't enclose high heat producing elctronics in entertainmentent centers or any other closure and get away with it for long.. MY RCA F38310 $3,000 TV has nothing at all to destroy it by it's own heat and it works like the day I bought in March of 2001. The entertainment centers benefit only 2 names manufacturers of Entertainment Centers and TV companies, your the loser. It's your money to loose that's your right and your call.

 

[cajieboy]

sej,,


I agree w/the advice that everyone has given regarding the enclosure, heat, etc., but if you're determined to please the wife who are we to argue. This is a bedroom situation, so you might think of dropping down to a 30"er if you want widescreen, or maybe a 32" 4:3 HDTV. Furniture makers have not quite caught up to 16:9 TV's yet, but it may be easier to find an Armoire Entertainment Ctr. in the smaller screen sizes where the weight won't be so much a factor as well.

 

[ThumperBoy]

Watching a $2000+ HDTV crash to the floor wouldn't be a pretty sight! I'm sure cajieboy has nightmares of his 300pound Sony 40XBR800 monster doing that! Of course that would allow an upgrade to a true WIDESCREEN HDTV!

 

[cajieboy]

No Thumperboy, I don't have any such nightmares, and sleep as sound as a 15 year old yard dog in the Summertime. Reason being: 1) I purchased the Sony Stand that was designed especially for the 40XBR & prohibits the kind of horror accident you mentioned. 2) I purchased the CC 5-Year Extended Warranty that covers everything that could happen to the TV, including lightning strikes & my left foot thru the screen.

 

[gschrock]

Regardless of Bionic's constant harping on the heat issue, the key is make sure there's adequate room for airflow around the tube (especially above). Given several inches of space above the thing and heat's not going to be much of an issue. Obviously I wouldn't recommend closing the armouir and running the tv constantly, but that would kinda defeat the purpose anyways.

 

[frankbooth]

I just picked up my Toshiba 34HF83 yesterday and placed it in my entertainment center (with help from a neighbor). It is just under 37" wide and about 26" deep (allow another couple of inches for plugs sticking out).


It weighs about 175 lbs, so closely examine the load bearing capacity of your furniture. Although mine still feels solid, I will reinforce it a bit, just to avoid the possibility of tragedy.


My space could accomodate a unit no wider than 38". Only the Toshiba, the JVC and the panny Ct-WX53 would fit (for 16:9 tube sets).


Good luck, this whole process can be painful.

 

[hobbes4444]

I have the Toshiba 34HF83 and an entertainment center/armoire from Levitz. It is a 3 piece unit - 2 bookcases and then the center armoire. The Toshiba fits nicely into the armoire part (the interior measures about 37 1/2 inches with the doors open and recessed into the cabinet. It is the only 34" widescreen that I'm aware of that would fit this unit. Plenty of room for airflow around the top and back once you remove the back panel of the armoire. A little tight on the sides, but the venting seems to be primarily top and back. Doesn't seem to be any issue regarding the weight, but then again, there was no documentation to be found about its load capacity. Just hoping I don't come home one day to a battered TV on the floor which has also smashed to bits my precious Pioneer Elite CLD-99 LD player Since the unit was designed to hold a 36" 4:3 TV, and I imagine some of those might approach the 160 + pounds of the 34HF83, I'm fairly comfortable that I won't come home to a disaster. Probably a better chance of Mother Nature causing that type of problem here in San Francisco!!

 

[MRinDenver]

First, you gotta buy quality furniture. If you get your armoire at "Furniture Fred's Discount House", I don't think it will hold up. We bought Thomasville. It's not cheap, but neither is that 200 pound TV you are trusting it to.


Second, if you find a piece wide enough, it won't be deep enough. To accomodate, I cut out the back -- it is only decorative, not structural -- to match the protrusion of the rear of the set. The louvered area of the set housing is now outside the cabinet, which I pulled away from the wall six inches or so. Now the set fits and there is no worry over ventilation.


You can get that big ol' tv into that cabinet if you try!