Flatscreen TV set in Fireplace (Advice)

Barewolf · 13-03-2009, 12:21

Hi,

I'm back again with decor advice.

Ok this picture attached is of how the living room is at the moment, which is going to be decorated soon.

The brickwork (Fireplace) is going to be removed so its just wall. Where the 4:3 TV is now is not going to ba a big enough space for the new 48" Flatscreen TV.

My Idea is to chisel a housing for the TV into the chimney breast where the mirror is, about 6 inches maybe.

This is leaving me with the problem which I need advice on. I "KNOW" people have done this, but how do you get around the wires? I mean, I dont want to house the TV in a small alcove and have wires running from the TV down the front.

Now, Look at picture 2, Imagine the mirror is the TV, and you can see the black representing the wires, this is what I dont want.

Is there a way around this? Bear in mind I will need Scart for DVD, Set top Box, Power, Speakers.

If anyone has any advice it will really help. Thankies.

superbiatch · 13-03-2009, 12:28

I suppose the most important question is are you keeping the fire as a working fire? Otherwise you could drill through.

Also, if you do intend putting it above the fire - make sure you read up about if its safe to do so as my friend was strongly advised not to put his TV over his working fire to save it getting damaged by the heat I think.

TheDon · 13-03-2009, 12:37

Be aware that in many homes the chimney is a major support, and just chiseling into it could cause your house to come down.

Chimney breast work often requires new supports to be put in place, so I'd check with a professional because starting any work on it.

**Chris** · 13-03-2009, 12:39

I'm assuming you're going to retain the gas fire? It may not be a good idea to put a TV up there, as the biatch (who isn't really) has said, you risk heat damage to the unit. You are also risking damage to the flue, if you start hacking away at the bricks. And if you take out too much brickwork you could make the whole chimney stack unstable.

Unless you're prepared to lose the gas fire, and get a builder in to make a proper hole in the chimney breast (which would also allow you to route cabling behind the TV, using the disused chimney as a conduit), I think you need to be a bit more realistic about the size of TV you can accommodate in your living room.

danielf · 13-03-2009, 12:43

In addition to what others have said, I'd be hesitant to undertake any work on the chimney breast. I think that's best left to a professional. You should also consider what happens when you leave the house. The next person may well want a working fire, and your actions might render the fireplace unusable. So, either get a professional so you are sure it can still be used as a fireplace, or leave it and get a smaller tv...

rogerdraig · 13-03-2009, 12:47

is the fire working ?

if it is i would not do this

1 if you are going to reduce the thickness of wall to inset tv there could implications varying from structural integrity to heat damage to wall and tv
so consult a builder and tv manufacturer ( not just about warranty but whether it could be a fire risk )

2 ridding the wires will be very hard

if its not working

then your best option is to get a builder to take the from wall out completely and put in a lintle it will be less work and less time than chisseling out an alcove

with the wall gone you can put a stud one in in place with alchove in it

then all you need do is drill a 50mm hole through th brast side that hace the equipment you are attaching to in it o feed the wires through from inside the fire place

13-03-2009, 13:10

how wide is your room is there plenty of space from the chimney breast to where you sit? What is in the position where the photo is taken? are you not bothered with surround sound ?

MovedGoalPosts · 13-03-2009, 13:16

6" is wider than a brick side on whcih is only about 4.5" thick. A chimney breast will likely only be of a single 4.5" skin with the flue behind and the main wall behind that. Thus if you were to try and recess into the current chimney breast there is every probability you will break into the flue.

Short answer: Don't do it.

pabscars · 13-03-2009, 13:32

Pressuming its safe to do so, building a false wall using studding and plasterboard to create a cavity between your chimney breast and the new wall, maybe 6 to 8 inches thick , then you can cut out a hole large enough to fit your new tv, and use the cavity to hide your wires.

if heat is an issue, maybe you could make or buy a heat deflector to sit just above your fire to stop the heat rising strait up towards the tv, it should'nt need to stick out too proud.

Again as previously mentioned, i wouldnt touch the brickwork with yours

southwell · 13-03-2009, 13:33

Ive always thought it would be very uncomfortable watching a tv at that height.

Noggo · 13-03-2009, 19:53

Wouldn't touch the chimney breast itself, reasons as mentioned above. Get rid of the brick fire place and hearth, as you're going to do anyway and build or get yourself a bespoke housing for the TV and possibly your other equipment too. Thatâ€™s if the fire box opening is wide enough to take whatever you've got STB, video and DVD player etc. It will only have to be 100mm or so deep, as most TV around that deep these days. Make sure you have plenty of ventilation grills or openings to allow air through. Height wise I would put the TV about where your fire is now, unless you like looking up. At this height you could always make it so you've got a mantel at the top, so you can display stuff on. Couple of storage compartments for DVD / CDâ€™s either side of the STB and other equipment.

Rough sketch attached and I do mean a rough.

Barewolf · 13-03-2009, 20:39

Yeah, I am going to have it mounted on the wall not an alcove and pretty much have an overhang to stop any heat.

Not sure if I should make a seperate post in Tech section but........

Theres a choice here concerning the TV.

Plasma 50 Inch or 52 Inch LCD.

Were looking at about Â£1500 TV, but The guy at Comet says Plasma is best at that size as LCD pixelate a lot and look cr*p. I can't confess to that, I am going off bad reviews on plasma tv's over LCD, but at 50 inch it's difficult.

If a 50 Inch plasma is better suited than a 52 inch LCD then plasma it is.

If you had Â£1500 for a big TV, Please tell me what your choice would be, these sales people will try and sell you a TV without knowing the tech side, and to be honest, you guys on this forum know your stuff, both value and quality.

idi banashapan · 13-03-2009, 20:52

you'll also need to think about the heat dissipation of the TV set too. boxing it in without adequate ventilation could see it overheat / reduce life expectancy / cause issues generally.

---------- Post added at 20:52 ---------- Previous post was at 20:50 ----------

plasma = pioneer
lcd = (in order) panasonic, sony, samsung (although greying is an issue here)

Barewolf · 13-03-2009, 21:02

Bender I dont get you........

Whats best as in quality of picture at 50-52", Does plasma still get bad rep? The comet guy said LCD pixelates a lot and is no match, yet I have seen people say LCD is better than plasma as they are prone to brake.

TheDon · 13-03-2009, 21:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barewolf

If you had Â£1500 for a big TV, Please tell me what your choice would be, these sales people will try and sell you a TV without knowing the tech side, and to be honest, you guys on this forum know your stuff, both value and quality.

I'd wait till I had Â£200 more and get a Pioneer PDP-LX5090. It's a 9th generation Kuro, which is widely regarded as the best TV on the market, you really won't get a better picture than from a Kuro plasma. It's a screen only, so you'd need an AV reciever and speaker set, but if you're spending that much on a telly not having those is near enough criminal.