Seriously though, I think the...
Seriously though, I think the whole point of this thread is how to minimize the aesthetic impact of a flat screen TV in a MCM room -- and I do think that by not having the TV as the focal point of your seating does help with that. Personally, I enjoy watching TV and I don't find the way I have my living room set up hinders that enjoyment in any way.
WHC
When you set up a room for conversation rather than television, you can fit A LOT more furniture in there -- three times as much, judging from what I've seen here.
To me, that's the biggest advantage, and it has nothing to do with any feelings I might have about TV or the mouth-breathing proles who watch it.
big screen
Watching TV on a small set is one thing...watching movies is quite another. We have the largest set we could afford due to the high percentage of the time that is spent watching movies.
We also have a smaller set behind sliding doors on a shelving unit in the living room that is used for news during the morning coffee hour.
We have our TVs mounted on...
We have our TVs mounted on swinging arms on the wall. The one below is in my bedroom. Cable box/ amp etc are run through the wall directly into the wall hanging Knoll cabinet and to the vintage klh speakers hanging on the wall. Have a similar setup in the family room but with a traditional credenza. Alas, no pictures to be found of that one.
Lovely room, jesgord...
every time you post a picx of your abode I go...'Ooooooo!!!" you got skillz, man!
I'm with both w-h-c and Lucifersum. I am not going to disguise my TV and make it look like something it isn't or hid it in a cabinet just for the sake of aethitics. Function first...always!
But I do hide all the ephemera and cabling and I've mimimuzed the size to the smallest one that looked OK in the space and I've set up the room to handle conversation, TV watching and staring into the fireplace.
However, I hate looking athe big black hole...which is more prominent against my pale grey walls than I'd like. I solved that problem, somewhat by developing a repeating DVD of pictures we've taken in New Mexico. When we have guests over or are hanging out listening to music and chatting, I put this disk in. It slowly changes from one lovely shot to the next and feels really calmng to watch. We've also considered getting some of the commercially made disks like this of a seashore or an aquarium since we're missing the ocean now that we live in the desert. It's not a total fix, but it does give a bit of balance to the relentless big black hole!
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Meat puppets, all of you.
I have never owned a televisor and can honestly say I'm more handsome and intelligent as a result.
Seriously if you want one try and stick it in another room, its why the free plan is such a pain, a couple of small spare rooms are handy for that and having a living room that is comfortable and quiet enough for reading or crafts. I like fastforwards room, I'd happily watch most things in black and white in mono, its the ideas and script that really make something decent.
Maybe if a room is big enough a folding screen could work?
There's a film festival happening here
and all the theaters are within a few blocks of me, so I've been seeing a lot of movies in real theaters over the last ten days... And there's still no comparison between that experience and the experience of watching movies on a home TV, even if that TV is a high-end video projector or a 60" Kuro Elite (or whatever the best plasma is these days).
TV loses not just for its many technical shortcomings (limited color palette, low resolution, etc., which even the best equipment can't correct) but also for the intangible experiential differences. It's like going out for a drink, or out for dinner in a restaurant: Even if you have exactly the same drink or meal at home, going out and having the experience with other people feels VERY different.
Maybe it's because I grew up without a TV and so didn't form any early connection to television, but I just can't imagine any reason for me to own a giant flatscreen. Plus, I think it'd be vaguely creepy to have it staring out into the room all day...
Anyway, I guess if I lived really far from a decent theater, I might have to settle for a home-theater setup. But for now I'm happy with no TV in the living room and just that small one on the ESU in my wife's office, and I'm really glad that I haven't had to deal with the difficult problem that's the subject of this thread.
And you never watch movies, Heath?
We aren't big on broadcast television in our abode either...well except for SpongeBob, but we do watch stuff on dvd all the time. Our current fav is the old BBC series, Red Dwarf. I gave the full series boxed set to the hubs for the holidays.
James Bond flix are also popular here and so is PeeWee Herman...yeah, I know we're not normal...
I don't think I'd want to...
I don't think I'd want to not have a TV at all -- I have lived without one in the past, and while I wouldn't say it was a hardship, there are certain things that I missed. I really don't like how they look, though. I only have two rooms to put a TV in --living room or bedroom -- and it would have been nice, aesthetically, to not have the TV in my living area, but something about a TV in a bedroom that I don't like at all. But the TV I got is small and unobtrusive enough that it doesn't bother me.
Still, I wish they made a new TV that looked like this one:
While the pratice of attempting to make babies
is certainly a nice way to spend some time...there are moments when I just want to watch something stupid...ya know?
And speaking of reading glasses....I'm re-reading an incredibly wonderful book written by one of your countrymen, Heath.
Shantaram. Awesome book. Fascinating author. What a life!
A 46" TV is "too small"?...
A 46" TV is "too small"? WTF? What subtle nuance could you possibly be missing with a 46" TV? Never understood why people want these huge TVs. They completely dominate a room.
When i walk down my street at night I see all these ginormous TVs in people's windows. They take up an entire wall. I'm not sure why these people don't use drapes or curtains, but maybe they want everyone to see their big TVs? Seriously, I can tell what show they are watching from half a block away! i can't imagine being in the same room with it. It must be like sitting in the very first row of a movie theater.
I have been watching the same 13" TV for 25 years. It just keeps on working.
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