Plasma/Lcd over fireplace

[krauts]

I have read the debate about a tv over our fireplace and I'm not too worried about it. I don't think that we'll use the fireplace that much anyway.

My big concern is where to put the cable box and dvd player, etc. How have other people here done it? I have read a few places online where people will have a stand by the fireplace that has all of their equipment. Anyone have pics or idea's? This will only be in our living, not a main home theater so I don't need any crazy rack systems.

I'll be using Charter up near Sheboygan.

Thanks

[dicktwi]

My daughter and her husband have a Sony lcd flat panel hdtv over their fireplace and have had no problems whatsoever and they have big fires every day.  Their equipment is in a basic component cabinet just to the right of the fireplace.  They do have a wooden mantle built just above the fireplace and below the tv, but I don't know if that was done intentionally to help block heat from the fireplace or not.  The whole job was done by Flanners so you might want to talk to their professional installation people even if you do it by yourself.  It was no small job fishing cables, etc according to my son-in-law.

[Tom Snyder]

We were originally told by our builder's salesman that you couldn't put a flat panel over the fireplace. But we did it anyway. We have frequent fires, often roaring. While the bottom of the wooden mantlepiece gets hot, it deflects the heat enough that the  TV set always remains cool to the touch.

Our components are in a media closet across the room, which we prewired before they drywalled. The cable run includes an HDMI, a full set of component cables, a Cat 6 Ethernet and two RG6 cables.  I can't imagine having to fish that mess o'wires through an already finished wall.

[krauts]

It's new construction so I can run whatever I need.

Is their a limit on how long you can run hdmi?

Also, if I put a cable box in a closet or even behind where we sit, do you need a special remote then so you don't have to turn around behind you to change channels?

[hormy_83]

The other issue I've heard is soot from the fires getting in the TV and over time messing it up.  But either way I still helped my brother in law install his plasma over his fireplace.  What we did is ran electrical and put an outlet just behind the tv and then also ran HDMI to the TV.  We stuck his receiver in a closet.  His receiver is able to take all the inputs and output it over HDMI so we only ran the one cable.  We used a 40 foot long HDMI cable and had no issues at all.  Then we used a infrared repeater to allow the remotes to control all of the boxes in the closet.

[Tom Snyder]

Is their a limit on how long you can run hdmi?

My Satellite box runs thaa main TV, and another one in a sunroom on the other end my house (I use an infrared repeater to control it from in there). It's a 103 Ft  cable run, so I needed a 100 ft and a 3 ft HDMI cable to go all the way. No problems... although with a run that long I had to get my cables from ehdmi.com to keep me out of the poor house.

do you need a special remote then so you don't have to turn around behind you to change channels?

I've just gotten used to aiming the remote behind me...but if I wasn't using the repeater from the sunroom back to the media closet, I'd move the transmitter into the living room and put it next to the TV so I could aim my remote in that direction to control everything.

[cjucoder]

I've often seen this on shows such as Extreme Makeover Home Addition, and also in other people's houses.  It does seem like a great design solution having both main focal points of the room grouped together like that.  I always think when seeing that is it must be uncomfortable watching the TV way up in the air like that.  Isn't the viewing angle way too high?

[Tom Snyder]

We have a sunken living room, but a lot of the viewing area (in the dining room, kitchen and a snack bar area) is up higher. So everyone gets a great line of site.

I never notice the height... matter of fact when I go to a friend's house to watch a Packer game, it now seems odd to have the screen at eye level.  

I actually like the two focal points being in the same area. In our old house we had the TV in the corner, and a fireplace on a wall, and it was hard to place the furniture in way that you weren't feeling like you were watching a tennis match to see the fire and then see the TV.