About a decade ago, my aunty proudly (and loudly) showed my parents here brand-new TV cabinet. She was chuffed that not only did her big, heavy, TV fit snuggly in the cabinet, but her mountain of DVD’s found a welcome home in the cavernous shelves that flanked the main cabinet. I also remember my parents being more bemused than impressed, we didn’t have a DVD player or games console and our TV had been sitting on the same wooden shelf for years. Her love of this specific piece of furniture seemed strange, even to me.
Thinking back to that day, and how satisfied my aunty was with her TV entertainment unit made me realize that my aunty was ahead of the times. Our lounge rooms are now our entertainment rooms, and your beloved TV deserves a fitting throne to sit on. Does your current tv cabinet provide a proper home for your TV, consoles, and games?
What a mess
The biggest problem I see with entertainment units is their cable management or lack thereof. Older TV cabinets are fine if you have one cable. When you add one or more gaming consoles to the mix, the multitude of wires starts to run out of room. Twisted and tangled cables are not only unsightly and dangerous but are hard to clean and attract dust like nobody’s business. Modern tv entertainment units feature specialized cable management systems, keeping your cables neat and organized.
Big enough?
Modern TVs are lighter and thinner than CRT TVs of old and come in much larger sizes. This radical shift in dimensions made a lot of TV cabinets redundant (remember your big old oak entertainment unit?). If you want a big-screen TV, you will need a surface that will support it.
When purchasing a new TV entertainment unit, take stock of all devices you have that will need to be plugged into the TV and powerpoint.
Some Entertainment units handle multiple devices better than others so look not only for adequate space but positioning. Cramming electronics together is a bad idea as they generate a lot of heat and are designed to dissipate this heat into the air around them. If there is no air circulating between your devices, this could shorten their life span. Look for units with intelligent airflow solutions and adequate space for all your consoles and media players.
Looking good!
Yes, I know, looks are subjective, but you can’t tell me that sleek new flat-screen TV looks good on that old tired unit. Much thought is put into a TV’s aesthetics, from the choice of bezel material to the shape and position of its stands, why negate all this hard work with an average looking entertainment unit?
Trends change all the time; some materials stay timeless while others don’t. Light stained furniture was all the rage two decades ago but looks so odd when paired with a monolithic slab of glass and aluminum. What YOU like is most important, so don’t be swayed by trends or popular opinion when choosing a new entertainment unit. If you do decide to update your old cabinet, you will be surprised how different not only your TV will look, but your whole room.
TV stands, cabinets, entertainment units, whatever you want to call them, play an important but supporting role in our lives. We are immediately drawn to the TV and often miss the little details. Upgrading your entertainment unit will not only provide a safer and cleaner home for your consoles, receivers and media players but bring your lounge room into the correct decade.
