HGTV & Flat Screen TVs

[RCWRTR]

Has anyone noticed the frequency with which people are positively captivated by flat screen TVs on HGTV real estate-themed programs? It never ceases to amaze me that people are looking at a $700,000 home with a beautiful view, solid hardwood cabinetry, striking architecture and the thing they comment about is a stupid TV.

Oh, and while I'm on the subject, am I the only person who thinks a TV mounted over a fireplace is not the epitome of luxury and taste?

[iris lily]

Breifly I was into that tv over the fireplace thing 'though never got it mounted, but I'm back to hide-the-teevee in the living room and I'll have an upholstered screen for it when the living room of my dreams is finally done. DH has been making a little progress lately...

[Wildflower]

I hate hate hate flat screen TVs mounted over fireplaces. I think it totally ruins the ambience of having a fireplace in the room, not to mention if you actually have a fire in the fireplace - all of that heat can't be good for the electronics of the TV either....

[Bastelmutti]

I have seen on the real estate shows people looking at houses who are swayed by the color of the walls. Ummm, last time I checked you can change that for $100 or so!

[Zzz]

I absolutely LOVE my flat screen HD TV. However, it will be a cold day in hell when it goes over my fireplace. It is not the center of my room, but sits on a table to the side.

I keep a beautiful, framed glass covered water color on my mantle, and a couple of small sculptures.

[Mrs-M]

RCWRTR. It gets me too! The epitome of good design in the way of formality and splendor IMO is having a separate room altogether that houses the television and audio.

[Miss Cellane]

Unless you can sit far enough back from the TV over the fireplace, you have to crane your neck. It gets uncomfortable. It drives me nuts, the way the people on the HGTV shows get all excited about a TV which isn't going to stay in the house, or new bedding which isn't going to stay either, but then reject a house because of paint color or carpeting, which can be changed without a ton of work. And it's not because they don't want to spend the money, because on the shows where they buy a house, they always come back several months later, just to show the changes the new owners have made.

My TV is in my den. The living room is for reading and chatting with guests and relaxing and throwing cat toys. And I like to keep the living room looking neat. Somehow, when I'm watching TV, stuff clutters up around me, a mug, a glass, a book (nothing like multi-tasking), a throw, a cat, a plate for snacks, crocheting, my laptop, a nail file, a back scratcher, another mug, the cat's brush, the phone, DVD cases, multiple remotes, magazines, catalogs, notebooks, pens.

Now that I look at it, I think I have a problem sitting and watching TV and doing nothing else.

[Zzz]

Now that I look at it, I think I have a problem sitting and watching TV and doing nothing else.

Me too! I usually work on something else while watching TV. Perhaps an art project, a craft, sorting papers, etc. The exception is when a show is subtitled or in a different language and requires more parts of my brain to view it. Perhaps this is why I don't like to watch these shows. My brain can easily take in what is happening on tv & multi task on some other fairly simple task. Waste of time for me not to do so...

Yet another reason why I don't like going to the movies...

[maribeth]

TV over the fireplace doesn't work unless your room is big enough that you can sit far enough away from it. Also, you can NEVER use your fireplace again, because the heat will ruin the TV.

We used to have a nice setup watching TV using a projector on a far wall, but our current living room won't accommodate that. So we have a flat screen now, on a stand in a corner. I do wish there were a nice way to mount it on a wall, but we rent and I don't want to mess with that.

House Hunters probably wouldn't want me because I complain when houses are too nice -- I don't want to pay for someone else's flip!

[Miss Cellane]

We used to have a nice setup watching TV using a projector on a far wall, but our current living room won't accommodate that. So we have a flat screen now, on a stand in a corner. I do wish there were a nice way to mount it on a wall, but we rent and I don't want to mess with that.



There are some TV stands out there with a tall back panel so you can mount the flat screen at a better height. You have to hunt for them, though.

My brother has both a 56" plasma TV and a projector with motorized screen in his family room. It was watching a Blu Ray movie on the HD projector that first made me realize that HD was an improvement over regular TV--before that, I'd thought it was all a lot of hype. My brother is an engineer; he always has some new gadget or piece of equipment for his home theater system. I don't mind though, as he passes down his old stuff to me when he upgrades.

[jp1]

Although I wouldn't likely bother even owning a tv if it were just me, but SO LOVES tv so it's a must-have. I do like having it mounted on the wall (we rent too, and yes, that's meant big holes in the walls that have to be filled in when we move...) because having it on the wall means it doesn't require a piece of furniture to sit on. But over the fireplace? No way. Our last place had a fireplace but the tv was on a different wall.

I don't mind the tv being in the living room. We have no other place to put it. And besides, if we did have a family room or whatever for it then the living room would never get used. I spend much of my free time in our den (2nd bedroom actually). This is MY space for reading books, listening to music, going online. No way will there ever be a tv in here. Whatever room the tv's in is where SO will spend most of his free time. Unlike everyone on HGTV we rarely entertain, so a dignified "entertaining" space would be a waste for us.

[Selah]

I haven't noticed the thing about the TV on those shows, although I will now, but I always laugh when people keep obsessing about stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops in the kitchen. Don't they realize that this is a kitchen design FASHION that will also fade eventually, just as appliances in "avocado green" and "harvest gold"?