Just hung a flat-panel TV on the wall, and unhappy with the not-so-tidy look of cables dangling down?



Installing a multi-room audio system, and want to conceal the speaker cables?

Love the way your home theatre system performs ? but not the nest of wires behind your audio/video cabinet?

In this article, you'll find tips and tricks to tackle these and other common home A/V wire management problems. We'll tell you how to ?

* use wire ties, tacks, and raceways to bundle and anchor your cable

* run wire along the edge of wall-to-wall carpeting

* run wire on your wall or baseboard

* organize the cables behind your A/V cabinet

* run wire behind baseboards, crown molding, and door jambs

* run wire under carpeting

* run wire through cabinetry or a closet

If you'd like to learn about concealing your cables inside your walls, please read our in-wall wiring guide for important safety guidelines, plus installation tools and techniques.

Running cables ? the basics

First, let's take a quick look at some general do's and don'ts to ensure that you'll get great performance out of your cables, wherever and however you route them.

1. Don't run A/V cables too close to power cables, since this can negatively affect the picture or sound. Granted, it's near-impossible to keep your receiver's power cable completely separate from the mass of A/V cables sprouting out the back, but there are a couple of things you can do to minimize the potential for interference. For example, when you run them out of your component cabinet, keep them a few inches apart from each other. If they do meet, try to cross them at right angles.

2. It can be tempting to choose the shortest workable lengths of wire to save money, and to avoid excess cabling puddled on your floor. Keep in mind though that pulling cables too tight can actually stretch the centre conductor or dielectric, which may damage the wire, and negatively affect its performance. Also, if you have a little extra wire, it'll be easier to route it neatly around corners, over doors, and other obstacles.

3. Don't do anything that pinches the cable jacket, or otherwise changes the nice, typically round shape of the cable. For example, if you wrench your cables tightly around a corner, or create any other sharp bends in the cable, you may impair its performance. Similarly, don't cinch your cables down too tightly with wire ties or tacks.

4. Make sure you have enough wire. After you've planned your route, measure it, taking into account any obstacles the cables may have to go around. Remember that it's better to have a bit too much than too little.