Alright, so you've convinced yourself into buying that new LCD or plasma HDTV. You're spending more than a thousand dollars on it, and you're convinced it's going to look great in your living room. However when you bring it home, you realize that your old wood stand looks antiquated and ugly holding up that sleek, almost futuristic screen. You need something snazzy for it, and for pittance more, you can buy an HDTV stand that will complement your HDTV perfectly, giving it the look you've always wanted it to have.
Features and Looks
HDTV stands combine sleek looks with strong materials and easy accessibility for the perfect combination to complement your home theater. Many have metal frames which can hold hundreds of pounds (more than your HDTV will ever need, but it's nice to know that nothing will break the stand), and glass panels allow your DVD players and surround sound receivers to receive commands from your remote control, so you don't have to open up the HDTV stand just to use your television. Not only that, but glass has a very futuristic feel, and newer manufacturing processes have resulted in stronger materials, so you don't have to worry about it breaking.
Of course, if you don't like the whole steel and glass look, you can always go with a wooden HDTV stand. Many of these can include glass as well if you so choose, or you can buy entirely wood HDTV stands, but you won't get the added benefit of being able to use devices inside the stand without opening up the doors. While a small point, many people do enjoy the convenience. On the other hand, many people do not enjoy looking at their electronics as they watch movies or television, or they might think that they look ugly and would like to hide them behind pristine wood doors.
So what would you expect to pay for these HDTV stands? Hundreds of dollars? Other pieces of furniture can cost thousands, and you will probably only pay two or three hundred for a beautiful television stand, and the metal stands are generally cheaper than the wooden ones. In fact, many television companies sell their HDTVs with stands because it's more affordable for them to bundle products together, and you can often get great deals on HDTV stands when you buy an HDTV.
Of course, an HDTV stand should be the last item on your list when purchasing a new television. The quality of the other components comes first, and you'd probably be less happy with a stand than with beautiful, crystalline sound coming from that awesome new surround sound system. Depending on your budget, you might have to choose which part of your home theater you can't afford at the moment, and at the very least, you'll probably find it beneficial to buy a cheap HDTV stand as opposed to skimping out on other audio and video components.
Tv Stands For A
The first thing to check is that some televisions are only compatible with particular TV stands, often those produced by the TV manufacturer. You'll still usually have a choice of styles, but be careful to check you get one that fits your particular model. Make a note of the model number (which you can usually find on the instruction manual) before buying.
If your TV doesn't need a specific stand, you'll need to make sure that whatever you choose is suitable for the size of your screen, both in terms of width and depth. You'll also need to check it can cope with the weight of your screen: the size of TV stands isn't necessarily a guide to the weight it can bear as this depends just as much on the design and material used.
A floor stand usually involves a solid base and then some form of pole which then attaches to either the base or back of your screen. In some cases, a floor stand will have some shelves attached to the pole for storing DVD players, video recorders, satellite receivers and other similar equipment. There may also be a built-in cable tidy to keep the wiring looking neat.
A pedestal stand consists of a fairly heavy base which usually has one or two metal rods which go up and into your screen. The base is designed so that it won't tip over. Because your screen will need built-in holes to house the rods, these TV stands are usually specific to a particular brand of television. The stand then goes on top of a table or cabinet, so you'll need to make sure that whatever you put it on is wide enough to take the stand, and capable of holding the weight of the screen.
A desktop stand is similar to a pedestal stand but usually either snaps into the base of the screen (which usually requires a specific make and model) or grips the base. The main difference between these two TV stands is that a desktop stand often allows you to swivel the screen easily. You probably won't use this option that often, but it can be handy if you have a window in the room which means the sun shines brightly onto the screen at certain times of the day.
Another option is a cabinet, which will usually have some form of attachment on top to hold your screen in place. These range from having a couple of shelves underneath for storing audio-visual equipment to larger models which can even surround the entire screen with shelving to store CDs, DVDs and other media. Some cabinets come with glass doors at the front, which can be useful for keeping young children from fiddling with equipment while still letting you use remote controls. If you need to switch cables around frequently, look for a cabinet with an open back so that you don't need to take equipment out of the cabinet.
Both Charlie Reese & Phil Battison are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
