How to i plan my Plasma wall installation?

[redlagoon]

Hi,

Hoping for some guidance from those more experienced than myself.

The walls in my front room are due to be skimmed soon, so i thought i'd take the opportunity to plan for my wall mounted 42" Plasma/LCD TV. The idea is to chase the cables into the walls which will exit the wall slightly to the left of where the TV is positioned so everything will look neat and cable free once its been plastered.

So i've bought myself a couple of knock-out boxes and some trunking material. The only puzzle i have is what type of cables i need to run through them? Bear in mind i haven't purchased the TV yet, so the idea is to run the right cables now so i wont have a problem later.

The components on the other end will include, DVD/Divx player, XBOX360, PC, VHS.

My thoughts so far;

- HDMI cable (a given i think)
- Kettle lead for the power to the TV
- Scart cable
- RCA Audio lead (not sure if sound is sent through HDMI?)
- DVI-HDMI cable (in case i want to add a pc?)

Do i need all of these? Have i missed anything obvious?

A couple of other questions;

- Whats the correct height on the wall where the 42" screen should be positioned?

- Based on the above question, how long should each cable be?


Thanks for any help !

 

[Diyisfun]

- Whats the correct height on the wall where the 42" screen should be positioned?

!

I will only make comment on this. Why do people put the tv up so high.
It wants to be at eye level when watching, so if you are sitting down (or like me usually laying on the settee,) it will be low.

 

[pbar]

- Whats the correct height on the wall where the 42" screen should be positioned?

!

I will only make comment on this. Why do people put the tv up so high.
It wants to be at eye level when watching, so if you are sitting down (or like me usually laying on the settee,) it will be low.

Yes, I've often thought this. But then again, when you go to the cinema it's not at eye level, it's way up there.

 

[dynomo]

I'd get rid of the xbox360 and make way for the ps3, far better console, will def make your setup worth the while.

 

[dynomo]

My setup consists of the following:

Sharp 42inch LCD HD READY (1080p)
PS3
Sky + box
DVD player

I have 2 HDMI's going into the TV, one from the PS3 and the other one is just a spare just in case I need to add an additional device later. If hiding all wires you have to think way ahead, plus my tv can accept 2 HDMI's so why not!!
HDMI's output video and audio signals. They are deemed the equivalent of scart but a million times better in terms of quality.

I then have 2 scart leads, one from sky + and the other from the DVD player.

I also have an RCA cable connected, which was added as a precaution in case audio didnt output from my ps3 to my dvd system. This would go from the tv out to the RCA in, in the dvd system, but in my case, I didnt have to do this. I used to have an xbox 360 and had to use this audio cable to get sound from my 5.1 surround system. With the ps3, you dont need this cable, xbox 360 = deffo.

Ref to power cable - be careful, most tv's come with cables that cannot be unplugged from the back, so you may be stuck in a situation where the cable you already have is not compatible and you will then have an ugly electric cord dangling down the wall.

Hope all this makes sense.

 

[TicklyT]

- Whats the correct height on the wall where the 42" screen should be positioned?

!

I will only make comment on this. Why do people put the tv up so high.
It wants to be at eye level when watching, so if you are sitting down (or like me usually laying on the settee,) it will be low.

Yes, I've often thought this. But then again, when you go to the cinema it's not at eye level, it's way up there.

It depends where you sit in the cinema.....Sometimes it's way down there!

 

[chris_1982]

I've done a whole stack of these lately. They certainly do look good on the wall.

You should be able to locate power to the tv by installing the socket behind the bracket, and coiling up the power lead behind - one less cable to run in the wall.

If its a solid brick/block wall the easiest way to run the cables is to run a chase down the wall, and using the widest oval conduit available, cut down one side of it, carefully insert the cables, and put it in the wall. They wont come back out but will move up and down.

For playstation 3 use a hdmi cable, you'll need one for hd sky too. For 360 or nintendo wii you need a component/rgb/scart. Put a good quality coax through if you use analogue, and a good quality scart for dvd/vcr.....

Bolt the provided plates on the back of the tv with appropriate bolts from the guide (for your tv model), you may need small rubber pads between the plates and tv.


If its a stud wall, make sure you get REALLY good fixings through the studs, dont bother with anything else.

if you cant find a stud, send it back

I cant be bothered to elaborate on anything, i'm fitting these things in my sleep as it is!

 

[tim west]

Try to keep at eye level otherwise you will suffer with stiff necks.

 

[dynomo]

Chris 1982,
You do sound like a man with a bit of knowledge, that is exactly what i hated about the xbox, the blimmin components. Did consider getting the 360 elite which has hdmi but then thought sod it and go for the ps3 instead, right move i tell ya.
What ya reckon, ps3 or the 360, from experience?

 

[Steve]

I'd build a section of stud wall, sort of a mini chimney breast effort. Then you have a secure fixing for the telly (studs more reliable than brickwork fixing, IMO) and you have somewhere to route cables. If its deep enough you can also build recesses for the DVD player, sky box etc.

 

[redlagoon]

Very useful info, thank you all very much.

 

[Steve]

oh, and get a LCD telly, they are much lighter.

 

[chris_1982]

Did consider getting the 360 elite which has hdmi but then thought s** it and go for the ps3 instead, right move i tell ya.
What ya reckon, ps3 or the 360, from experience?

I have a 360 in my lounge with component cables and i run it at a smooth 720p resolution. As far as graphics go there isn't much between ps3 and 360, dont forget the ps3 might have come out later but it was developed at the same time as 360, on paper the 360 is faster.

For films you have to remember that the 360 only has a dvd player built in and not HDdvd which is an add on. The ps3 comes with a blue ray disk player.

The ps3 uses hdmi, and so does the 360 elite. There is no difference in quality between component and hdmi that i can see. You will still be able to run at 720p/1080i/1080p resolutions.

You will need two hdmi ports if you plan on having sky and a ps3, or swap them over.

At the end of the day you can buy a 360 pro console with 3 games for £290 so its great value.

The ps3 is £400 with nothing, but 4 years down the road it will be worth every penny.