A home entertainment center is one of the most popular pieces of furniture sold today. And no wonder, as entertainment centers have kept pace with home entertainment technology. We have come such a long way from the humble TV stands of yore. What’s even better, today you have the choice of buying something that can hide your TV, or display its sleek new design in all its glory.
Are You Looking for Storage?
Take a good look at all of your equipment that you use along with your TV. It is important to house all of it in a way that makes it easy to access it and use it. Storage for all your DVDs, videos and other entertainment media is important as well. Look for entertainment systems that have built-in storage that allows you an easy access to all your media. You may be able to purchase additional matching pieces, too with some manufacturers.
Are You Planning to Add or Upgrade?
Look for an expandable system, such as an entertainment wall. Some manufacturers design systems with multiple settings to fit TVs from 45” to 67”.
Some manufacturers integrate easy hook-up systems that make it easy to install new components. An integrated cord management system offers many advantages:
- Everything is easy to hook up.
- The cords are tidy and out of the way.
- Integrated surge protectors keep your electronics safe from power surges and voltage spikes.
Check for Quality
Quality is important. A piece that wobbles or shakes, is an accident waiting to happen, so make sure the piece is sturdy. There should be corner blocks and levelers to ensure stability. Check that all the doors and drawers line up correctly.
The drawers should slide easily on their glides and have stops to prevent over-extension.
Doors should fit well, be easy to open and should not have any gaps. Shelves should sit level and it is better when you have flexibility in arranging shelves.
Measure Before You Buy
You should not assume that your TV will fit into any kind of entertainment center. Many older entertainment centers will not accommodate today’s wide-screen TVs. Measure all these pieces (and any other that you may have) for height, width and depth:
- TV
- DVD Player
- Gaming System
- VCR
- Audio
- Speakers
Additionally, don’t forget to measure your room to make sure that that everything will fit well, while leaving enough room to move around.
