Widescreen TVs Make
Fashion Statement
by Kim Shaver

     Once a blight on the landscape of American living rooms, the bulky, square "tube TV" is making way for stylish widescreen televisions. According to leading electronics retailers, the days of the bulky TV are numbered as Americans switch to increasingly affordable flat panel TVs including wide-screen plasma and liquid-crystal display (LCD) sets.
     The transformation from square screens to sleek, thin rectangular models is welcomed by women and men alike. Women appreciate that TVs are now a design statement. Both appreciate the wide-screen, 16 x 9-inch format that allows movies and sports events to fill all or most of the screen, offering a more impressive, crystal-clear picture.



     What's the difference between flat panel and flat screen? From the front, they look the same. The main difference can be seen in profile.
     Flat-panel TVs are 4 to 5-1/2 inches thick and can be hung on the wall or mounted inside a lift console. Generally, these are referred to as LCD or plasma TVs.
     Flat-screen TVs have flat screens but there is a depth of 11 to 25 inches behind the screen... generally these are referred to as DLP (digital light processing) TVs as well as older tube TV's, and they can be accommodated on a regular TV console. From the front, they look just like a flat panel TV, but just have more thickness in the back. Generally, flat screens reflect glare less than traditional convex screens. And they're just cool.
Welcome to the Home Entertainment edition of Smart Living Ideas. As a valued member of the Hooker Furniture family we will periodically be sending you home trend updates and decorating ideas.

    Congratulations, you've just invested in your first flat-panel television. But wait - your mission is only half accomplished. You still have to figure out how to display your TV and integrate your home theater into your home environment. You may have seen the cool ads that show flat screen TVs hanging on the wall... but that's not as easy as it looks. There's a new breed of furniture - Plasma/LCD TV lift consoles - that could be your perfect solution. Here's why:

· Plasma lift or "hideaway" consoles offer a true James Bond-like cool factor and are decor-friendly as well. In a "now you see it, now you don't" approach, the flat screen TV is concealed inside the console when not in use, but with the touch of a remote control, the TV raises up smoothly for viewing.

· The lift console is a clutter-busting organizer for electronic equipment related to your flat panel TV. Available within the console or in correlating side units, there's storage for your components and media, along with wire management. Some units even feature nooks for speakers.

· Flat panel TV consoles are as attractive as they are functional, coming in elegant finishes and stylish silhouettes.

· Hooker's Plasma/LCD lift consoles will take most 42" monitors with side speakers and some 50" monitors without side speakers. Maximum monitor size is 50" wide by 5-1/2" deep and 30" high.

· They're a turn-key solution... you don't have to worry about mounting your TV on the wall, which involves hiring a contractor to locate the studs and an electrician to do the wiring... and still you'd have no place for the components.

· Just wait till your friends and neighbors see your television rising smoothly up from your console at the touch of a button...

everyone will be fighting for the remote!

 
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