SUPER Modern Television

A place to hang out, chat and post general discussion topics. (Non-technical posts here)
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mjt
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Re: SUPER Modern Television

Post by mjt »

In the kitchen we have a small TV mounted on an articulated arm. Mostly it's so I can watch/hear the weather forecast as I'm preparing breakfast... The articulated arm lets us push it back into the cabinet when we want to hide it. See this post on my blog for a photo. The arm is retracted into the cabinet just above the microwave...

A while back I saw some contraptions that hid a flat panel TV behind a mirror or artwork. Here's a link to one such example: https://new.framemytv.com/. I don't have one nor am I associated with them in any way.

phil
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Re: SUPER Modern Television

Post by phil »

Kashka-Kat wrote:Ive not had a TV since it went digital some years back. But am now thinking it might be nice to have an actual movie viewing spot instead of in front of computer. Will just have a 40 or 50 inch flat screen sitting on top of an old kitchen cabinet (turned living room storage piece/entertainment center). I dont see it as being any more obtrusive than a modern coffee maker or computer and IMHO a vast improvement over the big tube monstrosities of the 80s-90s.

Now if you are referring to the big black holes that people have up on their walls or above their fireplaces, those I would have to agree are not very attractive.

What I would love to get is one of those big old wooden radios - youve got some fine specimens Phil. How functional are they though? I seem to remember ours as having great sound but only got AM. Now AM radio pretty much sucks so it would have to be FM.


all old radios and TV's of that age need some electrnic restoration to be safe, the main thing is the capacitors , which do go. other than that they are made to be repaired and quite serviceable. for TV's the picture tube can go and the flyback transformers are almost impossible to source except from others.
wiring should be inspected, sometimes insulation crumbles depending on the type of wire used. I would recommend to never plug them in unless you have someone look at them first so I don't test them unless it is part of a restoration. doing so can cause parts to fail.

the AM radios in the pic I have all restored and work properly. They can be used every day, they get Am and some short wave. You can actually get many many stations so they are interesting to play with but most that I collect do not get FM. I'm more into pre-war ones because I like the earlier cabinet styles.

You can easily adapt them so you can plug your iPod or phone into the amplifier, or you can use a little broadcast unit. it's legal to broadcast on AM. you can't broadcast far, but within your house basically. so you can pick up FM or use your own signal input and rebroadcast that and then receive it on old radios, of course in mono. here s a little broadcast unit
http://www.sstran.com/pages/AMT3000/overview.html

if friends visit and want to play their iTunes I just plug their phones into my house stereo and then I get better sound. Old radios do have a nice warm sound if you play them at lower volumes, but most cant' handle high volume bass, you'll shake the fragile old speakers apart.

on shortwave there isn't much locally , with a long wire you can get a few distant stations as the signals can travel great distances, it's interesting to play around with. hook 70 feet of wire up to these old radios and you can sit and tune hundreds of stations and it's fun to see what you can get.

I'm still not digital really. my TV is still analogue but I just use a VGA cable from the computer to my older flatscreen for now. Ive been wanting one of those new fandangled boxes so I can get more stations. google TV etc..

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MJ1987
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Re: SUPER Modern Television

Post by MJ1987 »

mjt wrote:In the kitchen we have a small TV mounted on an articulated arm. Mostly it's so I can watch/hear the weather forecast as I'm preparing breakfast... The articulated arm lets us push it back into the cabinet when we want to hide it. See this post on my blog for a photo. The arm is retracted into the cabinet just above the microwave...

A while back I saw some contraptions that hid a flat panel TV behind a mirror or artwork. Here's a link to one such example: https://new.framemytv.com/. I don't have one nor am I associated with them in any way.


Wow! That's a pretty cool design. That would be a really cool alternative. I did the "quick price" feature on the site and for a hardwood frame, canvas painting on a roller to conceal, and to accommodate a 50" TV, the estimate was almost $5,000!! :shock: HOLY SHHH......COW!
Matt


I built a chimney for a comrade old;
I did the service not for hope or hire:
And then I travelled on in winter’s cold,
Yet all the day I glowed before the fire.


-Edwin Markham

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mjt
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Re: SUPER Modern Television

Post by mjt »

MJ1987 wrote:Wow! That's a pretty cool design. That would be a really cool alternative. I did the "quick price" feature on the site and for a hardwood frame, canvas painting on a roller to conceal, and to accommodate a 50" TV, the estimate was almost $5,000!! :shock: HOLY SHHH......COW!


You want sticker shock and a really cool hidden TV, try this: C SEED TV.

I have a nice spot for one, but need to crowd fund, I think...

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Eperot
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Re: SUPER Modern Television

Post by Eperot »

This is what I did: Since there is no chimney inside the chimney breast anymore, I used the space to hide the television inside behind one of the panels. The panel is wired up to a gear motor and chain drive to be pulled in and up on tracks when TV is desired, and then with self reversing limit switches, it stops at the top. Press the button again, and the panel goes down and closes. People have no clue it's there unless I show them. My BluRay player is also hidden in a secret compartment in one or the corner cabinets. I can accommodate up to a 43" screen, as big as I'd ever want. There will be a fireplace insert going in behind the mantle in time, direct vent to outside. I'd love to post video of the panel in action...can you post video here?
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Sow's Ear Mal
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Re: SUPER Modern Television

Post by Sow's Ear Mal »

Cool!

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mjt
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Re: SUPER Modern Television

Post by mjt »

Eperot - Clever!

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