scottp120

I'm having a new house built and am going to be moving there soon. I'm going to be hanging a LCD on the wall this time and have no idea what kind of outlets I need to tell the builder. I have a 32 inch LCD now, but plan on getting one at least 42. I plan on having a professional install the LCD, speakers, etc so no wires are exposed. Now as far as plugging in the tv itself, should I have an outlet between the walls (I heard it was a fire hazzard), or should I have them run the wires through the walls to the outlet on the outside of the wall? Any recommendations on good installers? Thanks and I appreciate any help.

applesandrice

My advice: skip the TV and go with a projector. Problem solved.

Michael Corvin

Projectors don't require wires?

JimRochester

It really isn't that big a deal. I did mine and it wasn't that hard.

Especially because you are building the house you can do all this first.

For the vertical wires I just picked up a "fish tape" at Home Depot for $20. It's a flexible wire you fish from one hole in the wall to another, attach the wire you want to run then pull it through. For horizontal it's a little more difficult. Instead of screwing with the wall I just ran the baseboard moulding over a dado blade on my table saw and made a channel for the wires that way.

I've been told that you're not supposed to run a power cord through the wall without protection so you can have the builder put in an electrical outlet in the spot you want the TV.

scottp120

Thanks for the information Jim. I'll let the builder know to put an outlet where the cable outlet is.

Mr. Salty

If you're going to have this done professionally, I suggest you consult with the company that's going to do the installation and ask what they recommend. Maybe even have them call the construction contractor directly.

beebs

You not only need power, you need a place to run cables to components. Monoprice, btw, sells lots of wall plates for this sort of stuff. Much cheaper than Home Cheapo and better selection.

The builders in my home included a normal 2-up wall outlet on the wall, and a "smurf" tube down to a normal height cut-out for hooking up the unit to components. One REALLY nice thing they did was put plywood behind the entire drywall there -- so mounting the plasma didn't necessarily require studs and afforded great placement flexibility.

If you have a choice, I suggest recessed power outlets, if possible. These will afford you the great flexibility in the future for hanging your flatscreen (flush or tilt or swivel)

Also, I purchased a 1' power cable from monoprice for behind the plasma. Another win for Monoprice there. Though, I would not recommend this particular power cable for a larger, more power hungry display.

-beebs

jones

It is against National Electrical code to run the TVs power cable inside a concealed wall.
You need to have an 120V AC power outlet placed behind the TV, so make sure it is placed ABOVE the mounting plate for the TV. This will allow for proper tilt of the television.
Recessed outlets are nice, but unfortunately you cannot plug in a power center/surge protector in that outlet to protect the TV.
Studs are mounted 16" off center and with just about any TV, 2 studs are adequate enough to hold the weight of any TV I've ever hung including up to 60" plasmas.
VERY IMPORTANT!--Most general contractors/builders do not have a clue as to what types of cables to run in the wall. You need to run at least one CL rated HDMI cable from the components to the TV, or more if you are not using an HDMI switching reciever or switch.
I would recommend having a professional consultation performed by an installer prior to any drywall being installed (ex. Best Buy/Magnolia). I recently visited a customers home where they hired a "non-professional" to save money and he ran 4 coax cables, one CAT5 and one 22 gauge speaker wire behind the TV and solid core wire for all speakers. Once the drywall is installed, mudded and painted it is quite dissapointing to inform a customer that it all has to be pulled out and replaced.
These are common mistakes I've seen out in the field.

bretski

Something else to consider when wall-mounting: Where your cable inputs are on the set, and their orientation. Right-angle adapters can come in very handy. Monoprice sells a few, including right-angle power cords and HDMI adapters.