apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

No suggestions but the term "bonked noggins" made me giggle. I think that is my phrase for the week. Thanks for the giggle at the end of the day Kate!

If you hid the cable box/DVD player -
- How would you change channels/run the film?

Seems that the shelf with the TV is the most practical solution given the circumstances - but instead of below, why not place the shelf above?

IMO, it would be a no-brainer for some brilliant young product designer to come out with a cablebox that is also a DVD player - intended to hang flat on the wall beneath the flat-screen TV, perhaps with a larger indicator that could be easily read across a room, but is also dimmable - and with a larger IR remote sensor.

What drives me crazy is that when these beautiful tvs and other electrical pleasures are displayed in showrooms, online, etc...they are never plugged in! They never show the hideous wires and chords that are strung across the walls and on the floor. Nothing but a hot mess.

hmm, well since it is a small enough tv and equipment, meaning not heavy, how about installing it on a separate piece of wood - like a repurposed door or something that similar. You could drill a hole where all the cords would come thru and plug in to your actual wall (which would remain hidden) and then you'd just lean the door with the tv & equipment to the wall you'd like your tv at. you can get creative and paint the repurposed door a bright color or even use wall paper on it. best thing if you are a renter! anyways, just a thought - haven't done it myself.

Most cable boxes can be hooked up to an IR blaster, and then you can place the box anywhere. Check it out.

There are mounting solutions where the cable box is behind the lcd..

No really easy out-of-the-box solutions for this one, unfortunately.
The IR blaster equipment works best when you have some sort of master remote control that allows you to see all of the controls and infomation on the TV screen and/or on the screen of the remote itself. For most people, though, that level of expense, particularly if renting, is too much to be worth it.
I'd recommend buying/making a tall, narrow media cabinet (anchored to the wall) that has the screen mounted outside and the dvd player, cable box, etc. above or below the screen. Above would be my preference, so that channel changing, etc. is not blocked by the edge of the bed, covers and so on. You could either show the exposed faces of these devices or have a single low door that swings out/up/down to expose them when in use. Make sure to allow enough space between devices for air flow and cooling and put plenty of holes above and below them for cable manangement and cooling.

in those beautiful showrooms the idea is the fact that you would put the cords in the wall. You install jacks where the tv goes, and then run it all through the walls, that's why you don't see them...

But if you are renting, i suggest getting longer cables, run the cables down the wall, and hide them with a cable cover type thing, and then put them wherever. Under your bed, in a night stand, doesn't matter where, hide them.

Or you could take the risk and cut some holes in your wall to run the cable. just be good with spackle and cover them all up later. usually a landlord won't care when you patch the holes yourself, tell them it was for a picture...

Use a mirror! Put the box under a bed or somewhere hidden - then reflect the IR signal off the mirror to the box. Works like a charm.

I had my contractor build a flip down for our cable box that sits on an inexpensive ikea bureau. The entire piece is painted black so it looks like it was designed this way.

I really think this is why an entertainment center still makes sense...you can't really hide all the cords/boxes, but when you have other stuff displayed it makes the ugly stuff (even the TV) less obvious.

The mirror suggestion is simple and brilliant, go for that.

I think the remote will also work through thinner fabric, you could build a box with an open front and back. Put some beautiful fabric over the front and run the cords out the back.

The mirror is an awesome idea, but you would have to finagle the mirror and exposure to the cable box.

Hey all- noggin bonker here. I'm really into this "IR" idea, and hopefully I can "finagle" (!) the mirror somehow. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for the insight!