Yes, I admit it...I was glued to my favourite Mac websites this morning, greedily reading updates about Macworld annoucements like the little Apple cult member I am. But I had an ulterior agenda: I wanted to see if the rumours I heard about the Apple TV update were true. Because, at the heart of it all, I wanted to convert the stereo cabinet into something beyond mere storage, with the inner guts of the unit becoming a digital hub for the home.
Gregory's Project: The Stereo Cabinet #4 - No Guts, No Glory
So as soon as Stevie's Macworld presentation ended, I placed an order for an Apple TV (thanks to a most wonderful friend who wishes to remain anonymous, I received a discount rate). And now, possibly to the chagrin of my understanding girlfriend, I am considering taking my spare 23" Cinema Display and fashioning something more monstrously involved than just a bookshelf or a bar keeper (the inner geek in me just patted me on the back). The problem is the cinema display has a clear plastic casing with non-removable legs below it. I guess I could dismantle it and try to incorporate into the lid of the cabinet if everything measures correctly, but this will take a little more planning than the daydreams I've been harbouring since placing the order this morning.
At the least, my eagerly awaited NetFlix killing device will reside inside with my wireless router and the external hard drive my better half and I share. Maybe in time I can also incorporate new speakers, an iPod dock and a Mac mini to make this one helluva ode to Cupertino's finest (I'd put my Xbox 360 in there, but that loud piece of unrefined hardware may start a fire). For now, I still have a lot of sanding on the inside of the cabinet to finish and stain samples to test (I'm hoping to closely match an existing stereo cabinet so I won't have a hodge podge of different finishes throughout our small living room).
Tags
Jan Jumpstart 2008 - newsRelated Links
- Gregory's Project: The Stereo Cabinet #3 - Enter Sandman
- January Jumpstart: Best of Martha's Craft of the Day
- Gregory's Project: The Stereo Cabinet #6 - A Stain In the Neck
- January Jumpstart: Jon's Ikea ROGER chair transformation #1
- Gregory's Project: The Stereo Cabinet #4 - No Guts, No Glory
Share
Comments (10)
AT Daily Email
Top House Tours
Top Posts
Links
design
friends
more friends
- craftster.org
- idealbite.com
- kfreshdesigns
- designboner
- fototiller
- design-milk
- allthatanda
- decor8
- miapartamento
- silkfeltsoil
- home rejuvenation
- clothes-pin
- sfgirlbybay
- tyson williams
- Happy mundane
- fabulously green
- charles and hudson
- grass roots modern
- ikeahacker
- eatdrinknbmerry
- covetable
- uberreview
- crunch22
- modernflat
- modcottage
- shelterrific
- this old house
- modern-roost
- pallapalla
- anticssoblonde
- elaine vigneault
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
Can't wait to see the result. Please keep us posted!
view cookiedough's profile
very cool. I love the idea of super high tech combining with antique.
view art's profile
What a GREAT IDEA!!! Good luck with this project.
john
view spinsLPs's profile
How cool to see this! I did this project and couldn't be happier. I found an old stereo console at an estate sale and just used it as a stand for my LCD and various electric equipment. Then recently my fiance gutted the whole thing and put our speakers and such inside, making it functional instead of a giant TV stand. It's so much more stylish than any new piece I've found and it blends perfectly in our MC home. I couldn't be happier!
view pxlchk1's profile
so you can't put a 360 inside of a wooden console? i have this amazing re-used rosewood console that currently stores all the video tapes but i was hoping to also drill holes for the dvd player, cable box, xbox, etc.
is it really a fire hazard or were you joking?
thanks!
view Joan Vignocchi's profile
I have a couple of the 17 inch Mac displays with the clear plastic casing. I have taken apart the casing once and the problem isn't so much the plastic casing as it is the big aluminum housing around the back. Also, the size of the frame seems to be what it is even with the plastic housing removed. Still, I have the exact same thought - It would be great to bust these things out of their fat footprints and embed them in a countertop as a budgy entertainment center. Hope this works out and I'll be watching.
view Max Othermoxx's profile
Joan: I was only partially joking. The 360 should be fairly safe with enough airflow; I was actually planning to install a PC fan in the back of the cabinet to keep it cool inside. But have you heard the 360? I've heard 747 planes that are quieter taking off then the Xbox while it idles. I've recently encountered short bouts with the red ring of death, so I'm not optimistic about how well the hardware holds up. It's too bad because the games for the system are fantastic.
view gregory's profile
I think I'm in love.
view .katja's profile
Greg: There are super-strong mounts for the old ACDs that are little more than a curved piece of steel you may want to look into.
Won't help with your "leg" problem, but definitely are a decent way to affix it to the lid.
view mrMan's profile
i read in another post you were looking for a scissor jack. i don't know if this will work for you, but you might want to look for a laboratory jack (lab jack), meant for science lab equipment. they come in metal or plastic, come in a variety of sizes (the largest is 8"x8", i think), can extend 10"-12", and hold up to 200 lbs. i'm not sure where you can buy one in la, but they're pretty easy to find online.
view santos.'s profile