Hello all,
My house has a 55 wide by 35 tall by 24 deep cavity over the fire place. I just bought a 42 in Panasonic plasma display and am trying to figure out the best way to mount it. I came up with an idea and would like to see if anyone has done a similar install or thinks it is crazy.

I plan on mounting the display on a door to make the inside of the cavity the component cabinet. I would swing on 3 standard door hinges and would be stabalized with latches and a gas shock (like on the trunk of a car). The TV would be framed with picture material to form a finished lookk on the outside.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,


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Clay Wilson

i wouldn't put the components above the fireplace unless the fireplace is a dummy... Heat will kill them..

Would be cooler to use a Motorized Actuator....

Sounds fun. Dont forget about Ventalation for the Display (Panasonics dont like being hot.. Shut down.... And Dont forget about how to control your components once they are behind a solid door.

This install idea is very cool but it calls for some extreme components. You will not want to be wearing out the door hinges by constantly opening and closing the door to change DVDs, so I recommend a weekly or monthly buying spree and a 300-disc changer. These are rather deep, so the 24" suddenly is not too much depth....

Ditto the CD Changer.

It doesn't get as hot as you think above a fireplace. We flush mount plasmas all the time above fireplaces and have no problems. I would recommend a ventilation system with fans though.

Ernie, I know the Sony 400 disc will fit in a 24" cavity. I believe it is 21 or 22 inches from the back of the "Hump" to the front of the knob. We tell our cabinet guys to leave us at least 24" to make room for wiring. I wouldn't go less than 24" though.

I flush mount plasmas to the front of fireplaces, too, with no problems.

The amount of heat on the outside of a fireplace is less than the heat directly above the firebox, and from what i'm reading, the components will be directly above the firebox. They'll get cooked while the TV will be fine.

In any case, the fireplace must either not be in use or be offset to have a 24" cavity above it. If it is a concrete/brick fireplace, it will not be hot above it. I would sit bareassed on above it to prove it. The whole purpose of the fireplace is to safely contain the heat and direct it properly. Only the first layer of bricks gets hot.

I would assume this is a Direct Venting Firplace.... They are incredibly Efficient...... you cold sit naked on top of the firebox after its been burning for 8 hours.....(No, I havent tried it, but thats what the fireplace guy told me at a jobsite once)

Why were you discussing sitting naked on top of the fireplace with the fireplace guy? Who broached the subject first :-)?

p.s. Is this in any way similar to "Dr. I have this friend that likes to sit naked on top of the fireplace, do you think he has a problem"?

p.p.s. Just because the word "cavity" was in the thread title doesn't mean you needed to bring the issue up.

:-)