minimalism at work

Most people accept the bulky presence of A/V components as an unavoidable price for their entertainment experience. Component designers have always striven to beautify their creations, but no faceplate can compensate for space wasted in a small room. Having seen various hidden entertainment systems on HGTV, I was inspired to further decrease our A/V clutter. Our system is definitely atypical, and I wanted it to look the part.

That's easy, right? Simply place the ugly components into a pleasant-looking enclosure. Not so fast! Including connectors, our HTPC is over 20 inches in depth, fitting on only the largest of entertainment furniture. Further complicating its placement is the fact that it requires exposure to significant amounts of open air; it can't be hidden inside of a cabinet.

Unable to conceal the components, I explored the option of employing another HTPC case; one that would look as high-tech as the system it encased. Antec's then-new Fusion (pictured below) was the case that looked most like a traditional A/V component. It certainly looks great! With that realization, I explored I pondered this option further, and realized that, as stated above, no faceplate design can compensate for the fact that a component is a big space-wasting box. It didn't make sense to spend money, only to be stuck with the same box. It was time to think outside of the box; to break out of the box. Ouch!

How could we obtain the concealment that an armoire provides, without using an enclosure? We could make the components invisible! No, really. The TV coaxial cable and speaker wires were already routed to the basement through a hole in the corner of the living room floor. I widened the hole slightly to accomodate more cables, and placed the HTPC on a shelf about three feet below the living room floor. Upstairs, vertical cable runs were hidden inside of the TV wall, and horizontal runs were hidden in a paintable wall-mounted conduit.

The result is neat and organized, just as it should be. The clean lines of the components allow us to focus on the screen, and their reduced depths allowed us to recapture a significant portion of our living space.

I used two four-foot conduits, and as you can see, they weren't quite long enough. Our local home improvement stores don't sell anything longer, so I'll have to buy a full conduit in order to cover the last foot of exposed wire.

As you can see in the 'profile' photo, the center channel speaker isn't of the low-profile, on-wall variety. Somehow, Infinity neglected to include a center channel speaker in their on-wall line. This unit is from Infinity's 'Entra' series, and is resting on two conventional steel wall-mount brackets. It's not a perfect solution, but we already owned the speaker, and the brackets cost only $20 USD, versus $150+ for a new center speaker. At least everything's black.

Wait a minute! What are those unsightly BOXES, to the right of the TV?! Unfortunately, you can't hide from your subwoofer. The necessary A/V receiver is next to the sub, on its end, with the IR remote sensor on top of it. Again, at least everything matches. Behind the subwoofer and receiver are a wireless mouse and keyboard, a USB extension cable, and the input break-out box for the HTPC's capture card. The only thing missing is an optical drive, but the need for one hasn't yet presented itself.

Don't mind the kilt-inspired carpet; we'll do so on your behalf.