Topic: TV Unit

There's a lot of discussion about what TVs to buy for the new gen consoles but I am wondering what TV units people use. I imagine lots of people wall mount their TVs if they own their own properties but it's not really possible for rentals.

What units do people use?

I am thinking of buying an IKEA Lappland and plonking it on top of two 2x1 Kallaxs and a 1x1 Kallax. Just to get the extra height. I don't think the TV compartment in the Lappland is high enough for comfortable viewing.

Not sure if the Kallaxs will support the weight of a loaded Lappland. However if it was arranged 2x1, 1x1, 2x1 then it would have 4 of the stronger supporting sides of the kallaxs close to the middle and 2 of the stronger sides on either side. Smart or Dumb? What do people think?

I'm quite keen to get a Lappland though or at least something that will cover the edges of our new LG 55C1 OLED. Just to offer that bit of extra protection from any potential guests that have flailing stray limbs...

But yeah, let us know what you've got! Or if anyone has anything similar to the madness that i am thinking... Or if anyone has any better ideas!

I imagine it would be a pretty weighty thing once it's built, along with the TV, ps5 and whatever you choose to put in the storage areas, so I don't think I'd put my faith in all that resting on top of some kallax's.
It might be fine, but an expensive experiment if it was to fail one night.

Have you measured where the centre of your TV would be in regard to your seated eyeline in the lappland? It might not be that bad.

@ralphdibny I hunted around for a long time to find a replacement for my old Argos TV Corner unit. Finding something that would have the TV at a suitable eyeline height, with enough width and shelf space, were the main reasons that I struggled to find something. Eventually found what I think was a hifi unit on Gumtree that ticked all the boxes.

If I knew how to post a picture on here I would...

@MatthewJP just measured it actually and I do think the TV would be too high up if there were a row of Kallaxs under the Lappland. Would be nice if I could put feet on the Lappland to be honest. Raise it by another 10-15 cm instead of the whopping thirty something centimetres of a Kallax cube. It's probably not going to be possible.

I do like to put my feet up too so I do still need the TV above foot height I suppose. Lappland is just a little too short for my liking but it is by far the cheapest enclosed unit.

Have you got a Lappland yourself? They do inserts for the Kallax shaped holes. One of them is a glass shelf with a glass door which I think would be good for the mini consoles too actually

@JimbobLink oh really? That's decent that you managed to find one. The slot size is a toughy as well, especially with the size of the modern consoles!! I think I'd definitely consider a vertical Kallax with the middle shelf removed if I ever got a PS5, it definitely won't fit in the Lappland unit that I am considering.

I've been around the shops today and yesterday and I've seen tons of styles, mainly of the corner or long bench variety. I think the bench style is quite popular because they site nicely under wall mounted TVs

@ralphdibny I've got a 3-tier unit which my 49 inch TV just fits on. I had it before though for my older, smaller TV. I got it from Amazon a few years back and it is still standing. Even survived a house move!

@JohnnyShoulder ahh sweet! Sounds decent. I do have a hand me down 3 tier unit available to me but I am just terrified of a clumsy guest getting behind it and knocking over the TV. That's a lot of money to lose in one night 😅

Just finished assembling the Lappland. I got it off eBay for £20 in the end which is a decent saving off the RRP of £150! It's missing a couple of dowls but it should be ok to be honest, seems sturdy enough!

I bought a couple of Masterplug 10-ways from Wilko to populate it. One of them has a bit of a rattle to it though. Will probably be ok but still makes me a bit nervous!

What do people reckon about this?

I have got a modified IKEA Lappland TV Unit with a few of the glass shelf/door inserts. I have only three places within this unit that I could put the Series X, in an open cube (similar to a Kallax Cube), sideways or vertical on top, or what I've actually done which is inside a glass door insert with shelf removed and ventilation holes drilled in the back of it.

Do people think that's enough ventilation? I've got intake holes down the bottom and exhaust holes up the top. Before I drilled the holes I just used the Series X with the door open, reckon I could leave the door closed now and those holes will offer enough ventilation?

I've tried it with both streaming video and gaming. I think I could definitely have the door closed for watching Disney Plus etc. In terms of gaming, even with the door closed, it seems a lot cooler in there than it was with the door open before I drilled the holes.

The main reason I like the door closed is to prevent dust getting in. I know drilling massive holes into it is going to let some dust in but it will be a lot less than if the console was in a completely open area.

What do people think?

@ralphdibny It's hard to say since there are so many factors. Including rising ambient temperatures over the summer. I personally would avoid having a console inside a closed cabinet or even an alcove with an open front if I didn't have to but I am sure it is not going to kill it. I would expect it to just crash and shut down if it overheats, probably not great to keep doing that to it but I am sure it would survive a one off. So maybe just keep an eye on it when summer kicks off and think about moving it if it starts behaving weird.

@kyleforrester87 that's a good shout actually, I didn't really think about summer coming up. I suspect I will have to monitor it and just keep an eye out.

I've got my more horizontal slimmer consoles in the appropriate alcoves under the TV. While they've got front, rear and side ventilation, I've never pulled one out while it's on (for obvious reasons) to see how hot the chassis gets. The phat PS3 literally only just fits into the slot.

But yeah, those are completely covered in dust and I've only had the unit set up for about 4 months. Bit paranoid about dust getting somewhere it shouldn't on the Series X considering the ventilation is on the top of the unit 🤦‍♂️.

The only other units I have behind closed doors are the mini consoles, PSVR box, PSTV, Wii U and a mini PC. The Wii U and Mini PC. I'd open the door on those if I decided to use any of them though.

Right now we're using a Mainstays tv stand from Walmart got on sale for like 60 bucks. Not the best quality furniture but has enough clearance for both our PS5s to be vertical. I cut up the sides to some vents/fans to help with cooling and added some furniture legs from Amazon for a bit more ground clearance for the surge protector. Works great and has enough room for all our systems in one place