flat screen

Although it looks nice, mounting a flat panel TV above your fireplace can take years off of its life if you aren't careful. Aside from possible smoke damage, your new LCD or plasma screen was built to run at a specific temperature (check your owners manuals for exact specs, but usually between 32-100°F), so watching a movie and building a roaring fire can actually damage the components inside your TV if it gets too hot.

Thankfully, all is not lost. Find out how you can ensure your new TV doesn't get fried from the inside out after the break.

Before you drop all that money on a 46-inch flat panel HDTV you found on sale, maybe you should make sure there's enough room in your studio apartment for that bad boy. What, you think that just because it's flat you can fit it anywhere? As fun as it may seem to turn your apartment into a full-fledged movie theater, you should know that there are optimal viewing distances that you should adhere to. The general rule of thumb is to place your TV at a distance of three times the height of your screen (3 x H) away from your sofa.

For example, if you're buying a TV that has a screen height of 30 inches, you should sit approximately 90 inches or 7 feet away to view your picture in all its splendor. Just a little something to keep in mind before you buy that new LCD!

Source

I still get a kick out of those virtual flames fireplace DVDs, so when I saw the Colorlight DVD on Chip Chick I instantly thought — how great for a dinner/cocktail party! Once you pop in the DVD (which costs $25), eight different colors will slowly rotate and set the mood for your little soiree (or romantic nightcap). I've been in elevators (London), airports (Frankfurt), and in airplanes (Virgin America) that have all used this color rotation technique to enhance moods, so put it to use in your living room, and you may get rave reviews!

After much debate on where it's cool to have additional televisions in your house (I'm against in the bedroom, but for the dining room, for the record), I have another curious TV location for you to try on for size: the bathtub.

The Cosmo Hydromassage TV Bathtub is a spectacular two-in-one, combining a 17-inch LCD flat screen TV with a whirlpool tub. It fits two people, so woohoo to that! Despite the cost — about $4,580 — this is something you'd need to splurge on, due to the sensitive electronic nature. Please don't go DIYin' this.

Not only was I super jealous of LilSugar's one-on-one interview with Tori Spelling last week, now I'm jealous of Tori and her flat-screen-TV-in-the-dining-room setup (part of the home remodel they did on their show, Home Sweet Hollywood).

I may be a total prude about not allowing a television in the bedroom, but in the dining room? Heck yeah. Especially for the nights when you're alone and just want Spaghettios and addictive reality TV.

I have neither a dining room nor an extra flat screen TV, so not only is Mrs. McDermott my '90s TV idol, she's my TV-displaying idol too!

Source

• Oprah recently visited a Walmart in Hawaii and purchased a Nintendo Wii and two Wii games. — TMZ
• LG will be coming out with a Blu-ray player that will offer built-in Netflix streaming this Fall. — CrunchGear
• It is expected that Apple will be doing a refresh on their iPod and Notebooks, and will unveil these new products by mid-September. — MacRumors
• Lifehacker reveals five of the best note-taking tools, from basic pen and paper to Google Notebook. — Lifehacker
• I absolutely love this! A beautiful antique storage unit, mixed with a gorgeous flatscreen, and artwork, the perfect blend of vintage meets modern chic! — Unplggd
• Robert Englund, which most of you know as the man who played Freddy in the Freddy Krueger movies, sat down with an interview with AOL's Switched and revealed that he can't wait to get his hands on a LG Scarlet flatscreen. — Switched

Source