I just bought a 42" wide screen and have been struggling for quite some time to locate a console or cabinet arrangement that actually works. The problem is that I need direct line of sight access to my Cable DVR and Squeeze Box for remote control and a good sized compartment for my rather bulky ATI Amp.

Everything I look at has closed doors where the components should live, which is fine when I'm not using anything, but I'm always using something which means the doors would always have to be open.

I don't want a new RF remote system as I just figured out my new IR universal remote. The only thing I can think of is to house the components in a separate, exposed cabinet but would like to consolidate everything in a single cabinet if if possible.

What do you guys (gals) do/use that allows the remote equipped components to be accessible and still live in an attractive cabinet or console?

Thanks

Larry

EDIT I guess one could just remove the doors but am curious as to how you all deal with the problem

Yep, I ran into the same problem recently. I had purchased a 42" rear projection samsung and it seemed that every entertainment center was designed either for the giant screens which would leave huge gaps between the TV and the side cabinets, or for much smaller 4:3 ratio TVs. This is what I purchased which also has the benifit of no doors over the components.

http://www.brownstreet.com/proddetail.php?prod=5524_Newmarket_Media_Center&cat=62

I was a little nervous, because we couldn't find a local store that had the cabinet in stock, so we purchased it sight unseen. I'm glad that we did though, it's a nice piece and I'm really impressed with the quality of the woodworking. If you'd like, I could post a picture of how it looks in my living room.

MANY thanks for the reply and a picture would also be a great help.

Thanks again

Larry

Now that I think of it, I've already posted a picture of the cabinet. It was when I was writing a mini-review of my slimserver squeezebox.

http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/showfla...true#Post122861

If want more more detailed pictures, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Hey Larry - How about a simple IR Repeater kind of thing?

My cabinet has glass doors, but I had it built by a local cabinet maker. That was a good strategy for me at the time.