by Diane Dilov-Schultheis

Created on: November 26, 2008

Home entertainment centers are well-known household fixtures found commonly in media rooms. They can alter your dcor greatly and are very convenient too. You can use one to compact your electronic devices to a central location, instead of having them all over the place. It is easier to connect all of your components this way also. Entertainment centers are a nice addition to your media room that you can use to add value, practicality or make a statement with.

History of Media Room Furniture -

Frank Lloyd Wright designed one of the first known entertainment centers in 1917. It was crafted in the famous Hollyhock House that he constructed in Los Angeles. It is located to the right of the entrance and had several features created for entertainment purposes. This house was built between 1919-1921 for the oil heiress Aline Barnsdall. She donated it to the city of Los Angeles in 1927 and it became a National Historical Landmark in 2007. See Resources for a link.

Function of Media Room Furniture -

A media room is designed for watching television or movies. A home entertainment center is furniture that is specifically created to hold electronic devices for a media room. This includes TVs, DVD (and/or VCR) players, multi-disc CD changers, radio tuners, record players, equalizers, cassette players, satellite receivers, speakers and other components.

Time Frame of Media Room Furniture -

The first home entertainment centers were called "stereo consoles". It was a cabinet with electronic devices built into it and was popular in the 1960s. The ones designed in the 1970s had better performance qualities and were not directly connected to the actual furniture. The early 2000s began to use home theater systems as entertainment centers and incorporated the surround sound speakers and other high quality features. This was the beginning of the media room boom.

Type of Media Room Furniture -

Home entertainment centers can be a single small piece of furniture or a collection of several pieces large or small. The electronic devices used can be several full size ones, small compact components or a combination of both. Some of the entertainment centers have shelves or cabinets enclosed with glass and several places to store CDs, tapes, movies and alike. Others may be more open or be adjustable for the various sizes of television sets. Some entertainment centers may include the furniture as well as the components. There are links in Resources to see numerous types of entertainment centers to give you ideas for your media room furniture.

Considerations Before Buying Media Room Furniture -

It is important to purchase an entertainment center that will work with the electronic devices you have. The space available in your media room must also be considered. You should be sure to measure the area available, if you are not sure of the fit. The space for your television set must be big enough, but not too big at the same time. A few inches of space is adequate, however a large gap is unsightly. The entertainment center and its devices must be properly installed to get the best performance from it. A well thought out plan for purchasing media room furniture, will bring you years of entertainment.

Resources

Hollyhock House Home of First Known Entertainment Center

Furniture Buzz Home Entertainment Centers

MSN Shopping Entertainment Centers

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