Finding the Right Entertainment Cabinet

The ubiquitous entertainment cabinet is one of the most important pieces of furniture in your lounge room but is often the most overlooked. Have you seen many entertainment cabinets in design magazines?

My guess is that 99.9 percent of you have a television and entertainment cabinet. We believe that a great cabinet is a winning combination of strong visual design and effective functionality.

Here are some high performance features to look for when shopping for your next entertainment cabinet:

1) ASSESS YOUR NEEDS - First things to ask yourself. How many electronics do you have? Is it just a DVD player and Foxtel or a complete 7.1 audiophile system with 7 speakers? Did you buy a soundbar, the latest trend? This will determine how many compartments and size of cabinet you require.

2) GETTING THE SIGNAL - Most people love doors to hide their electronics and give a nice clean look. However, it is not really functional when you have to open the doors to use it every time you watch TV! Consider IR friendly (infrared) glass doors because they will allow remote signals to go through so you can have the doors closed all the time. If you don't want to see what's behind closed doors, consider black tinted glass doors.

3) HEAR HEAR - If you have a sound bar or 5.1 speaker systems, look for cabinets that offer specially designed spaces for them. Some cabinets offer compartments with a mesh cover to conceal your speakers and maintain a neat clean appearance.

4) WIRED UP - A well design entertainment cabinet will have multiple holes for cords/cables to run through at the back so they are out of sight.

5) KEEPING IT COOL - All electronics produce heat and they need to stay cool to prolong their life. Look for large ventilation slots in the bottom, in the shelves and at the back of the unit.

6) BEING FLEXIBLE - Adjustable shelves will come in handy when you have different sized components. This also future proofs your cabinet if you decide to replace your components.

Some cabinets have removable back panels for easy access during set up. Some even have hidden wheels so you can easily roll out the cabinet to clean or access the back without damaging floors. We hope this demonstrates that not all entertainment cabinets are created equal.

Check out some of our high performance entertainment cabinets from BDIusa >