Do I need a pro-installer?

[Matty Red Sox]

Okay, here's the deal: I am installing a smallish HT system, but it will be right in the main area of our home and WAF is a huge issue on dozens of levels. Flipping-up and wasting money is a huge issue.

Here's what I've got:
Orb 5.1 speakers with ceiling mounts.
Panasonic VIERA TC-L37S1 37" 1080p LCD TV
Sanus VM400s Flat-panel Wall Mount w/Tilt/Swivel/Arm for TV
Purchasing Pioneer VSX-01 or 03 Reciever
Pioneer DV563A DVD-CD player

Here's the project:
I need to mount the TV. The wall has metal studs and I've heard two solutions. I'll explain more on this later.
I need all cables (HDMI is my thinking) run from a closet, into the ceiling and down the wall to the TV, regular coaxial is already in place. The holes have been made.
I need the speaker wire run from the closet to the ceiling.
I need sub-woofer cable run from the closet, down a wall and out near an electrical socket.

I have never run speaker wire through a ceiling and my super who claims to have done this before has offered to do it. I don't have a problem with this...if he does it right. He has done the electric in the apartment and has worked as an electrician and done some builds involving in wall stereo systems. I am worried about the sprinkler system and the recessed lights built into the ceiling. Right angles and such.

I am more concerned with running the right type HDMI cable - should be easy - but do I need 1.3 or something newer or older.

Finally - this is the part I absolutely cannot do myself - no tools and no expertise: I need that TV mounted. We have two ways that have been suggested to us. We have a carpenter coming through and we have the very handy super. Both have offered two different solutions, which sound reasonable - different ways to skin a cat - the carpenter would open the wall, floor to ceiling and install a sturdy wooden stud, and then mount the Sanus to it. The super would get some heavy duty thick plywood and cut the wall, installing the wood to the metal studs and then hang the mount on that. The wall is going to be covered by a permanent shelf, so the ripping open of the wall is not an issue.

So do I need a pro, or can I have these guys do this - oh and I won't be present for most of it (I have to work). Should I hire someone that's a pro, or go with these guys... recommendations please. Or is someone here in the NYC area with skills that would be up for doing this with me/guiding me through it? I have no tools, but I am not totally clueless

 

[captiankirk28]

By the sounds of it booth ideas sound like they would work fine although ripping the whole wall apart from floor to celing to put studs in seems a bit of overkill to me the other way should be plenty and also would be less of a mess and faster so probley would be a bit less expensive.

Kirk

 

[Matty Red Sox]

By the sounds of it booth ideas sound like they would work fine although ripping the whole wall apart from floor to celing to put studs in seems a bit of overkill to me the other way should be plenty and also would be less of a mess and faster so probley would be a bit less expensive.

Kirk

Kirk, I tend to agree, but I'd rather the overkill than the under...

How about the wiring questions, anyone?

 

[mtrycrafts]

Okay, here's the deal: I am installing a smallish HT system, but it will be right in the main area of our home and WAF is a huge issue on dozens of levels. Flipping-up and wasting money is a huge issue.

Here's what I've got:
Orb 5.1 speakers with ceiling mounts.
Panasonic VIERA TC-L37S1 37" 1080p LCD TV
Sanus VM400s Flat-panel Wall Mount w/Tilt/Swivel/Arm for TV
Purchasing Pioneer VSX-01 or 03 Reciever
Pioneer DV563A DVD-CD player

Here's the project:
I need to mount the TV. The wall has metal studs and I've heard two solutions. I'll explain more on this later.
I need all cables (HDMI is my thinking) run from a closet, into the ceiling and down the wall to the TV, regular coaxial is already in place. The holes have been made.
I need the speaker wire run from the closet to the ceiling.
I need sub-woofer cable run from the closet, down a wall and out near an electrical socket.

I have never run speaker wire through a ceiling and my super who claims to have done this before has offered to do it. I don't have a problem with this...if he does it right. He has done the electric in the apartment and has worked as an electrician and done some builds involving in wall stereo systems. I am worried about the sprinkler system and the recessed lights built into the ceiling. Right angles and such.

I am more concerned with running the right type HDMI cable - should be easy - but do I need 1.3 or something newer or older.

Finally - this is the part I absolutely cannot do myself - no tools and no expertise: I need that TV mounted. We have two ways that have been suggested to us. We have a carpenter coming through and we have the very handy super. Both have offered two different solutions, which sound reasonable - different ways to skin a cat - the carpenter would open the wall, floor to ceiling and install a sturdy wooden stud, and then mount the Sanus to it. The super would get some heavy duty thick plywood and cut the wall, installing the wood to the metal studs and then hang the mount on that. The wall is going to be covered by a permanent shelf, so the ripping open of the wall is not an issue.

So do I need a pro, or can I have these guys do this - oh and I won't be present for most of it (I have to work). Should I hire someone that's a pro, or go with these guys... recommendations please. Or is someone here in the NYC area with skills that would be up for doing this with me/guiding me through it? I have no tools, but I am not totally clueless

I guess this is an apartment?
How long of an HDMI cable are you estimating you will need?
Ask the super why not mount a nice sheet of ply that can be stained to the studs without cutting the Sheetrock, but over it and mounting the mount on it? Use 4 or 5 sheet-metal screws with some nice brass countersunk finishing washers into each stud so the load is 1/10 on each screw is minimal. That would alleviate one headache
Ask him how he is planning to run the wires and how the ceiling joist in the ceiling would affect the runs.

 

[m_vanmeter]

I think your mounting plans are both a little over-kill. At work, we mounted a 42" Pano plasma TV on a drywall and steel stud wall using 6 "E-Z toggle" anchors - has worked great for 4 years. Your TV weighs 37 pounds plus the mount.....say 50 pounds tops. Using the 6 E-Z toggles or these Snaptoggles

http://www.toggler.com/products/snaptoggle/installation.php

you should be able to mount your TV with no problems. You will still need a way to get power and an HDMI cable to the TV, this kit from Monoprice makes that fairly easy.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10425&cs_id=1042505&p_id=4652&seq=1&format=2

 

[Phil Taylor]

Since you are in an apartment - I 'd let the building super do it. That way if he screws anything up (sprinkler system/lights) you won't be the one on the hook to repair it. If he's done that sort of work before then he should be OK.

 

[bandphan]

If you can afford it, pay an installer and support the local economy. Also saves time, and as Phil said if there is an issue you have someone to fall back on. Its nice that some have the skills to do it, but if your not comfortable; don't.

 

[Haoleb]

I would also say hire an installer, From someone who was once an installer, I can tell you that your pretty much always going to get a better result than having some building super do it who may not have any experience doing this kind of stuff.

As for mounting the tv, depending on how much it weighs, as someone already suggested toggle bolts will be your best bet. I have had to mount a 60" plasma using toggle bolts into metal studs and the drywall and it was very solid. Most tv's now days dont weight as much as they did a couple years ago.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I'll add my bit here...
1. You will need a cable feed to the equipment location in the closet. Since you MUST use a cable box these days for most of your channels, if there isn't a coax feed to your closet it will be needed.

2. The wiring from the closet to the TV location sounds difficult. So why are you trying to run the least number of cables? When the walls are open and cabling is being run, I want you to run the following cabling...
1 component video feed (3 pieces of coax)
1 composite video feed (1 piece of coax)
3 or 4 pieces of cat6 cabling (cat5 will work, but I would go with cat 6 now)
1 HDMI feed
This should coveryou for current and most future wiring requirements including a remote control system if you need it.
4. The speakers need to be run with decent in wall wiring. Not overpriced Monster stuff but some good 14 or 12 gauge in-wall rated cable.

The LCD can be hung directly to the metal studs using Togglers unless you are using, and need to use a swing out wall mount. If it is just a tilting mount then you do not need any of that extra stuff done. If you are using a swing out wall mount then I would lean towards going with two floor to ceiling studs as this really will provide the most structural support. Especially if you then use an in wall LCD mounting system.

Would you benefit from a pro installer? Quite possibly. But most pro installer will just make sure it is done right. They won't necessarily put in a new stud, but would hire someone to do that. They also often don't do work unless they are selling you equipment. Since you already bought your stuff it will be much more difficult to find someone to work with now.

Gotta say, the one thing that really jumped out at me was the LCD size. A 37" LCD should be viewed from about 5 or 6 feet. If you are viewing from a more typical 10 feet or so then that size tv is far smaller than you should have purchased. Regardless of what you think right now, the number one complaint among people who buy flat panels is that they could have gone bigger. In a main tv area at 10' going with a 50 to 60 inch display is strongly recommended.

You aren't going to get me to tell you to hire a pro. But I will say that you do want to be very sure of everything that others intend to do. A good installer is reponsible for that, which will give you some peace of mind, but it will likely cost you between $2,000 and $3,000 for their time alone. Not including drywall work.

Good luck!

 

[Matty Red Sox]

1. You will need a cable feed to the equipment location in the closet. Since you MUST use a cable box these days for most of your channels, if there isn't a coax feed to your closet it will be needed.
We choose this closet because the cable and everything feeds through here.

2. The wiring from the closet to the TV location sounds difficult. So why are you trying to run the least number of cables? When the walls are open and cabling is being run, I want you to run the following cabling...
1 component video feed (3 pieces of coax)
1 composite video feed (1 piece of coax)
Done already.

3 or 4 pieces of cat6 cabling (cat5 will work, but I would go with cat 6 now)
1 HDMI feed
This should coveryou for current and most future wiring requirements including a remote control system if you need it.
Going to do the HDMI feed - look into the Cat 6 - will not be doing a remote control system.

4. The speakers need to be run with decent in wall wiring. Not overpriced Monster stuff but some good 14 or 12 gauge in-wall rated cable.
14" inch is done and tested yesterday, does not seem to be any interference from the lights or other electric in the ceiling.

The LCD can be hung directly to the metal studs using Togglers unless you are using, and need to use a swing out wall mount. If it is just a tilting mount then you do not need any of that extra stuff done. If you are using a swing out wall mount then I would lean towards going with two floor to ceiling studs as this really will provide the most structural support. Especially if you then use an in wall LCD mounting system.

The mount swings out, so I am thinking the stub option, by two, you mean two side by side, right? This is the best way I think.

Would you benefit from a pro installer? Quite possibly. But most pro installer will just make sure it is done right. They won't necessarily put in a new stud, but would hire someone to do that. They also often don't do work unless they are selling you equipment. Since you already bought your stuff it will be much more difficult to find someone to work with now.

Gotta say, the one thing that really jumped out at me was the LCD size. A 37" LCD should be viewed from about 5 or 6 feet. If you are viewing from a more typical 10 feet or so then that size tv is far smaller than you should have purchased. Regardless of what you think right now, the number one complaint among people who buy flat panels is that they could have gone bigger. In a main tv area at 10' going with a 50 to 60 inch display is strongly recommended.
We get this, a lot of the viewing will be about 8 feet away, so it wount be that bad, esp, since we've been viewing a 32 in from 12 feet.


You aren't going to get me to tell you to hire a pro. But I will say that you do want to be very sure of everything that others intend to do. A good installer is reponsible for that, which will give you some peace of mind, but it will likely cost you between $2,000 and $3,000 for their time alone. Not including drywall work.
Good luck!

Thanks!!!