Something that we apartment owners must face is that we cannot permanently mount our screens to the wall.
I'd been toying with the idea of using an LCD/Plasma TV stand for my projector for some time. Determined to find a solution, I browsed some local retail outlets (online) to see what they might offer - for cheap.
I found the TV stand below at Walmart.ca - not bad for $70. I called the local store and found that they had 5 in stock there.
I stopped by Home Depot and picked up a 1" x 2" x 6' piece of pine and two 1/2" x 1/2" x 8' aluminum angles, as my screen was twisting (because I didn't make it well enough). If I had to do it again, I think I'd pick up two 1" x 1" x 8' angles. The 1/2" ones were too flimsy. I attached these to the back of the screen, one 15 1/2" from the top and the other 15 1/2" from the bottom. One screw each in the left, right and center of the wood screen frame. To these, I attached two three foot pieces of 1" x 2" pine (the same type I used for the screen frame). I sanded the edges of the wood where it would touch the screen material to prevent anything from showing from the front side. And finally, to these 3 foot sections, I attached the VESA mount for the TV stand.
Next, I assembled the stand. Insert Tab A into Slot B and secure using Screw H. Yeah... right! Here's a hint for you home assemblers - don't tighten the screws all the way until your TV stand is fully assembled. Four hours later, I had the stand completed.
After assembly, all I had to do was lift the screen into place and slide the VESA mount into it's receptacle on the stand.
After a little clean-up, here's what I ended up with.
I moved the HTPC behind the viewing area, next to the projector. My 2:1 temporary speaker setup is out front, but I don't usually use them. If I have guests, I can run the 15' USB cable and "headphone" extension cable that's needed to run 'em from the computer. I picked up a pair of refurbished Sennheiser TR-110 wireless headphones for $30 from factorydirect.ca that I use. Even the refurbished models were getting great reviews on Amazon.com.
