Re: AV & Media Room Design

[Oren <Oren@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 15:54:25 -0400, "Robert Green"
<ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>I've come to the somewhat sad conclusion that a media closet just isn't big
>enough, especially when Father Time means less agility and willingness to
>move around on one's knees or in tight spaces.  My next house will need a
>whole room devoted to PC's, DVD players, etc, etc.
>
>Since I'm going to be moving soon, I would like to be more proactive in
>designing a whole house AV system than in the past, when things just sort of
>grew together as I acquired them.  I envision starting from scratch.  About
>the only specification I know about in advance is that it will have to be a
>"wheel-friendly" house like a rancher, preferably with a basement, but not
>necessarily.
>
>While I realize the end design will be very closely coupled to the space
>available, there are certain concerns that are universal.  For me, the
>primary concern is good access.  Has anyone turned a large-walk in closet
>into an AV media room?  Was it large enough to allow swing-out or roll out
>equipment racks?
>
>I was also thinking that large "frames" like doors made out of pegboard
>could divide a room in half so that I could swing them open and access the
>back panels of the AV gear and provide storage for cables, adapters and
>other gear.  A normal bedroom split in half would work, with the second half
>of the room a place for an exercise bike or something that could be easily
>moved to one side of the room to allow a panel to swing open.  The biggest
>problem I see is that a room that had good access to the front and back of
>the equipment stack would really have to have two doors.
>
>Another consideration for me is that my dad (who helps with setting up on
>occasion) is in a powerchair, and although it's got a pretty narrow turning
>circle, it needs room.  My dad's chair and my new Roomba's gotten me
>thinking about how important unimpeded access for wheeled devices will be in
>my future.  I'll have to measure the height, but I think the wheelchair arms
>are
>
>I hate the idea of having to give up a whole bedroom-sized room for AV gear
>but there seems to have been a never-ending parade of new formats and
>advances that overloaded the garden variety stereo "console" a long, long
>time ago.   I've got CCTV and other AV related gear dispersed throughout the
>house and when I move I'd like to centralize them.
>
>I'll be looking at houses today and I thought I'd pick everyone's brain as
>to how best design an accessible AV center.
>
>Any input would be appreciated.

Consider a "Server Rack"; used in network closets.

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--
Oren

..through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..