The easiest way to get the right TV and music system installation is to speak with a qualified system designer well before you buy anything.  Most people don’t realize the planning that should go into setting up a TV or music system.  Even a system as simple as a TV on the wall with a cable box can be installed cheaper, and perform better, with the proper planning.  Without proper planning, coaxial cables, data cables, speaker cables, and line-level cables are often run to the wrong place or left out entirely.  A home cannot be pre-wired correctly, and at minimum cost, without the homeowner’s anticipated needs being taken into account.  If construction is already going on in the home, it’s advantageous to have that conversation with an a/v designer at least one month before the work is finished.  This way, your audio/video outfit can wire while your place is torn apart, rather than have to make fresh holes which you’ll have to fix!

Lots of homeowners don’t like to have this conversation with an audio/video specialist.  They may think that the gear they buy will automatically do what they need, because their needs are simple.  They say they wouldn’t know what to talk about with a system designer.  They say, in their own way, that they’re not audiophiles or videophiles.  But, there is no correlation between the need for planning and one’s passion for, or knowledge of, things audio or video.  Rather, planning is required to correctly execute certain types of installations and to fulfill certain user needs.

Again, it’s not about how much the end-user loves music or movies.  Indeed, a real hi-fi freak may need no planning, because his interest is in state of the art equipment sitting in an open rack—the better to regularly move gear around.  An example is the enthusiast who constantly tinkers and “upgrades.”  There is no wiring behind walls for this guy, there is no wall mounted TV, and there is no equipment hidden in a closet or cabinet—three criteria that pretty much guarantee you need advanced expert planning.  On the other hand, the couple who want things looking neat and tidy, who might have some background music playing when company is over, who want to be able to plop down on the couch and watch TV at night without needing an engineering degree:  these are the ones for whom planning is critical.

Thinking that your needs are simple, and so not planning properly, will hurt you every time.  People who say their needs are simple often want the following system features. These features all require particular wiring, and additional equipment that is easily missed.

Features that necessitate an a/v plan before you wire:

1. Ability to listen to TV through the TV speakers only, but also the ability to listen through the stereo or surround sound system.  For instance, some homeowners want the nightly news played through the TV speakers, and they want the HBO movie, or the 60’s music channel, played through the surround sound speakers.
2. Ability to have music from one centralized audio system play in more than one room (i.e. a multi-room music system).  People will have their electrician or their builder handle this wiring without the audio/video system figured out in advance.  The resulting wiring is usually wrong.  Even a home theater expert would need a proper system design if he’s going to get the wiring right, and this design requires planning between the a/v designer and the client.
3. Ability, in a multi-room music system, to play one thing outside—say the iPod—while cable TV is being watched in the Family Room.
4. Ability, in a multi-room music system, to control volume from whatever room you’re listening in.
5. Ability to hide the equipment from sight.
6. Ability to see the TV from different angles.
7. Ability, in a multi-room music system, to change radio stations, or songs on an iPod, or tracks on a CD (i.e. control beyond simply changing volume), from rooms other than the one the music system is in.

Lots of homeowners don’t like to have the planning conversation with a system designer because they want to buy at cheaper prices than the designer sells at.  This is missing the point, which is to not be penny wise and pound foolish.  Besides, it’s the good system designer who often saves people money by keeping them from more expensive equipment that they will not appreciate.  Indeed, as the TV market now stands, and has stood since the advent of flat panel TV’s, the TV that would make any given consumer most happy—even if any TV could be had for free—is almost never the most expensive one.   This is often the case for sound systems, as well.

Do yourself a favor, and reach out to your local audio and video specialist.  In addition to getting more for your dollar, or even spending less, the experience is usually more positive than when dealing with the big box retailers.  Consultations are often in-home, providing you with the undivided attention of the system designer.  Typically, when you need something else after the sale (e.g. more equipment, upgrade, service), you have the pleasure of dealing with an organization that remembers you.