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Industry Opinion: Trends in Custom AV Furniture and Mounting (2/7/2007)

By Yasmin Hashmi, HiddenWires

Residential custom installation is all about discretion - most of what makes the installation work is hidden away. Apart from controllers, all that often remains on show are displays - unless they too, when not in use, are secreted behind walls, ceilings, coverings or in furniture. As far as equipment housing, mounting and hiding is concerned, there are many ingenious solutions on the market. This is a growing part of the industry, and in order to get a good idea of how it is developing, we asked a number of leading suppliers what the trends regarding custom install AV furniture and mounting products are, and what developments they expect to see over the coming months. Here are their replies:

Robert de Jong, Product Marketing Manager, Chief Manufacturing

One of the biggest trends we see is the increasing demand for flexible mounting solutions. For AV furniture and mount manufacturers, this means consistently providing a fast and profitable installation while managing the peripheral issues such as cables, wall substrates, power/signal locations and accessibility, as well as customer changes and preferences, such as changing the model of the TV the day you show up to do the install, or requesting that the TV to be two inches higher or lower. To be in line with such trends, manufacturers must consistently improve the speed of installation for the installer and end-user experience for the customer. Our research over the last year led to solutions such as pre-engineered in-wall boxes, post-installation height, roll and lateral adjustment, and wide-open mounting wall plate designs. We are also seeing continual requests for automated solutions for commercial and home entertainment applications, including automated flat panel lifts, wall mounts and table stands.

Ollie French, Business Development Manager, Future Automation

We have been seeing an increasing interest and growth in sales of motorised and dual-purpose mounting solutions over the past year. Increasingly, there is a move to more sophisticated solutions that have advanced functionality as well as agreeable aesthetics. The ability to move the screen to more than one viewing position appears to be high on consumers' priority lists when it comes to mounting their screen, whether on the wall or on a piece of dedicated furniture.

Simon Kohn, Managing Director, Simon Kohn Furniture

Mechanisms and equipment are becoming more sophisticated, so the cabinetry and detailing need to match that sophistication. For example, at the moment, we are building, using a Future Automation mechanism, a very detailed end-of-bed automated cabinet with Bog Oak sections and banding, Ash, Vavona and Burr Myrtle. It's more a piece of theatre than functioning furniture! Another advance is that cable management on recent lift mechanisms we've purchased is more thought through and easier to use. On the down side, bespoke solutions to lifting are still hard to source. The last one we did, we sourced all the components ourselves and put it together, which is not ideal, but as a maker of bespoke furniture and cabinetry, it's important to be versatile and have a good skill set, as the jobs are becoming increasingly diverse. Clients' expectations are high and you have to be skilful and imaginative to meet those expectations.

Paul Dawes, Sales and Marketing Director, Alphason Designs

When discussing custom install, it's easy to overlook AV furniture because the practice is to hide as much as possible out of sight. But things are changing. Although the customer wants the distribution aspects of their system hidden away, many want the local display device, DVD player and centre speaker to be a focal point in their living rooms. As prices have dropped on hardware, retailers selling home cinema systems have come to rely on the much- needed extra margin offered by furniture. We are now seeing this in custom install as it becomes more off-the-shelf and lower cost. I would urge custom installers to offer elegant storage and shelving solutions to their product mix - and reap the margins this offers.

Simon Kiteley, Development Manager, Andrews Interiors

We've seen a rapid increase in the desire for quality AV furniture rather than the standard grey stands. I would expect this trend to continue as the price of screens comes down, meaning that more customers can afford high-quality TVs and AV furniture. For a lot of customers, going bespoke will be the only way to get what they really want. With screens getting larger but rooms staying roughly the same size, people are not so happy with having the TV as the focus within the room - it's great for watching the latest blockbuster, but a little dominant, even when turned off, the rest of the time. Hiding the TV is the obvious solution and as the general public gets educated, this will surely become an option for more people. Currently, lowering the TV into the cabinet is the most popular choice because some customer awareness exists, but expect an explosion in ideas as customers and manufacturers start to push different concepts.

Andy Atwell, General Sales Manager, RGB Communications

As more and more AV is installed into homes, aesthetics are becoming increasingly important. Customers not only want great performing products and systems, but want them easily concealed within the home. Rack systems have evolved from simple metal or wood structures to customised units that protect and maximise the technology, without having a detrimental effect on the look of a room. With advancing technology, systems are smaller and quieter, allowing for installation solutions like slide-and-rotate racks in cabinets and soffits. There is a wide range of solutions to address thermal, cable and space management challenges that assist installers in the design and installation of custom home systems. As AV is installed throughout the home, the need for concealment and functionality will become paramount - racks will improve in terms of design and performance, with careful attention to thermal and cable management challenges.

Stephen Fried, Manager of International Sales, Middle Atlantic Products

The importance of proper planning to ensure a reliable system increases exponentially with complexity. Issues such as managing heat to protect sensitive digital equipment, as well as accommodating larger cable bundles, can be best addressed by selecting the appropriate mounting system and accessories for the installation. The benefits of a professional equipment mounting system, which often slides out and rotates to simplify access to cable connections in limited space environments, are that it can often be integrated and tested in an installer's shop, saving time and money, and then connected on-site with full confidence that everything will function properly, as planned. Effective thermal management, with proportional speed thermostatic control, ensures that fans only run when needed, reducing noise and dust as well as extending fan life.

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