My gaming / movie entertainment center build. 100% complete. Lots of pics.

[CAMAROBOY69]

First I want to thank @Pako and @TB for posting their builds and for the helpful advice. Their setups gave me quite a bit of innovative ideas.

@CAMAROBOY69 cant wait to see the build and progress pics.

Here you go.

This has been an overwhelming project I have worked on for the last month. Been trying to figure out for years what to do with this very limited space. The setup needed to seat 3 people comfortably for movies and gaming. The main goal was to get both of my computers, my PS3, 360, and receiver ALL into an entertainment center and ALL hooked to my tv and all hooked to the surround sound. I also needed an area for my router and modem. On top of that, cooling fans would need to be installed to keep the heat down. I also wanted ambient backlighting. All of the products were purchased online. I could not find anything I needed at all locally. This is the first entertainment center I have ever purchased in my life.

So this overload of pictures will range from movies to games to installation pics, products I purchased, and customization. This entire entertainment center had to be assembled from top to bottom.
Also pictured below is a twin screen feature my Sony Bravia has that allows the PS3 and 360 to be on at the same time. This used to work very well during GT5 B spec mode. To showcase this feature I used Forza 4 and GT6. The tv allows the input to be scaled any size but I left it 50%/50% for the example.

Final Pics

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Pics and info continued...



Ottoman with casters
The ottoman was very difficult to find and fit perfect for the center person! Overall size was 18"x18"x18". Perfect footrest or extra seat. It is very comfortable and also has storage. In fact it even holds a 30 pack of beer. I removed the wooden legs and added casters so it is easier to move around.




Cooling fans (x4)
The cooling fans are 80mm and are hooked to the tv via USB. When I turn on the TV, (4) USB powered fans turn on at the same time to help cool down the PS3, 360, and the receiver. They work very well. Each fan required a 3" hole to be cut for the fan along with a 1-1/2" hole for wire access, along with smaller holes for each fan bolt. Lots of saw dust, lots of vacuuming, lots of work. An overload of proper measurement for the perfect install.
1 fan behind 360 and power brick.
1 fan behind PS3.
2 fans behind receiever.






Dust filtration system
I added in a filtration system to help collect dust. The fans are held on with long bolts and nuts. So not only do the bolts hold the fans, they also easily hold the foam filters. Works very well.
The rope lighting involved careful routing which required quite a lot of small pre drill holes, screws, and brackets. I also wired an on off switch to the rope wire.




Custom glass table
Even the glass table you see in the pictures is all custom made. It has custom cut glass, custom cut legs, and I had to put it all together.




Rope lights
These worked perfect but did involve quite a bit of work. Had to figure out my linear feet then drill all the holes for the brackets. The nice part is this is square tubing so it sits flush to the wood. Purchased an on off switch for the lights.

GT6 and Forza 4 on the Sony Bravia at the same time via "twin screen" setting.

Wireless mouse Logitech G602 and keyboard
I have a wireless keyboard and mouse to run the computers. Feels wonderful sitting on the couch playing PC games on the 40" tv through the surround sound.


Couch (pics in first post)
The couch is suede microfiber with 2 recliners, 2 back massagers, 2 center lights, center storage, fold down cup holders, and a couch cooler in the middle that pulls out from the bottom.

Entertainment Center (pics in first post)
Hillsdale Grand Bay Small Entertainment Wall Unit. Luckily I found it on sale. Superb build quality. Installation required no tools at all. Just mainly metal slide clips. Just amazing quality. Very impressed with Hillsdale. In fact Fed Ex broke one of the cabinets and Hillsdale sent me another one within a week.

 

[Sprite]

@CAMAROBOY69 Looks awesome. Your not kidding you were limited for space but you've done a fantastic job getting everything in.

At the moment I'm like yourself and very limited for space to put things. I like your solution.

 

[TB]

First I want to thank @Pako and @TB for posting their builds and for the helpful advice. Their setups gave me quite a bit of innovative ideas.

Any assistance I provided was incredibly minimal.

Looking at your room plan in our conversation, I didn't make the connection with just how small the area is. Came out looking very good, though!

The cooling fans are 80mm and are hooked to the tv via USB.

Glad to see you found a solution to powering the fans! 👍

I have a project in the works in my theater room that I really need to finish up. Seeing your setup completed is making me want to get it wrapped up.

 

[Punknoodle]

Looks fantastic and really well made!

 

[ImmalovemaGTR]

Holy awesome Mother of Home Theatre and Gaming
That is awesome!
Now you just need a nice high-end gaming PC

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

@CAMAROBOY69 Looks awesome. Your not kidding you were limited for space but you've done a fantastic job getting everything in.
At the moment I'm like yourself and very limited for space to put things. I like your solution.

Thank you! Yes this small space has driven me nuts for about 10 years. Finally nice to get everything into one area with little to no visible wires. I love it!!

@CAMAROBOY69 Looks awesome. Your not kidding you were limited for space but you've done a fantastic job getting everything in.
At the moment I'm like yourself and very limited for space to put things. I like your solution.

Thank you! Yes this small space has driven me nuts for about 10 years. Finally nice to get everything into one area with little to no visible wires. I love it!!

Any assistance I provided was incredibly minimal.
Looking at your room plan in our conversation, I didn't make the connection with just how small the area is. Came out looking very good, though!
Glad to see you found a solution to powering the fans! 👍
I have a project in the works in my theater room that I really need to finish up. Seeing your setup completed is making me want to get it wrapped up.

Thank you very much. Yes I love how well the fans work. They are currently hooked to my tv but eventually I will have them hooked to a new receiver. I highly recommend those fans to anyone that needs a simple cooling solution. Great price, fast shipping, and excellent quality.
I am looking forward to seeing what you do with your theater room. Really wish I had that much area to work with.

Looks fantastic and really well made!

Thank you! I am very happy with every single product I purchased and all the custom modifications really worked well. All top of the line quality.

Holy awesome Mother of Home Theatre and Gaming
That is awesome!
Now you just need a nice high-end gaming PC

Thank you very much. All the feedback has been greatly appreciated after all the hard work.
As for the gaming pc, I still wish I could find a video card for that slim. I have a thread for that and might try again. Just need a little rest time before I jump into another project.

 

[Pako]

Man, that turned out Great!!!! The back lighting and cabinet fans really give the whole setup a very custom and high end look and feel to it. Nicely done. Looks very comfortable and functional. I say a job well done and a huge congratulations!!!

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Man, that turned out Great!!!! The back lighting and cabinet fans really give the whole setup a very custom and high end look and feel to it. Nicely done. Looks very comfortable and functional. I say a job well done and a huge congratulations!!!

Thanks a lot bro. Greatly appreciated!

 

[Small_Fryz]

What an awesome setup!!!

Looks epic man 👍

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

What an awesome setup!!!

Looks epic man 👍

Thank you very much mate.

 

[Shaun]

Fantastic effort in squeezing all that into the limited space.
Well done mate. 👍

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Fantastic effort in squeezing all that into the limited space.
Well done mate. 👍

Ty mate.

 

[Agent_47]

very cool

 

[Danoff]

You can save all of the space that those DVDs and Blu-Rays are taking up by ripping them to the computer HDD.

 

[LeMansAid]

But how many puppies died to make that couch?

 

[ImmalovemaGTR]

But how many puppies died to make that couch?

Dude, im sure it is synthetic material. Don't worry.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

very cool

Thank you.

You can save all of the space that those DVDs and Blu-Rays are taking up by ripping them to the computer HDD.

True.

But how many puppies died to make that couch?

None. The puppies are still alive. That's how I stay warm in the winter.

 

[Agent_47]

You can save all of the space that those DVDs and Blu-Rays are taking up by ripping them to the computer HDD.

Seconded. I have a friend who does this and he's able to squash them to less than 1/2 the size and still retain a lot of quality.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

It has been almost a month since I finished this install. Everything has been running perfect. All the electronics, all the fans, the dust filtration system. Everything is dust free and running nice and cool. I have been watching and playing games in all 3 locations over the last month (left, middle, and right side of couch) All 3 locations are VERY comfortable. The tv can be rotated to each location on the tv stand by 20 degrees left or right which works perfectly. That also helps maintain a perfect center view while gaming or watching movies.

To help keep down dust and to help keep the electronics cool I have taken this another step further. 2 weeks ago I decided to have a BRAND new 2 stage furnace and brand new central air unit installed. My old furnace was about 30 years old! Plus I never had central air in this house. The new units were costly but is well worth the investment into the house and it is even more comfortable. The new unit also has a built in dehumidifier to help maintain humidity. Just loving this setup!! The new furnace is also 93% efficient compared to my old system that was maybe only 70% efficient. All this came with a 10 year free parts warranty.

 

[Danoff]

Seconded. I have a friend who does this and he's able to squash them to less than 1/2 the size and still retain a lot of quality.

I've not compressed mine at all beyond what is on the original disc. I notice the loss in quality with basically any compression. Still, they don't take up that much space, HDDs are cheap.

 

[TB]

Glad to hear everything is still running well, @CAMAROBOY69!

Still, they don't take up that much space

Especially if you remove the menus, additional audio tracks, trailers, extras, etc.

 

[Agent_47]

Glad to hear everything is still running well, @CAMAROBOY69!

Especially if you remove the menus, additional audio tracks, trailers, extras, etc.

well you can even crush it down to about 5gb at 720p and still keep decent quality

 

[ECGadget]

Not sure about the sofa, but the rest of it... simply amazing!
Question: does your tower not get rather hot in its bay?

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Not sure about the sofa, but the rest of it... simply amazing!
Question: does your tower not get rather hot in its bay?

Ty very much.

No, nothing at all gets hot because I have 80mm fans behind everything. And now I also have central air as of 2 weeks ago. So no, NOTHING gets hot at all. If you look very close at the computer pics you will see I cut the back of the entertainment center in the exact shape of the computers so air also goes out the very back of both computers. Even when I turn on every single electronic device, nothing gets hot.

There is a LOT going on in this entertainment center but most of it is VERY well hidden. I went through an insane amount of effort to hide wires, cool everything, and keep it all dust free with a dust filtration system. Air is also constantly moving around every electronic device.

 

[ECGadget]

Ty. Nothing at all gets hot because I have 80mm fans behind everything. And now I have central air. So no, NOTHING gets hot. Even when I turn on every single electronic device, nothing gets hot.

Aaaah awesome! Maybe one day I'll have a similar set up to what you've got there!

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Aaaah awesome! Maybe one day I'll have a similar set up to what you've got there!

If you ever have any questions about it I am more than willing to help. I also edited my previous reply with some more information that explains the cooling and dust filtration system.

 

[ECGadget]

If you ever have any questions about it I am more than willing to help. I also edited my previous reply with some more information that explains the cooling and dust filtration system.

Thanks for the offer mate! It'll be years though haha! And thank you!

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

New addition to the entertainment center.

X1 Forza 5 bundle with BF4 for free!! I haven't hooked up the Kinect yet but will do it over the weekend. Not even exactly sure where I am going to install the Kinect. Might mount it directly to the top of the TV. Not sure yet. When I built the entire entertainment center I left enough room above my HDTV for the Kinect. So I will probably get those tv brackets tonight.

I moved the PS3 up 1 level and put the X1 in place of the PS3. Still need to get the wires all tucked away nicely but this is a great start. Didn't get to play it yet but it is past the setup. F5 and Bf4 are currently installing.

 

[ImmalovemaGTR]

Nice! Especially FM5