How do TV beds work, is a question that has more than one answer, says Martin Bloom from modern-contemporary-furniture.co.uk as there are so many different models and designs available on the market. However, we’ll try to cover the basic designs in this post.
Some TV beds simply have a bracket attached to the foot board, which will accommodate a flat screen TV, although this is not supplied with the bed – you have to buy the TV separately. The purchaser will then fit in their own TV and pass the cables through the slots provided; some of these TV beds also have a slot on the site for a DVD or Blu-ray player. This type of TV bed holds the TV in position but does not have the up and down mechanism of more luxurious models.
Other types are fully mechanical and have hydraulics inside the foot board which raise and lower the TV as required, by remote control. Some of these have the TV already included in the price, but not the mattress, while others have bed frame and mattress and all the hydraulics and fittings for a TV, but the TV must be purchased separately. These of course require a fair amount of assembling and may also need extension cables, depending upon the availability of sockets in the bedroom.
Some TV beds will have a socket included in the foot board, which is connected through cables that run the length of the bed, to be plugged into a socket near the bed head. Others leave the cables unattached, for the consumer to lead them wherever is more convenient for their personal use.
Many consumers prefer not to have extension cables lying around or for cables to run beneath the bed, so will have custom sockets built into the floor or close to the bed, to keep wiring to a minimum. Many countries require by law an isolated socket with an on-off switch, and this is a wise idea, even if not legally required.
A fully integrated TV bed unit; with all the hydraulics and the TV included, will carry a quite hefty price tag, but will usually this will include the store’s professionals fitting it for you, and will save a lot of the hassle of wiring and connecting that you would likely come across if you were to do the job yourself..
Consumer reviews for TV beds are varied; according of course to the different models and manufacturers, but they are widely diverse; between consumers that are more than happy with their purchase, others that are regretting ever buying one at all, and others that decided not to buy after simply researching suppliers and reading reviews. This latter group deciding that they are really not worth the extra cash: Once again, purely a matter of personal choice.