Mounting a TV up and out of the way above a fireplace seems logical, convenient, and undeniably cool. However, there are serious issues with such placement.
If you're planning on watching the TV only occasionally, that's one thing. But if this is your main TV and you're going to be watching it more than a few minutes at a time, beware.
You paid big bucks for that HDTV and Blu-ray player, so you might as well utilize them to their fullest, right? That's the idea behind BluScenes, a series of Blu-ray discs that turn your TV into an aquarium, a fireplace, and, um, a space telescope.
Each disc usually sells for $14.99, but from now until April 23, you can score all three BluScenes discs for just $12.99 (plus $2 for shipping).
The Coral Reef Aquarium is pretty straightforward: it offers three different aquarium views, all of them shot in 1080p using one of those fancy RED One … Read more
3D Realistic Fireplace Screen Saver provides users with a fairly lifelike fireplace on their screen. While simple to operate, the program's options are what makes it red hot.
The interface is so intuitive that users will not need a trip to the Help file, though it is available if necessary. The program is well labeled and all the options make perfect sense. We had no trouble navigating it and customizing our flames. We were pleased by the fireplace and how easy it was to set up. While it will not fool anyone into thinking your computer is on fire, … Read more
Nothing beats sitting by a nice, warm fire when it's cold outside. That is, nothing except sitting by a nice, warm fire while cooking food. We have our grills for outside use, but options are limited for harnessing flames indoors. Luckily, the common fireplace can easily be used for cooking up some goodness. All you need are the right tools.
The Fireside Cooking Irons are perfect for stoking the comfortable flames associated with food and fire. The irons are constructed from heavy cast iron and feature stay-cool wooden handles. Simply place your food in the iron and nestle it … Read more
Who doesn't enjoy a nice warm fire crackling away when it's chilly outside? The primordial cave dweller hiding somewhere deep inside of all of us certainly understands the allure. As beneficial as drywall and glass windows may be to modern humans, there is one way in which our ancestors have us beat. When they needed heat for cooking and warmth, they built a fire, anywhere they damn well wanted to (noting proper ventilation first, of course).
Now, we as a modern society can finally honestly say we have equaled our ancestors by bringing the fire inside.
Similar to … Read more
When you first see the Bordeaux electric fireplace, you might think, "Gee, this looks like an attractive way to get a fireplace in my living room without installing a chimney. A real wood mantle! Actual heat! Remote-controlled convenience!"
But then you open the side panels to reveal hidden storage--for wine. Wine, right next to a heat source. And that heat source is capable of warming up to 400 square feet.
I can kind of get what manufacturer Muskoka is going for; after all, who doesn't enjoy a glass of wine while warming up next to the fire? … Read more
For me, "prepared" means supplementing my wardrobe with extra sweaters. For you, it may mean an investment in a home-heating device, and if you're tired of the old-fashioned space heater, then a gadget like … Read more
Sometimes space heaters just don't cut it. They can't be put on flammable rugs, they aren't romantic, and they don't produce warming flames unless they catch something on fire. For consumers who want to soothe the space heater blues, Conmoto's portable fireplace could turn up the heat--for a few thousand dollars.
Retailing for $3,300, the German-made Travelmate is a flue-less, smokeless fireplace contained in what appears to be a see-through briefcase made of steel (a sentiment shared by NerdApproved).
The flames are trapped between sheets of glass held in place by magnets. To … Read more
As we were saying the other day, we're pretty much suckers for anything with a remote. And when the object it's controlling is a rotating fireplace, it immediately jumps to the top of the list.
Although fireplaces in general have increasingly become the targets of home entertainment trends, the focus is usually on their gadgetry rather than the hearth itself. But the aptly named "Diva" from Germany's Spartherm simply won't be denied the spotlight as it rotates at will to whatever position desired. Trender says the remote is optional, but come on. Can you … Read more
Interior designers have been doing their best to meld home media equipment and the fireplace, but to date most of the results have ranged from the awkward to the absurd--unless it happens to be in the back seat of a Hummer, of course.
But Germany's Vok may have changed all that, for it has had the audacity of combining an LCD TV, DVD player, PC, and Bose sound system directly above the hearth. Trendir says the entire apparatus--which can be made to order in oak, birch, or rosewood--comes in four sizes ranging from $23,800 to $31,500, … Read more
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Take the best in technology for a spin with Brian Cooley.
