Z-Line Sync Flat Panel TV Stand with Integrated Mount Review

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(More customer reviews)It took a long time to get this item when I selected free shipping -- about 2.5 weeks. But it did arrive before the specified arrival date. This is the largest, tallest free-standing TV mount I could find anywhere, with at least nine inches between the two glass shelves. That distance is important for across-the-top air flow if you need fans to cool your components. It does create a commanding presence in the room.
When you get the box on your porch, you will be in for a treat! But, do some preparation first. It can be assembled by one person. Haul it into the house. Now, go get the vaccuum cleaner! Don't even open the box without it at hand. The styrofoam will float. A thousand tiny grains everywhere, so vaccuum everything off as you pull it out. Else, you will find styrofoam bits forever. Initially, the directions are basically simple and extra connectors are provided so you absolutely will be putting this thing together. Every piece is numbered in sequence of assembly so you can't lose anything. If you are vaccuming, you will avoid cleaning up later. Once you have the parts out and identified decide to put the cabinent together in one process because you have to glue it all together, as well as screw it together. Its takes about 2 hours if you are being careful. Make sure you glue carefully and place the connectors precisely and the bottom cabinent construction will be tight and virtually unbreakable. There was one mis-aligned hole punched in the metal brackets for connection of the bottom of the cabinent to the frame, but this was not a problem because three out of four was quite tight enough. Putting the drawer together is important -- do it carefully -- the first time I tried to push it in I thought I had reversed the sides. But it needed a bit of force and works fine.
I put a 54 inch 85 lb TV on this stand with a 65 lb receiver on the bottom shelf and a mostly self-supported 105 lb amplifier on the other side of the bottom shelf... I think there may be between 70-90 lbs altogether on the bottom shelf. I didn't want to test it past that! I was already exceptionally pleased that it was so sturdy. Don't overload the glass shelves. I have the center channel on top (10 lbs) and the BDP and cable box on the second. The wire guides are in helpful positions and I did use one for the seven-channel analogue crossover cables to the amp. The others are for power cords, HDMI cables, and speaker cables. It does work, and it is very functional.
If there is a better mount for an audiophile set-up, I can't find it. Careful assembly is the key. Enjoy!

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Display a flat-panel plasma or LCD television in style on this sturdy TV stand from the innovative minds at Z-Line Designs. Designed for 36-to-65-inch screens, the TV stand's integrated mount sustains televisions with up to a 150-pound weight capacity without requiring wall installation. The mount swivels to adjust the screen angle for optimum viewing. Finished with a sleek piano black powder coat, the TV stand features a strong metal frame. A media storage drawer at the base of the stand contains DVDs, CDs, and remotes. For holding DVD/BluRay players, video game systems, stereo components and more, two shelves of 8mm clear tempered safety glass are provided above the drawer. Chrome cylinder supports hold up the shelves securely. With the stand's open shelf design, air circulates around the electronic components to increase safety. Installed slots in the TV stand enable tidy cable management. For home assembly, the TV stand comes equipped with a universal hardware mounting kit and detailed instructions. The user can mount the screen at varying heights to best meet their personal home entertainment needs. Made in China, this item is covered by a limited lifetime warranty. The assembled TV stand measures 50 inches wide by 20-1/2 inches deep by 55 inches high.

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LG 60PG60 60-Inch 1080p Plasma Frameless Edge HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)I was originally considering a Panny 800u, but that's not due out til early fall and after reading about the CES award LG took and its stunning design elements, I decided to include it on my list.
My final decision came yesterday when a local sales manager called me to let me know he had gotten is 60PG60 shipment and was hanging his display unit. I asked him what he thought and he said, "OMG...you gotta come see this. I'm hanging it next to the Panny 750u for comparison"
So, I headed on over and his explanation was well founded. With an identical source, the LG was far crisper, brighter, and had deeper blacks. Still not as bright as the Sammy 650 LCD nearby, but that Sammy was more $$, only 50", had far less features, and less dark blacks.
I said... "Wrap it up!"
Purchase Experience
I purchased my 60-PG60 at Brandsmart; if you are located in Georgia or Florida, I highly recommend them.
I opted for the 5 year warranty, which was deeply discounted as well.
Set Up and Use
This sucker is heavy; part of that weight is a very nice and sturdy stand that allows 20 degree movement in either direction; I am using the stand.
Beneath the stand are several rubber feat that make it darn near impossible to slide into place, so be sure you have someone to help you position it.
Out of the box, the color settings were fine for me, but I might opt for one of those calibration disks since the LG includes two custom expert settings. I'll need some advice on that from you guys.
The THX mode is kind of a mixed bag, it looks cool on some movies but not so good on others. Specifically, it looked great on Blu-ray "Night in the Museum," but kind of crappy on DVD The Matrix. I'm not sure if its been calibrated for HD or if the dark greenish nature of The Matrix made it a poor fit for this setting. The standard setting looked great.
The invisible speakers worked fine, but I find myself listening to things at a setting around 50 rather than about 15 on my Samsung, which means just about nothing, but I figured I'd include it for reference. UPDATE: The sound is definitely interesting. After a couple days use in a live environment, I've found myself really using a range of volume from about 25 to 75. My initial, and a bit stupid, reaction was, "Why do I have to turn it up so much to be able to hear well?" The reality is two fold. First, at the low volume range all was quiet, 2am everyone asleep kind of thing. At the 75 end, dishwasher going, kids yelling upstairs, a vacuum running, and a teenager mucking around with iMovie within earshot. Every other set I've owned get's very loud and somewhat distorted after about 40% of its max volume. I've taken the PG60 all the way up to 75 (or 75% of max) without any distortion. It has evidently been designed to use the full range of its volume capabilities. The main downside I see is that you will likely be adjusting this set's volume more frequently than others due to environment and it would be nice to have some presets to save a bit of time as the volume increments or decrements. A minor quibble since it really doesn't take much time.
Aesthetics
Obviously this is personal, so take it with a grain of salt, but I think the PG60 is one of the nicest looking sets ever.
It reminds me a lot of my iMac in that the glass is flush with a recessed matte. Unlike the 700/750 Panny, there are no doors to fold down and, for whatever reason, I just don't like fold down doors.
Everything is black except for the pivot point on the stand which a sort of brushed aluminum, thus creating even more iMac comparison.
Issues
The included manual is woeful. There is a better one available online, but it pretty much sucks too. I really wish manufacturers would create one manual per model and explain each feature...oh well.
The remote is a bit crappy too, mainly because it does not allow rapid access to some features by way of advanced buttons hidden behind a secondary door or some such. This is little more than a nuisance for me because I use a Harmony and can program many of those features directly from Logitech's site, however if the LG will be your primary remote, you might be a bit disappointed. For example, by remote alone, there is no way to go directly to a specific aspect ratio without cycling through them. One caveat, Logitech does not yet have the PG60s in their Harmony database so you'll need to go with last years 60" flagship. It works fine, but you lose access to new features like Just Scan until they get it updated, which should be soon. [UPDATE: Logitech's databases have now include the 60PG60 and you can directly access nearly all functions...yay!]
Someone had asked me to baseline this unit against others...here it is:
Here are my personal baselines for your 1-10 scale:
1) Insignia NS-PDP42
5) Samsung PN58A550
7) Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ750U
9) LG 60PG60
10) Pioneer Kuro PRO-150FD
My ratings do take into account aesthetics, features, and picture quality. The Pioneer's amazing inky blacks and uncompromising build quality/component selection pegs it as the best of the best IMHO. That said, my eyes are not as good as the instruments used by Elite engineers and my wallet is not as fat as those who might purchase that unit.
Picture quality aside, I think the LGs aesthetics and feature set surpasses that of the Kuro. Sacrilege, I know, but there you have it.
The Panny's glare reduction is a bit better than the LGs, but its feature set and picture quality are inferior. The new 850u might be a better comparison, but I haven't seen one in the wild. That said, pricing on the 850u looks to be significantly higher than for the PG60 in that I paid for the 60" what some major folks are charging for the 50" Panny.
Finally, I may be repeating myself a bit, but I cannot overstate the Aesthetics of this set. It really is "iMac-ish" in its form factor. I really like the frameless design and invisible speakers. That is completely subjective and personal though...

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60" PDP 1080P HDTV, 1920 x 1080 Resolution, 30,000:1 Contrast Ratio, 1,000 cd/m2 Brightness, ATSC/NTSC/Clear QAM- 1 Tuner, Dual XD Engine, SRS TruSurroundXT, 4 HDMI input, USB 2.0, Swivel Stand

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Z-Line Designs Madrid Flat Panel TV Stand Review

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(More customer reviews)I was looking for a stand to mount my new 52" Sony LCD, and this item from Amazon looked sharp and had a good price.
A tip of my hat to the reviewer who assembled this in 1 hour - it took me closer to 3, but admittedly I am no handyman.
It did take two people to mount the TV once the stand was mostly assembled, but I guess with some imagination a person could do it alone. I would not want to risk damaging my new $1500 TV.
Since I know my limitations, I took my time, read the directions carefully, with very few missteps. The extra hardware included would make it possible to mount virtually any kind of flat panel TV; LCD or plasma. I've seen it advertised for a mount for a 46" TV, but my 52" looks great, and this stand is heavy and solid enough to support a TV several inches larger.
The metal and fiberboard top is pained a shiny black, and the finish really does look like it could be on a piano. The glass shelves offer plenty of room and sturdiness for any components you might want to add, and the horizontal swivel is a big plus.
There are of a variety of mounting heights. The bottom of my TV is the minimum 24" off the floor, but it could have gone about a foot higher.
The price does fluctuate. I paid closer to 2 Bens than 3, and I would recommend watching it until it hits that price point, with free shipping.
This item is made in China.

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Mount a flat-panel plasma or LCD television in contemporary style on this sleek, sturdy TV stand from the innovative minds at Z-Line Designs. Crafted from metal and fiberboard, the stand features integrated mounts to support televisions with screens of up to 50 inches and weight up to 150 pounds. A swivel design lets users adjust the angle of the screen for optimum viewing. Below the screen mount area, the stand includes three shelves in 5mm tempered glass for holding DVD/BluRay players, video game systems, stereo components, and more. An open-air design allows air to circulate through the shelves and around electronic components to keep temps down and increase safety. A handsome piano black finish adorns the frame and top shelf, while the lower shelves are clear with black borders. Cable management slots complete the design.
For home assembly, the TV stand comes equipped with a universal hardware mounting kit and detailed instructions. The screen can mount at varying heights to best meet personal home entertainment needs. Made in China, the stand measures 44 inches wide by 18 inches deep by 50 inches high when fully assembled and weighs 72-2/5 pounds. Z Designs includes a limited lifetime warranty.

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