At least a TV stand, before the year ends

What you need to know:

An average Ugandan probably watches TV for about five hours a day. In general, many people love TV, so much so that some even pay for it. On an ordinary day, you will find people discussing their favourite shows or what some politician said while appearing on TV a night before. Yet, even when Ugandans love TV, few care about where they place that TV.

During an interview for a different story, It was hard to miss the unique placement of my host’s TV. Remembering our very first Television. Where would it fit in all this?

Back in the day, most families had these box televisions, large from front to back. And heavy too.

These days, flat screens are popular as they don’t take up much space, easy to transport and they are light.

In most houses, the owner tends to put a lot of focus on creating a beautiful living room set complete with end tables, matched with the floor and wall themes and loosely neglect the TV area, yet it is technically the most looked at part of the room.

Do not just assume that your guests will only be looking at the screen, and not the surroundings of the TV. When watching television, you cannot help but notice the stand, especially if it is sitting on a random piece of furniture not designed to hold a television.

Some TVs do not stand alone. They may have wires to and from the decoder, and sometimes a DVD player. There are also remotes, and to families who enjoy gaming, all those gadgets may need to be placed properly to avoid a scattered look.

Simon was like that too.

“I first hang the TV alone on the wall and realised the wires were all over the place,” he states.

He figured if he needed a clean wall short of wires, he needed a stand that would not only be a base of his other gadgets that work with the TV, but also cover the cable wires.

“I decided to place the board to cover the wires and also act like a shelf,” he says.

But the TV placement really depends on your room size, TV usage and which people are going to use it.

When you have children around, it would be necessary to put the TV out of their reach. Unlike in the early days when the Box-like TVs were mostly so heavy that a child could not carry, the recent flat screens are less heavy and if it is not installed in the wall or a board of some sort, they could easily lift it and an accident or an electrification may occur.

Size of TV

The size of TV also matters in more than one way.

According to Ham Ddungu, a 3D designer, Installing a TV stand depends on the size of the room and the TV one has.

A stand always needs to exceed the width of the television set by a minimum of 10cm.

In that length, the TV will not seem out of place and also, it is less likely to fall off (if it is a flat screen).

Storage

Simon installed a stand that has both shelves and drawers for storage. While some of the shelves have speakers, decoders and remotes, he still has the drawers to keep other stuff that may clutter the living room.

Storage therefore could be of help in one way or another.

Size of the room

Even with a smaller room, a compatible TV stand will still look great in there.

While a corner TV stand gives you a big display for a squeezed area, a wall-mount TV stand frees up room in front of your seating for easier movement or entertaining.

Costs

In upscale Kampala, the cost of a TV stand starts from Shs1.3m depending on the type and make of the stand.

In general, the price ranges from Shs350, 000 to Shs1.3m this also depends on the make of the stands.

From online shops, the price ranges from Shs354, 000 to  Shs5.3m.