Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="MNblockhead" data-source="post: 8778670" data-attributes="member: 6796661">Yeah, I went through all of that. Here was where I was at when I made the decision to go with what I did.1. I had a good but not dedicated gaming space in the basement.  Spending a lot of money of a nice and good-sized gaming table wouldn't work, since we will use the space for other things.  I needed to clear things away.2. I wanted the ability to take the display to a friends house or to a gaming store.3. I wanted to be able to use it as an extra TV when not being used for gaming.After doing some research, including making something on my own, I ended up going with a Collabrewate (<a href="https://www.collabrewate.com/tv-case" target="_blank">Tabletop Gaming TV Case — Creative Graphic Art Solutions Winter Haven, Florida</a>).  Mine looks almost exactly like this:[ATTACH=full]262164[/ATTACH]You can't really see in this picture but it has short legs to keep it a maybe an inch of the table. On the website you'll see various flair that can be added to decorate the sides, but I like the simpler look and worried that decorative wood flair would be damaged moving it around. Plus, I wanted to keep the cost down.The process involves e-mailing them your requirements, the most important being the TV size. There will be some back and forth over e‑mail over what TV you are going to use. They will make recommendation and tell you if they can work with the TV you want to buy (mainly has to do with where the various ports are located on the TV).  Then you buy the TV and ship it to them.They will take 2-4 weeks to make the custom case and ship it to you.I've been very happy with it. It has seen heavy use since 2019 with no issues. Note that it is designed to be permanent. You are not going to be able to take the TV out and put it back in easily.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A plexiglass screen provides full protection for the TV screen.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">On the bottom, there are small legs on each of the 4 corners, so if you spell something, the display will be above it. Plus it helps cool the TV</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Note that the back is open. So it is not full protection.  You still need to be careful if putting it into the trunk of a car, etc. But this also helps keep cool the TV, makes it easy to get at ports, etc.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It has a handle, making it easy to move from room to room or to/from the car to game store/friend's house/home</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">With the wood frame and legs, you can stand it vertically to use as a TV/video game display.  NOTE - it is not made for this and you would be taking a risk just standing it up vertically in the middle of a table. But when not used for gaming, I stand it up on a dresser against a wall in the guest room and we use it as an extra TV or my son hooks his Play Station into it for video games.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A fan is built into the case that is wired a box that powers the fan and the TV, so only one plug needed. Helps keep the TV cool. It does add some noise and can't be turned off. You have to unplug it to turn off the fan. That is the only downside. Would be nice to have a switch to turn off the fan. But the focus is on using it as a horizontal gaming display and cooling the TV.  It is only an "issue" when I use it as a TV, which isn't, fairly, what it is designed to be used for.</li> </ul>The customer service and communication from the company was excellent.As for total cost:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I bought a Vizio D40F-G 40" CLASS (39.5" Diag.) 1080P LED LCD TV from CostCo Online for $219 and paid an extra $39 for express business shipping (1 or 2 days). </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Collabrewate charged $240 for the custom-built case </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Shipping from Collabrewate to my home was $73</li> </ul>Total came to: $571.  I could have save $39 by going with free shipping from CostCo instead of express.I found 40" to be the perfect compromize for the competing priorities of having sufficient play space, ability to use on most tables, portability, and easy storage. When gaming at home I use a couple large fold-up banquet tables that are sturdy when set up, that I store in the garage between game days. The game TV & case I set up in the guest room and used as a normal TV between game days.While not cheap, it is far less expensive than a gaming table. Which wouldn't work for my situation anyway.  I like being able to set up a "game room" anywhere.  Usually in an area of our finished basement, but there are time when the wife and kids are away visiting in-laws, and I can setup in the kitchen and living room. On nice days I can setup in the garage. I can pack up the folding tables and and display and take them to a friends home or to a cabin for some evening gaming on a fishing trip.  I can grab the display and take it to my FLGS.Overall it was the right decision for my lifestyle, house layout, and multi-use spaces. I think it would especially make sense for someone living in an apartment or condo.</blockquote>

Verification