(cheerful music)
Hi, I'm agent Lee.
And today, I'm going to show you how to manage
your home theater cables.
Every home theater is different,
but I've got some great solutions to keep your cables neat,
and organized and out of your way.
When you're done, not only will it look nicer,
but keeping your cables tidy can help create better air flow
around your equipment,
and make it easier to clean and swap out devices.
Here's what I'll be using today.
Self-gripping straps,
nylon cable ties, often called zip ties,
and cable tie mounts, flush cutters, a wall cable cover,
a mesh wire loom, cable clips,
a surge protector cover, a level,
and a pencil for marking.
Again, that's just what I have today.
Give this video a watch before you run out and buy anything,
so you can pick the best options for your setup.
All right, before we get started,
just a few things to keep in mind.
First, don't pinch or fold your cables,
as that could damage the wiring inside.
If you're using cable ties,
be careful not to pull them too tight for the same reason.
And avoid bundling power cords together with A/V cables,
as that can cause interference.
If your TV is mounted
because you can't run power cords inside a wall,
it's ideal if you have a power outlet behind your TV
to keep the power cord from hanging down.
But you can use in-wall rated A/V cables
and route them inside the wall
from your home theater equipment to your TV.
But that's not possible for everybody.
So, here's another option if your TV is mounted.
First, plan the path your power cord and cables will go
from the back of the TV to your home theater equipment
and power source.
If your cables are too short,
you might need to use an extension cord for the power
or use longer A/V cables.
For this demo,
I'm going to use a cable cover to hide the cords,
and it will look best
if it's centered to the bottom of the TV.
Since I'm going from the TV to the surge protector,
I'm going to use an extension cord
to give me some extra length.
For the next step, plug the TV power cord
into the extension cord,
then, gather the extension cord and any other cables
to the center of the TV, just above the bottom.
Secure them together with a single cable tie
that will be completely hidden behind the TV.
If your TV's power cord is hanging down below the screen,
create a loop and secure that loop with a cable tie
to keep it behind the TV.
Now, take the back of the cable cover
that will eventually be secured to the wall
and place it below the TV, trying to keep it centered.
This is sometimes where a pencil comes in handy.
Use a level to make sure the piece is plumb,
and secure the back piece of the cable cover to the wall.
Now, place your cord and cables in the cable cover,
and secure the front of the cable cover
to the piece already mounted on the wall.
As you're doing this,
try to keep the cords and cables flat and smooth
to prevent any bulging.
If you find that you have too many cables,
and they won't fit in the cable cover,
you might want to consider a product
like the Insignia 3-Port HDMI Switch
so you have other routing options
besides going directly to your TV.
Or even better, use the link below
to schedule an appointment for a Geek Squad Agent
to visit and hide the cables inside the wall for you.
Overall, cable covers are a great solution
for a TV that's mounted on the wall.
They offer your cables more protection,
and you can often paint them to match the wall
so it blends in pretty seamlessly.
If your TV is on a stand,
it's a little easier to hide the cords.
Here are a few great options.
If you have a bunch of A/V cables going to the same place,
you can group them all together.
You can also do the same with multiple power cords,
just bundle them together where they meet.
If you won't be moving your components around often,
simple nylon ties are great.
You can also keep your cord bundle secured
with cable tie anchors.
These will usually have an adhesive pad on the back
so you can stick the anchor anywhere to hide the cords.
Again, you can also use cable covers
that run along the walls or furniture.
They come in different sizes,
so, make sure you check the dimensions
and get one that's right for you.
I touched on this earlier,
but as you're securing your cables,
remember not to fold them or bend them into sharp curves.
You can, however, use service loops,
like this one I've created here.
You can put these directly behind a piece of equipment.
Or if you don't want excess cable all looped up at the end,
you can make a few service loops
along the length of the cable.
In fact, having a few service loops throughout
can really be helpful if you ever need a little slack
for cleaning, servicing, or replacing a device.
While it might be tempting to use shorter cords,
I always recommend having more cable than you need
just in case you wanna change your setup.
If you do use cable ties to bundle or loop your cables,
it might be a good idea to invest in a set of flush cutters.
Scissors can sometimes leave
short, sharp edges on cable ties
that can be safety issue.
Now, if you want a simpler solution,
just running cables behind your equipment
and keeping them low
will help give a neater look.
And you can always just use a few cable tie anchors
or cable ties to keep them place.
And you might wanna check out the design of your TV stand.
Some furniture designers have incorporated
great cord hiding solutions.
Nowadays, manufacturers are also making surge protectors
that can be placed in furniture,
like any other piece of A/V equipment.
But even if you have just a regular surge protector,
you might try securing it to the back of your stand
to keep it off the floor and hidden.
If you'd rather keep your surge protector
on the floor, though,
you can still hide the protector
along with the cords plugged into it
with a surge protector cover.
With just a few tweaks,
it's amazing how much better your home theater will look
with all of those cords out of the way.
Hopefully, this video was helpful.
If it was, give it a like.
If you have questions, leave them in the comments,
and don't forget to subscribe to our channel
for more tech tips from Best Buy.
Thanks for watching.
(soft music)