Neat-O: Replacing RPTV Unveils Wiring Disaster
By Arlen Schweiger
Integrators greeted with wiring disaster when they went to replace old rear-projection TV.

A television’s lifespan can be pretty long, and sometimes clients just don’t feel like upgrading what they view as a big investment. So don’t be too surprised every time you go into a house that has all kinds of modern technology amenities but still relies on a behemoth rear-projection or CRT TV in the living room.

That was the case in this home, which received a technology facelift a while back that did include some new flat-panel TVs. But the main viewing display, surrounded by custom cabinetry, looked good where it was and stayed put, according to Bryan Gorog, president of Los Angeles-based BCG Concepts.



“We did a whole-house upgrade for this client six years ago, including four new flat panels and six zones of music, all controlled through a new Crestron system,” says Gorog. “This dedicated media room, however, remained untouched by our team until [December] when the old rear-projection TV finally went bad.”

“When we opened the rack for the first time, I wish we could say we were surprised. Most of the cables went to absolutely nothing. It was like the previous technician had plugged a cable into literally every possible port,” says Gorog. “There were a bunch of ungrounded extension cords that were not even connected to anything.”

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