Count me in as one of the “computer and TV in same room” crowd.
I live in a one bedroom apartment. When I moved in, I had a PC and one TV, a 23", or something close to that. I put both in the living room, since it actually had a little nook which was the exact size of my computer table (yes, it’s a table, not a desk. I’m too poor to buy a desk, I had to take an old table. But it is a handmade table my grandfather built and has cool extendo-wings on the sides.)
Seeing as I like to be distracted by as many things at once, I realized putting the computer in the bedroom would lead to frustration that I couldn’t watch Law and Order whilst playing City of Heroes.
We have the large screen in the living room, one in each of the three bedrooms, one in the kitchen, one in the computer room and one in the laundry room. (Actually, that one’s only there because we used to have our treadmill down there. We moved to the bedroom so that TV is never used)
I pretty much always have in on for background noise, but since I usually only go on SDMB at work, I rarely post while watching TV.
My computer is in the living room. My PowerBook’s permanent home is a three-wheeled rolling table-like thing that nicely hugs furniture corners. I pretty much always watch TV while I’m on the computer, since I can easily do both from the living room couch.
And the table is non-offensive enough that the Mrs. lets me leave it out in plain view, always at the ready.
I just found it amusing, thinking of a course on, “How to watch TV and post at the same time.” Og knows I could use such a course, “How to do two things at the same time and not have your brain melt out of your ears.”
My desk is in the corner of my front room. It’s a big ass desk, L shaped. One side has a window to the courtyard, the other has my computer stuff. Next to the desk is an A/V stand, TV on top, receiver, DVD, and other stereo stuff underneath. Next to it is a keyboard on a stand. All of it is tied together in one way or another. I sit in an reclining, swivling easy chair with wireless keyboard and mouse plus phone and various remotes either on the part of the desk to my left or in that little pocket on the chair. Two couches, another desk, and a couple of tables take up the other walls. Away from a wall, but connected to the stereo, is another low table with a mixing board and some other music and DJ type stuff.
It’s a pretty big room, I still have room to lay on the floor and watch movies when I want to. All my electronic entertainment is in a centralised location, more or less.
I also live in a small apartment. My computer desk chair is literally next to the TV so if I want to watch it while on the computer I simply rotate the TV 90 degrees. My TV used to be under the desk on the ground but now it sits on an esky because its cheaper than a proper TV table. Because of the short distance I can’t watch a whole show while sitting at my computer, its just too close.
Dorm room. 13" TV next to my desk, on top of a microwave (is this bad for the TV?), which is on top of a refrigerator. But the best part is that behind there, facing the opposite direction, is a bigger TV (don’t know the exact size) looking out on a couch, where one sits to comfortably watch TV. The little TV facing my desk has a headphone jack, so I can sit here quietly watching TV and using the computer while the roommate watches something else on the other TV.
My computer is set up in the kitchen, just inside the doorway to the living room, and the TV is in the far corner of the living room and angled right at the doorway. I’ve got the whole line-of-sight thing down perfect.
The real drawback is that the fridge is just three feet from the computer, so when the compressor cycles on, I have to increase the TV volume.
Am I the only one so far with a TV tuner card?
My computer is my TV, DVD, VHS, Game Screen (for consoles), stereo, along with other computer things. 17" LCD gives enough room for what I need.
Gunslinger and I live in an apartment that has a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, and an enclosed porch. The porch has no electrical outlets; the bedroom is taken up entirely by the mattress; the kitchen is for cooking in; the dining room is small and taken up entirely by our dinette set. Therefore we are left with the computers in the living room, where the television is.
In fact, even if we had a larger house, we’d probably have the computers and the TV both in the living room. If we had an extra full room at all, we’d turn it into a library - a quiet place of sitting and reading and drinking a spot of tea or possibly a gin and tonic - not an office with computers in it. We’re both colossal geeknerds and use the internet for radio, news and other entertainment - it belongs in the living room as much as the TV does. I can’t think of any other place in the house a person WOULD keep their desktop computer.
