| For most people with a home theater system | | | | can be applied to the power cords that lead |
| installed in their house, the cables are one | | | | to the same power outlet. |
| of the biggest logistical challenges. The | | | | |
| cords and cables for all the various | | | | If your home theater is set-up such that some |
| components inevitably become a tangled, | | | | of the cabling must come out from behind an |
| jumbled mess, making it nearly impossible to | | | | entertainment cabinet or floor speakers, it |
| change the configuration of your system or | | | | is recommended that some sort of cable hide |
| any of the components. Most families don't | | | | be used to ensure that these cables do not |
| put in the time to organize and hide their | | | | become snagged by people walking by or |
| cables to improve the aesthetics and safety | | | | grabbed by small children or pets. To keep |
| of the home theater room. With just a few | | | | power cords out of view and safe from |
| simple changes, your home theater cabling | | | | tampering, use a cable hide designed to run |
| mess can be easily cleaned up and put under | | | | along the wall and keep your cables protected |
| control. | | | | and covered. These cable hides can be great |
| | | | for anywhere that your cables hang out in the |
| All of the components in the home theater | | | | open. If you are building your home theater |
| system have a power cord that must find its | | | | from scratch, you can ask the installer to |
| way to a wall socket, surge protector or | | | | build the cabling into the wall or molding of |
| power strip. To keep the power cords neat and | | | | the room in much the same fashion. You will |
| tidy, use a label machine to identify the | | | | not have to worry about tripping hazards or |
| cord before you plug your home theater | | | | about your new puppy chewing through your |
| components in. This will help when you need | | | | power cables if the cords are neatly hidden |
| to know which plug to pull to move your | | | | and out of the way. |
| speaker system or to replace your DVD player. | | | | |
| | | | Your home theater speakers provide another |
| To clean up the knots and clutter caused by | | | | potential problem, since you might want |
| the constant wrapping and unwrapping of | | | | speakers around the room with speaker cables |
| cables around each other, start by unplugging | | | | becoming a huge problem. To keep this problem |
| everything, including the cables that connect | | | | down, the best option, though complicated, is |
| each component to the others, and separate | | | | to run the wiring for the speakers through |
| them out. Figure out exactly where you want | | | | the walls. This prevents them from dangling |
| each component to go, and then set them up | | | | or getting in the way, and if you have the |
| again and neatly run the cables without | | | | necessary tools and skills, you can run your |
| twisting them around each other. You may need | | | | speakers just about anywhere in the room. |
| to write down reminders for where everything | | | | |
| goes if you are not accustomed to setting up | | | | Cleaning up home theater cabling does not |
| the theater. Use twist ties or zip ties to | | | | have to be a chore. With some simple changes |
| the cables every foot or so when there is | | | | and proper storage, you can have a clean |
| more than one cable running in the same | | | | looking, safe home theater room for your |
| direction to keep them from becoming tangled | | | | family. |
| and out of control. This same organization | | | | |