So you’re finally ready to trade in your old conventional ray tube television for a sleek new flat screen- and why not? Now that they’re no longer the newest kid on the media invention scene, flat screens are actually affordable. And while they may have come down in terms of price, their quality has gone up, making it the perfect time to buy. But before you snatch up your pocket book and head to the store, wait a minute, and ask yourself: do you have a place to put it?

If you’ve already got a big entertainment center, chances are it’ll work just fine. But what if you’ve got a dinky old stand? Most flat screens are significantly wider than conventional TVs, and with that skinny little base, they can be less stable. Consider that change in depth dimension visually as well- you might end up with a whole lot of unused, clunky looking table top under your lovely new space saving flat screen.

So if you’re considering updating your TV, think about whether your old stand can handle the new reality- or whether you just want to take advantage of the shopping spree and grab yourself a TV stand you like better. Whatever the reason, here are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for a flat screen TV stand.

Respect the ratio

Conventional televisions typically had an aspect ratio of 4:3, almost a square. To better accommodate both film and HDTV formats, flat screens have a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is more like a rectangle. If you want to avoid having your flat screen look like it has a bad case of muffin top- not to mention serious loss of stability- your new stand will need to be wide enough to accommodate it.

Low-riders are in

Because flat tend screens come with much larger screen acreages than the old conventional televisions, you may find that newer TV stands and entertainment centers for flat screen TVs are a lot lower, in height that is, than the older generation. Like all good parallelograms, as a rectangle expands in length, it grows proportionately in height. So putting your long-and-tall flat screen TV on a stand made for a conventional TV could leave you with a reoccurring crick in the neck, as you try to take in the whole picture night after night.

TVs as art

Unique to flat screens, this latest version of the TV stand actually mounts your flat screen TV to the wall. Some of them even swivel, allowing your TV screen to follow you around the room like a sunflower turning towards the sun. Although they may look precarious, wall-mounted Flat screen TV stands are perfectly safe if installed correctly. So this is one time you really want to read those directions, or better yet, accept the store’s offer to deliver and install it for you. Then if anything does go hideously wrong, it will be covered under their warranty.

Don’t worry—it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Nowadays there are specialists for any situation, and at the Entertainment Center Spot, well you can guess what they specialize in. Visit their website here entertainmentcenterspot.com and you’ll find a wonderland of Corner entertainment center for both flat and full-figured televisions, as well as a friendly, knowledgeable staff on hand to live chat about your entertainment needs.