Flat-screen, high-definition TVs are the latest status symbol for upscale households. They're sleek, thin and offer crisply colorful images. And unlike their predecessors, they're not hidden away in a cupboard. They hang on a wall or sit proudly on a chest flaunting their handsome lines and expensive price tags.

It all looks so easy. Buy a set, bring it home and decide where to hang it. But ads can be deceptive. Electrical and cable wires hanging from the back of the set do nothing for the clean, contemporary look you are going for.

LOUIE FAVORITE / AJC (ENLARGE)
This flat-screen TV is set into a wall (above) on top of a fireplace mantel at a home in Smyrna. The television hardware (below), which is placed on shelving, can disappear behind closed doors when the homeowners want to create a cleaner appearance.
(ENLARGE)
The television hardware, which is placed on shelving, can disappear behind closed doors when the homeowners want to create a cleaner appearance.
LOUIE FAVORITE / AJC (ENLARGE)
This flat-screen TV blends in with the decor, and is also located above a fireplace.
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Face it, you have to plug the set in and connect the high-definition cable box, DVD, TiVo and perhaps even a receiver for auxiliary speakers. What are you going to do with all those wires?

It's a dilemma being addressed by home builders and electronics dealers alike. Jason Knott, editor of TecHome Builder magazine, said builders will have to learn how to accommodate the new wave of electronics as prices begin to fall and the sets become more affordable.

Although the sets are lighter than tube televisions, they are heavier than most decorative accessories people hang on walls. Some can weigh nearly 200 pounds, Knott said. He recommended builders install reinforced studs in walls to handle the extra weight. He also suggested builders install several multiport jacks in rooms to give homeowners flexibility when positioning the screens. Then there is the problem of additional electronics that go with today's television viewing.

"It's a lot like Victorian times when indoor plumbing made bathrooms practical," Knott explained at this year's International Builders Show. "Now we need electronics closets to house accessories for flat-screen televisions."

Some local builders have already seen the need and are building homes with niches for the screens and conduits for wiring. James Cotton of Builders II built an electronics closet hidden in a doorway between two rooms. Wiring from a flat-screen television hung above the fireplace in one room was routed through the wall to the closet.

Smyrna-based Pritchett Brothers Inc. builds some homes with understairs electronics closets and others with conduits for wiring built into cabinets next to the fireplace. They install direct-vent fireplaces, which don't require chimneys (they vent through the wall), and build niches above the mantel to accommodate either the largest size tube set or a 50-inch flat-screen panel. Speakers can be concealed in the ceiling.

"[A niche over the fireplace] is a good way to conserve wall and floor space," said Bob Woods of Keller Williams, who represents the company. "The conduit is the key. It allows you to add wiring as you need it with no additional drilling into the wall."

HOW TO INCORPORATE FLAT-SCREEN

TVS INTO EXISTING HOMES

What if you want to install a flat screen in your home?

Some homeowners may want to take on the project themselves. However, many electronics retailers' installation teams will hang the screen and run the wiring inside the wall to an outlet near the baseboard. Prices vary, but Ed Spears of HiFi Buys in east Cobb County said the average cost of installation is $400 unless an electrical outlet must be installed as well. For that, call a licensed electrician.

Hide the accessories (cable box, DVD, TiVo) in a chest or under a table placed below the screen.

IF YOU MUST HIDE THE SCREEN

• Place behind a painting or a mirror that slides up and down.

• Mount in a niche, and add a door that folds back or slides up.

• Cover niche opening with shutters.

• Put in an armoire. Many sizes will fit, but measure cabinet interior and set width carefully.

• Hide behind a two-way mirror (www.mediadecor.com/Media%20Mirror.htm).

• Use a DVD that turns the screen into a painting, an aquarium or fireplace (www.plasmawindow.com).

THE BASIC FLAT-SCREEN PIECES

• Flat-screen television (not a monitor); some sit on a pedestal.

• Experts recommend bolting down pedestals of larger screens to prevent accidental tipping.

• High-definition converter box from cable provider.

• Component cable for connecting HD box to set.

• Optional receiver if adding extra speakers.

HOW TO HANG A FLAT-SCREEN TV

• Purchase brackets for the size screen you've chosen (about $200).

• Bolt brackets to studs inside wall, not to wallboard.

• Drill hole big enough for wires on wall behind screen and at bottom of wall.

• Fish wires through wall and out at bottom.

• Slide set into brackets.

• Conceal hole at bottom of wall with cover plate.