Television behind a Mirror

We just completed a behind-the-mirror TV installation. A Sharp Aquos LC-15S5U 15 inch LCD analog television was installed behind the bathroom mirror. The house was under construction so it was easy to leave space in the wall and include power, antenna and speaker wiring.

A special one-way glass was ordered so the TV can be viewed through the mirror and it dissappears when turned off. The TV remote works fine though the glass and remote speakers were installed in the ceiling because the TV speakers would not be audible behind the glass.

Removing the TV from the case is straightforward. First the arrow indicated screws were removed and laid the TV on the carpet screen down. Gently pull the back up away from the front bezel. It might be necessary to pry it open with a screwdriver. It seemed very tight but there were no catches. With the back cover off the speakers are in plain sight. Cut the wires to the speakers and route them toward the other input / output connectors. Drill two holes. One in the vertical plastic and one near the slot shown in the picture. Poke the speaker wires through the hole and place a cable tie in the slot and new hole to use for strain relief.

We learned a few things that would make the next installation better.

• On a new house, go ahead and have the hole framed out so there is not exposed drywall edges. The raw edges scatter dust on the black background.
• Paint the hole black. Paint everything behind the mirror black. Paint the silver surface of the television black. If the surfaces are not all black, they will show through the mirror. We used a can of spray paint and black electrical tape at the last minute.
• Install a door behind the TV for access and installation. Removal of the mirror will be a difficult job. The TV will need servicing sometime. Somehow the TV got into a mode while installing that prevented the remote from turning it on. The power button had to be pushed.