MagicMirror Forum
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Unsolved
    • Solved
    • MagicMirror² Repository
    • Documentation
    • 3rd-Party-Modules
    • Donate
    • Discord
    • Register
    • Login
    A New Chapter for MagicMirror: The Community Takes the Lead
    Read the statement by Michael Teeuw here.

    Noob with 27" Samsung LCD TV

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Hardware
    7 Posts 5 Posters 1.9k Views 4 Watching
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • R Offline
      rvk1983
      last edited by rvk1983

      Hi folks,

      I’ve been doing some research on magic mirrors and came across this forum. I’m trying to build one using my 10+ year old Samsung LCD TV. This is the model:
      https://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/2008-lcd-tv-a550-series

      I was hoping some of the experts here can guide me on my first build. Since this is a first build, I was hoping not to shell out a lot of money for glass. My goal is really to learn how to build it and enjoy the process & learn something new. It would be used primarily for the mirror and the display features would be secondary.

      With that said, my questions are:

      • Should I go with a two acrylic mirror for an old TV like this?
      • Could I also just use reflective film on top of the LCD w/ plexiglass?

      Thanks for any input!

      brobergB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • brobergB Offline
        broberg Project Sponsor @rvk1983
        last edited by

        @rvk1983 If your main goal is to use it as a mirror, you Do want glass, there is no discussion, a glass mirror will give you the best reflection.
        The next best thing is acrylic, the downside with acrylic, mostly on larger areas, are that it’s soft and does tend to flex which if you are not careful will result in a funhouse mirror effect. But as long as you make sure it doesn’t flex, it will work just fine.

        Reflective film is super difficult to apply without getting bubbles, creases or dirt caught in it. Even the tiniest defect will show.
        But it’s cheap.

        when it comes to choosing the light transmission (that is the factor that decides how much you will see through the mirror coating) there is no perfect option, you have to consider where it will be placed, i.e light sources near the mirror, the contrast of your screen etc etc. All to minimize the backlight shining through the dark areas.

        Another thing to think about when using TV’s instead of monitors is that TV’s doesn’t always “go to sleep” when the hdmi output of the computer is turned off, instead it displays a “no signal” message, which can be annoying.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • R Offline
          rvk1983
          last edited by

          Thanks @broberg

          It looks like acrylic would be the better way to go for me. I don’t think I’m ready to spend the $ on glass for the first build. I see a lot of recommendations for acrylic mirrors from TapPlastics.com, but I see that the local Home Depot/Lowe’s also sell acrylic mirrors for a lot less. I’m wondering if these would also get the job done for a first build:

          https://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/cut_to_size_plastic/two_way_mirrored_acrylic/558

          https://www.homedepot.com/p/24-in-x-36-in-x-118-in-Acrylic-Mirror-AM2436S/202509285

          Mykle1M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • Mykle1M Offline
            Mykle1 Project Sponsor Module Developer @rvk1983
            last edited by

            @rvk1983

            You must have a ‘two way’ mirror no matter where you purchase it from. A standard mirror will not work for MM. Notice that your Tap Plastics link states that it is a two way mirror. Also notice that your Home Depot link does NOT state two way mirror.

            Create a working config
            How to add modules

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • R Offline
              rvk1983
              last edited by

              Thanks for the clarification @Mykle1 - think I’m going to hit up a few plastic spots near me to see what prices I get.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • cowboysdudeC Offline
                cowboysdude Module Developer
                last edited by

                I just bought 2 - 32" LED NON Smart TV’s that were on sale for 60 bucks each… I’ll store them until I can figure out what to do with them.

                S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • S Offline
                  sdetweil @cowboysdude
                  last edited by

                  @cowboysdude I have a 32 in tv as a photo frame w call and weather.
                  Some days running MagicMirror, some days running smart-mirror. Depending on what I think needs to be worked on

                  Sam

                  How to add modules

                  learning how to use browser developers window for css changes

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • 1 / 1
                  • First post
                    Last post
                  Enjoying MagicMirror? Please consider a donation!
                  MagicMirror created by Michael Teeuw.
                  Forum managed by Sam, technical setup by Karsten.
                  This forum is using NodeBB as its core | Contributors
                  Contact | Privacy Policy