Tikkabik

So now that I've cleaned up the cable mess behind my entertainment center, I'm trying to figure out inexpensive ways to maximize what I have. One thing I'd really like to do sooner rather than later is ceiling-mount my projector.

I want to do this for a number of reasons: For one thing, my projector is balanced rather precariously on top of the entertainment center at the moment. It's not at the optimum height, so every time someone walks by it or in front of it, they block the projected image on the screen. If someone's trying to play a video game, this is more than distracting -- it's potentially game-ending.

Also, the entertainment center isn't perfectly level, and that crookedness is magnified as the image projects up to 80 inches, so it's impossible to see a level image without doing stupid things like sticking a kitchen trivet or dvd case under one side of the projector. And while the projector lets me adjust things like keystone (the trapezoidal shape of the image to counter distortion created by projecting up or down), it doesn't let me adjust level.

Finally, the projector is a relatively "short throw" model. Keeping it at the distance it's at right now means the image is bigger and a bit less sharp than it really should be. I need to shorten that length by at least three or four feet to get to the right distance from the screen.

My problem is that I don't want to get a bracket especially made for the projector -- what happens if I upgrade the unit? So I'm shopping around for a "shelf" of sorts I'll be able to bolt to the ceiling. Then I'll run some piping along the ceiling and back wall to cart the cable -- that's basic commodity stuff I can get easily from Home Depot. But does anyone have a recommendation for an inexpensive, attractive shelving apparatus I can put on the ceiling?