I’m officially not the only one with three TVs in my living room

It is important to stick to your beliefs, even if your style is too forward-thinking for the people of your time. Earlier this week, I unveiled my powerful TV set-up with three TVs mounted on a single wall. There’s an outpouring of anger and confusion, and I do not understand how I can get my sound mix so perfect. But there is also an outpouring of something else: support.

Several powerful, clever and I have to assume that attractive readers have released their own multi-TV groupings – some of which are even more powerful and beautiful than my own. Here are some of their setups.

The Monolith – Brian Jacobson

Brian Jacobson contacted me with their five-TV set-up, designed to watch five different sports games at the same time – these are two football matches, two basketball matches and NFL GameDay all at once.

They use a 65-inch, two 32-inch and two 24-inch TVs – which I called The Monolith. Each is connected to the soundbar so Brian can switch between games at will. They use the Logitech Harmony to manage the setup.

This setup is interesting because it is so much in one direction, as if it is all one picture. It’s not her and her TVs and a third one to share, it’s ALL SPORTS, ALL THE TIME. It’s like a sports bar, complete with one TV hanging right at the top of the wall. That, of course, is a compliment. If you are going to watch several games at once, where is it better than a sports bar? And by the logic, why not just build a sports bar in your home?

The Security Room – Anonymous, just outside Detroit

This setup is so powerful that the owner requested that I not disclose their name, but only their approximate location.

Here we see what looks like an impressive workstation with three giant monitors. But the monitors are actually 43-inch 4K Roku TVs from TCL. Each TV has access to the TV airwaves via an antenna system, and each has an Ethernet cable that connects them to the Internet. All three also serve as monitors for the owner’s computer. It looks like a security room you would find in the back of a museum, hence my name for it.

This setup may not seem so extreme at first; many of us currently have two or even three monitors at our desks. But these are not great monitors; these are large, 4K flat screens. There is nothing that prevents Anonymous from watching a movie, watching a football game, and playing a video game at the same time. And it plays with power.

“Poolworld” – Cosmo Orlando

This three-TV set-up comes from Cosmo Orlando, who revealed that they refer to their home as ‘Poolworld’.

It’s a similar setup to my own, with a much wider wall to display three much larger TVs. How much bigger, I’m not entirely sure, but Cosmo showed the coffee mug next to the center TV for scale.

I’m not sure what Cosmo is using these TVs for, but I can imagine myself in this essay. One person on the couch, another in the living room, each enjoying their own thing while we both watch WandaVision, and while our cats (another thing Cosmo and I had in common) come in our face.

A Tale of Two TVs (and a Trampoline) – Michael California

Michael California sent me this setup that they and their partner use when hunting with Monster Hunter. I call this ‘a story of two TVs (and a trampoline)’, because as you may have noticed, there is an unusual piece of furniture that accompanies this set-up.

The primary TV is a 65 inches, while the TV on the trolley is 43 centimeters. There is also a trampoline behind the trolley, which Michael bought for their six-year-old, which allegedly encourages his parents while hunting for Rathalos and other animals. The trampoline is crucial to this setup because it is indeed adorable.

I like this setup because it’s a little more practical and less embarrassing to have guests. Since TV is on a roller coaster, it seems like Michael and the company could move it as people pass by, giving the illusion that it is not a house filled with people in need of media cooperation. I also like the mini trampoline as an exercise to keep your child busy until they are old enough to take part in the Monster Hunter hunt. The proximity of the car TV to the trampoline naturally gives me serious concern.

If Michael sounds familiar, you can recognize their name by this Death Stranding piece, which appeared on Polygon in 2019.

Funkoville – Steve Salai

Funkoville – so named after the legion of figurines below the TV and on the left of the screen – is the creation of Steve Salai.

Steve did not give me any details about their essay, but we can see how the big TV plays like a TV show over grain, flanked by a smaller TV connected to a computer and playing Ear Watch. The primary TV is also nicely lit, and both flat screens seem to have a speaker connected to them, which seems like a pretty serious sound system for the primary setup.

This setup just seems comfortable. The dim lighting, combined with the background and the candle, gives a cave-like feel. And it looks like that Ear Watch TV can lie flat against the wall when not in use. I like that kind of practical activity, so I appreciate Steve’s dedication to the multi-TV lifestyle.

TV Chic – Kyle Hilliard

Kyle Hilliard, co-host of the MinnMaxShow, sent me a setup that is probably the cleanest of the bunch. Here we have what I call TV Chic, because it does not sacrifice aesthetics for the pure efficiency that two flat screens offer.

There are two TVs that look the same size and brand, two audio bars, two Xbox Series Xs, two switches, a PlayStation 4, a PlayStation 5, which looks like it could be a very large router in the middle and a really a nice digital watch. Both sit in identical entertainment centers, each with identical closets.

Aesthetically, I like this setup, and I quite want to have the space for it myself. You get the right combination here of the mirror set-up (the Xboxes and the unique positioning of the Switches are a nice touch), but sit on a nice mature piece of furniture. It is beautiful.

Starlight and chill – ChromeDreams

This setup comes from ChromeDreams, this is the Reddit username that this person asked me to use for them.

This setup provides a nice lightning atmosphere. From a format standpoint, it’s very similar to my own Triforce setup. ChromeDreams has two larger TVs under one smaller TV – which is also mostly dedicated to streaming and entertainment. The rest of the essay comes from different sets – not that there is anything wrong with it – and also contains two hidden cats.

Similar to Steve’s Funkoville setup, ChromeDreams’ setup just seems comfortable. We have some lovely items from fans-favorite franchises that adorn the room, as well as the string lights to give it that homely feel.

Exodia – Steven Williams

Photo courtesy of Steven Williams

Steven Williams gets the coveted title Exodia, because all five of these TVs come together to form an unstoppable setup for sports watching.

The central TV is 70 centimeters, while the other four are each 35 centimeters. The entire setup is linked to DirecTV. Around the entertainment center we can also see a PlayStation 4, a football (of course) and various snacks, including what looks like beef in two cups. There also seems to be a little bear in front of the sign that reads: “There are two times of the year. Soccer season and wait for the soccer season,” which feels delicious out of place.

Steven also did something here that many of my colleagues at Polygon, myself included, could not succeed in, hiding the threads. It’s a lot of work for so many TVs, and it really gives the whole setup a clean look. This is the kind of room that your childhood friend’s father had – a room you were not allowed in when he was home. The type of room where that dad thinks, ‘I’ve worked for these five TVs all my life, and I’d be damned if I let a twelve-year-old Kool-Aid spill on the carpet there.’ And I mean it in the best possible way.

The Command Center – Grady Bailey

This setup of the Grady Bailey command center is a lot to take in. Not only do we have numerous setups to look through here, but Grady has been living the multi-TV life in some form or form since 2010. It is a dedication to the subject.

The more you click through these settings, the more they appear. It is especially important that at least one setting uses eight (EIGHT!) Screens simultaneously. Interestingly, it seems that Grady also compares their setup over time, with what in 2021 only two TVs look like. You can also see that Grady is picking up a pretty sweet replica Portal rifle in 2018.

Of all these setups, this is the one that makes me feel inadequate and very happy that people have the ability to build their own setups like this. It’s also a testament to something I’ve known before: sports nerds are at the forefront of the multi-TV game.

These are the homes of the wonderful people who have reached out to me over the past week and agreed to appear here. These eight brave souls prove that there should still be at least a dozen of us who have cool setups like this. If we have learned anything from all these wonderful entertainment centers, it is that every person and family has their own entertainment needs, and you should not let other people think that you are derailing wonderful plans for a sick multi-TV setup.