As a long time gamer, I am no stranger to flying controllers. In fact, some games have driven me to the brink and that has occasionally resulted in purchasing additional controllers. When the Wii was released, controllers continued to be slung through the air, but for a different reason.

Replacing a $40 or $50 controller hurts, but not nearly as bad as replacing a $2000 television. The epidemic became so widespread that a website was launched to let everyone share in the pain of those that either didn't heed Nintendo's warning to use the wrist strap or were stung by the first generation straps that were apparently not strong enough to actually keep the remote from leaving your hand.

I recently felt that same pain as my 4yr old sent a matchbox car sailing through the front of my LCD. After doing some research, I found a product that would save us all the pain of experiencing this first hand, TV Armor.

TV Armor is a ¼" thick crystal clear, optical grade, scratch resistant acrylic panel that you strap to the tv. The "shield" as I refer to it has a 90 degree bend in it so it kind of hangs on the top of the tv and the straps merely hold it in place. The shield also comes with a set of felt spacers that keep the shield off the front of the TV and actual create a sizeable gap between the shield and the front of your tv should an impact actually occur.

The main concerns I had about this type of product before purchasing mine was the reduction in picture quality and the glare. I was glad to see that there was virtually no reduction in quality. Glare is another issue. There will be a glare introduced to your set and if you have lots of light coming into your family room, it may be an issue. To me, it was worth dealing with the glare to have the tv protected.

Your TV Armor comes in a large box with lots of spacers to protect it during shipping. It also comes with a protective film over the surface of the unit to keep it from getting scratched. This is easy to remove and the easy to follow directions will have your shield up and in place in under 15 minutes.

Aside from the glare, the only drawback I have seen with our TV Armor shield is that dust collects on the inside of the shield and I have to remove it to clean it. This is a minor annoyance, but could be a sticking point for anyone with a hard to reach tv.

My shield has collected the requisite amount of fingerprints and while annoying, I am glad they are there and not on the front of the TV itself. I've yet to try and clean the fingerprints off the shield.

TV Armor will set you back $129 for a 30-32" model with the largest model costing you $169 for a 50-52" shield. Since it does matter, I actually purchased my shield with my hard earned cash and the owner of TV Armor, Michael Cunningham, was very helpful and quick to respond when FedEx lost my first shield.

This is a product that I regularly recommend to my friends and family and if you have small children in the home, it is an absolute must buy.

Aug 19, 2008 | 0 comments
Chris Rasco