STACK #259 May 2026

TECH FEATURE

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Built on trust, teamwork, and just a little banter, husband-and-wife JBTV installation team Simon and Liesl are smashing install goals on the Gold Coast. Words Paul Jones ”It seems like a lot of people are going bigger these days,” says Liesl, one half of the JB Simon and Liesl The Dream Team

“They also need to check to see if they need longer HDMI cables. That’s an extra they’ll need to supply. This is something that happens quite often – people want to put up a 75-inch TV (or above) and they’ve only got a one-metre HDMI cable!” JB Hi-Fi also offers additional services for customers looking to have a TV installed. These include the aforementioned cable concealment (if your walls are solid brick, cables will be surface-mounted and concealed in conduit), and the removal of an old TV to an e-waste recycling facility. For an additional charge, the installation team can even set up streaming channels for customers on-site. There’s always the temptation to attempt a TV installation yourself. We’ve been there. After three hours, multiple holes in the plasterboard wall, and a bracket that was out of level by 15mm, we threw in the towel. Some things are just best left to the experts, especially when you’re hanging something on a wall that costs thousands of dollars. If you’re still unsure as to whether to install a TV yourself or call in the professionals, Liesl tells us a story as they pull up to their next job that may sway your decision. “We went to one job, and the lady showed us where to put the TV and said they’d just had the wall rebuilt,” says Liesl. “I asked why it had been rebuilt, and she told me her husband was sure he could do the job, and he hung the TV himself. They went out shopping, and when they returned, the TV was on the floor with half of the wall!” After Liesl and Simon had hung the TV correctly on the wall and completed the installation, the customer let out an audible sigh of relief. “The lady turned to me, put a hand on my arm, while eyeballing her husband, and told us he is banned forever from even thinking about putting up a TV,” Liesl laughs. “She loudly declared that any future TV installations would be left to us, the professionals, to make sure the job is done right!”

installation team, chatting to STACK on the phone. The other half, Simon, is busy negotiating the Gold Coast traffic on the drive to another job. “Younger audiences, especially, are going 75-inch and bigger. 75-inch is the new 65-inch.” Liesl and Simon migrated with their young children from South Africa 15 years ago. Once in Australia, they established an audiovisual company, and for the last two years, their focus has been on JB Hi-Fi TV and audio installs. Working and living together is no mean feat, and it may not be for every couple. So, what’s their secret? “We’ve been working together for so long that we know what each other’s jobs are. We play to each other’s strengths,” explains Liesl. “I think a lot of people, especially the elderly, are at ease when they see me walk in with Simon. “I do the chatty, friendly stuff while Simon gets on with the job. We’re so used to working together that if we do occasionally get frustrated on the job for some reason, we hold it until we get in the car,” she laughs. According to Liesl, the average TV installation takes only an hour, including cable concealment if the customer opts for that service. “Because we’re a two-person team, while Simon is doing the wall mounting for the TV and the cable conceal, I’ll be doing the TV setup. We’re done within the hour,” she says. Even though the job is a relatively quick process, there are a few things customers can

do to ensure the installation runs smoothly before Simon and Liesl arrive. “If people want us to connect streaming services and things like that, they’ll need their usernames and passwords ready,” outlines Liesl. “If customers have got DVD players and Xboxes that need connecting, we need to know beforehand to get the cables down the wall. “Sometimes, as we’re about to leave, we’re told there's a DVD that needs to be installed! We then have to take the TV back off the wall to get the cables through.

JB Hi-Fi offers installations for TVs, audio systems, computers, mobile phones, tablets, smart home systems, Wi-Fi, projectors, and home appliances. For more information, ask in-store or head to: www.jbhifi.com.au/pages/installations

30 MAY 2026

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