As a fireplace, its beautiful, modern, and heats my entire 3000 sq ft basement. But it is not 48" as advertised. Its 36". As for putting a tv on it, your tv can be no longer than 36". I contacted Lifesmart and asked to make sure you could use it as a media center, you can. But it wont work for a 55" tv, which is 48" long. Plus it is really to short to put a tv on top of, unless you lay on the floor to watch tv. So I had to also purchase a tv stand as well. The fireplace itself is lovely and works well so I decided to keep it. Just be aware of the actual size. I'd have given it a higher rating if they were honest about the size.