Hi there,

Newbie here and very excited to have come across this forum. The threads have been extremely helpful thus far.

I am in the midst of finishing my basement which will be a combination play room, home theater and computer room for the family. I have completed the framing and electrical wiring thus far and now i'm beginning to plan for the a/v equipment. the equipment will be installed in a hidden closet, about 20' from the location of the tv/screen. Simple set up planned: HDTV, BluRay DVD, Receiver, Bose Acoustimass 5.1 speaker system, IR Emitter system, DirecTV box.

questions i have are: 1.) what are suitable runs in length for wires such as hdmi/component cables? i've heard the longer they are the worse the clarity gets and I was wondering if there is any truth to this. 2.) is it okay to run speaker wire without conduit such as Carlon or rigid PVC? 3.) Should i consider replacing the Bose speaker system with some in wall fronts (L,R,C) and rear speakers or wire it up with the existing system? The concern i have here is should perhaps I move someday and want to take the bose with me, i won't be able to remove the speaker wires which are fairly dedicated (as far as i know) for this system (they connect to sub with serial type connector.

any thoughts, diagrams, photos, etc. would be most appreciated. input on anything i'm leaving out would be appreciated as well. thanks in advance for all guidance. cheers.

Hello,
Hears my thoughts. First, HMDI / Component runs are not long enough to be of concern. I would run a couple CAT5e or CAT6 from the head end to the display. I would also run a control wire, we use shielded 22/8 with drain. I would also include a conduit for future use.
As for the speaker wires, they do not need be in conduit. Are you going to put in a sub? If so, don't forget to run wire to that location as well. As far as the Bose, I'm not a fan and in wall LCR's great when you are limited on space I prefer traditional speakers. In walls are fine in most cases for surrounds and rears. Lastly, if you ever plan to install a pj I would make those cables runs at this time as well. Good luck with it.
Larry

larry,

thanks for the input. question: what is a pj? (projector?) Also, would you mind expanding your thoughts on why you'd refrain from the Bose products? i am planning on utilizing the acoustmass system which includes the sub as I already have it and it would be a cost savings using them. also, i assume when you say control wire you are referring to an IR emitter type system? lastly, what are the Cat 5 or 6 cables for? Sorry for being such a rookie at this. thanks much.

jay

I am finishing my basement and putting in a home theater... Have run two set of HDMI and Components... One for plasma on the wall of the theater and one for the projector in the back... makes theater versitile for both viewing... Screen will drop infront of plasma... Ran 4 runs of CAT 6 to each location for future use ran two runs CAT6 to screen for control (Rs232) and furture use... Ran ran low votage and crescat wire to the switches in the theater for integration to crestron system.... Ran speakerwire for 7.1 surround sound... Ran conduit in ceiling to both locations for future use...

Let me try to put this in rookie lanquage since I happen to be one myself. All the questions you have asked can be found within the deep confines of this great forum but it takes alot of searching and reading. I'm going to assume that you are drywalling your ceiling in your basement? Nothing wrong with that I did along with lots of others. What you have to keep in mind is once the drywall is up, you have to go thru a major pain in the @$$ to run wiring. So the best thing is to try an accomodate your current needs along with what you might need for the future before the drywall is hung. If you don't have a 7.1 system now you might have in the future so it doesn't cost that much extra to go ahead and run the extra wires before the drywall goes up. As some one else already said, run a peice of 2" or greater plastic electrical conduit from your equipment cabinet to your tv or projector or both so you can run the HDMI or componant or any other cables you might need thru it along with a pull cord so you can pull new cables if they are needed in the future. If you have a cable or satelite box that will be located in your equipment closet you can run cat5 or cat6 network cable from you closet to a remote sensor that you can locate somewhere near the tv or projector screen so you don't have to get up and walk around the corner to the equipment closet to change channels. Do a search for IR extender on the internet or on this forum in the remote section and you'll get a good education on how that works. Your Bose system will work if that's what you choose but if I remember correctly these speakers are generally mounted high on the wall which is where you will want your speaker wire to come thru the wall at. What I think your decision is going to have to be is, will you ever move to a different type of speaker? Maybe a floor standing type? If that's the case you will want your speaker wire to come thru the wall closer to the floor. To accomodate for both I would run a wire for both locations just in case. If you ever decide to change to a project you are going to want to run the cables in the ceiling thru conduit from your equipment closet to your projector mounting location before drywall. This will take some planning and figuring. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples of how you can pre-wire and things to consider so search away, read alot, and ask many questions. And most important, have fun!!!;)