I'd like to hear from folks who are using relatively long runs of cable for
their Home Theater set up. (What's relatively long? I dunno...maybe 20 feet plus?).

I'm considering situating a lot of my gear outside the projector room, in a room just down the hall. That would be approximately 25' - "as the crow flies" - from the projector. This would entail running HDMI cable/Speaker cables/possibly some interconnects that length.

How 'bout you? How long are your HDMI/Speaker Cable etc runs and have you had any problems due to the length of the cables?

Thanks,

Rich H.

I'm going to have a Sim2 HT380 wired up to an XBOX 360/PS3/Toshiba XA2 via a 60ft blue jeans HDMI/component cable. They are rated inwall and I'll let you know how it fairs soon.

HIGH quality HDMI cables can go up to 100-150 feet. Component degrades over length but will not simply fail like HDMI (you either get the digital signal or not with HDMI, compnoent is analog).

I'd just get bluejeancables for the necessary construction for lossless 1080p bandwidth...

Cool.

Anyone else?

Thanks.

Who hads HDMI probs at long runs?

I'm using rapid runners at 50' and they work great.. buy the active and passive outlets to boost signal strength and whola! no probs...

URL: http://www.youravcablestore.com/rapid-run-digital-runner-cable-zoom.html

ssheesh.

I am looking at buying a long hdmi cable to run to my projector (I need about 27-29 ft, so hopefully I can find a good 30fter) but can't spend $150 on a cable right now. Am I going to have problems with a cheaper 30ft cable from monoprice?

Also, they apparently only carry 30ft or greater length hdmi cables that are not 1.3 or whatever, but can someone clarify why I would need this?

(For reference, I just purchased (and am waiting on) an HD-A3, as well as a projector upgrade from an H31 to an HD70. I currently have a 30ft component cable from dvi gear hooked to the H31, but want to be able to take advantage of upscaling sd dvd's through hdmi. For audio, I plan to keep using my kenwood 7070 and 6.1 ascend acoustics/hsu sub setup until I can afford to upgrade to a receiver that has hdmi capability.)

bluejeanscable.com has their best HDMI cable ($85 30 ft) that's rated for very long (up to 100 ft) runs:
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi-cables/index.htm

The onlyl problem I've had so far is my 100' and 130' HDMI runs I still haven't been able to get them to work once they are run through the conduit. It is madding as I hook them up to test them and they work fine then we spend 2 hours running them through the 90+ feet of 2" conduit and it won't work... I have some more details on my thread but all I would suggest is if your going to run conduit is to make sure it has the fewest 45's possible in the overall run. Every other cable I've ran regardless of the length works fine (including lots of 50' HDMI, component, M1-DA and others.

Good luck
Calvin

35 foot monoprice HDMI cable / 50 foot speaker cables - no problems.

35 foot monoprice HDMI cable / 50 foot speaker cables - no problems.

It seems that the Monoprice HDMI 1.3 cables that are recommended for such long runs are 22AWG cables described as being for IN-WALL INSTALLATION. - Does this mean that they wouldn't be suitable for "non-in-wall" applications? For example, I intend to lay the cables on top of some bookcases that extend along two walls to the projector, and I would need about 25ft to 30feet of cable.

What characteristics do "in-wall" cables have that's different from other cables, and could I use them for this application?

Jim

What characteristics do "in-wall" cables have that's different from other cables, and could I use them for this application?

You can always use "in-wall" low-voltage wires outside of a wall, no problem there. "In-wall" is largely about what happens to the cable during a fire. In-wall rated cables have rules about toxic gases given off and burn rate and spread.

monoprice HDMI & component @ 35', no probs up to 1080i60.

monoprice VGA @ 50', no probs up to 1280x1024@60Hz.

35' HDMI run form my Radiient switcher to my Infocus IN78. No problems what so ever. Its a series 1 from BJC.

thanks for all the responses!

I just ordered a 35-fter from monoprice for $42 + shipping...

so it looks like I have 2 reasons to trudge through the attic again, between this and the 100' ethernet cable from the home office :)

so it looks like I have 2 reasons to trudge through the attic again, between this and the 100' ethernet cable from the home office :)

I would run (2) cat5 to/from the projector along with the HDMI. Can be used for: IR / Serial / 12 triggers, etc...

I would run a 2" conduit, then you don't have to worry about what you pull.

I would run a 2" conduit, then you don't have to worry about what you pull.

If I had attic access, I wouldn't worry about conduit...

I hae one run that is 35' from HDMI source to my avr then another 35' run HDMI from AVR to projetcor.


Works fine here. I only run 1080i though and I am happy with it.

I recently re-renovated my basement home theater, which meant updating wiring, speaker and projector cable wiring. The projector cable is about 30-feet long. When my overhead incandescent lights are on (via a dimmer switch), I can see a black horizontal line scrolling slowly from the bottom to the top of my screen ... followed about a third of the way down the screen by a faint light-colored line. When the lights are fully off, the lines are very hard to see. In fact, they don't seem to be there at all sometimes. They show up best against a clear background, like a football field. They're distracting. I'm wondering if they are due to electrical interference from electrical wiring, but I carefully installed my cable to keep it away from lines.

Any ideas? I have a NEC VT540 projector. It's being run on VGA cable, which has component on the A/V amp side. The cable is heavily shielded ... cost over $300 a few years ago. I tried a different cable. Same problem. Didn't have the problem before the renovation. The same lines appear whether I'm watching HD cable TV, regular TV, and high-definition DVDs and SD DVDs. Please don't suggest a psychiatrist. Glad I found this forum and hope someone out there can help me.

Your scrolling lines are likely a result of electrical noise from the dimmer switch. I would try some small ferrite chokes that can either snap over top of the cable or ones that the cable can be wound around. The ones that you can wind the cable around are usually square and are inside a plastic casing that can be split. Once you get it apart you will see what I mean. When you install the choke, place it as close as possible to the end of the cable and as close as possible to the tv for the power cord.

Let us know how you make out with this.

va3eam: Thanks for this advice about the scroll lines. I'm not very sophisticated when it comes to electrical equipment and so need a little more advice ... what are ferrite chokes and what do they look like? where would I get them? And this device just goes in one place along the cable, best where it would be closest to the projector?

I'm convinced that you're right and that it's some sort of interference from the dimmer, but I'm puzzled why there would be interference when the dimmer is fully off.

Your help is MUCH appreciated.

35 ' blue jean hdmi and component no probelms. made them fit in 2-3/4'' blue flex tubing, tight fit but everything works fine

va3eam: Thanks for this advice about the scroll lines. I'm not very sophisticated when it comes to electrical equipment and so need a little more advice ... what are ferrite chokes and what do they look like? where would I get them? And this device just goes in one place along the cable, best where it would be closest to the projector?

I'm convinced that you're right and that it's some sort of interference from the dimmer, but I'm puzzled why there would be interference when the dimmer is fully off.

Your help is MUCH appreciated.

This is a ferrite choke:

Radio Shack's Ferrite Chokes (http://www.radioshack.com/sm-snap-together-ferrite-choke-core--pi-2103222.html)

I use these on some of my power cords, such as for a freezer and refrigerator.

If the dimmer is fully off, you shouldn't have interference. There should be no power going through the dimmer, but I guess that depends on how the dimmer is designed. Here's a link to Lutron's site discussing this:

Lutron Link (http://www.lutron.com/product_technical/faq.asp#OLE_LINK14)

i currently had to snake a 20 foot hdmi monster cable through my ceiling but realized my heating duct was in the way .So i drilled a hole into it and ran the hdmi cable through the duct vent.Is this safe?will the heat damage the cable?will the hot air affect signal quality?if anyone knows please let me know.thank you

Thanks, CTviggen! I installed four ferrite chokes, two on each of the power lines that feed the dimmer switches, right above the switches themselves. This seems to have solved the problems ... no scroll lines even when the dimmers are turned on. I may need more chokes on other lines, but this has definitely helped.