Beginner full project for cheap integrated house audio-video

I'll take a shot at a couple of your questions to get you started:


HDMI pass through is typically a feature of an A/V receiver - HDMI pass through just means that HDMI input(s) are passed through to the output without change (vs. doing any kind of up conversion, or taking non-HDMI input and converting them to HDMI output).

An HDMI splitter would take one HDMI input and copy the output to more than one HDMI outputs (sounds like what you'd need).

An HDMI repeater extends the distance that the HDMI signal can travel, for long runs.


There are IR extender solutions that can be extended over CAT5 cabling for long distances - here's one example:

http://www.hot-link.com/pages/produc...id=1&mrchid=11

I haven't seen many posts on this board detailing what you are attempting to do. Most of us run signals between different rooms in the house, but typically we have source components in each room. For instance, I have files on my office computer that I watch in the theater. The files come from my office, but all of the A/V gear is in the theater...

Looking at your diagram, I am less than confident that you can pull off your goal. But I am no expert.

Good luck!

A lot of people on AVS Forum have helped me in the past, so let me see if I can return the favor...

We have a full-house A/V system which has a theater and (currently) 6 HDTVs / amp / speakers that can get any of 15 inputs throughout the house. In the theater the number of inputs grows higher. So, I think we have the larger-scale version of what you are trying to do.

The switchers and the remote controls are the key. I don't see your remote controls listed in the diagram (although I may have missed something). Also, it proved to be much cheaper (when cable costs were included) to do the distribution with component outputs rather than HDMI. This also reduced the chances that HDMI would prevent you from watching a video due to handshaking problems. The disadvantage is that some upcoming PPV (which we don't use) and 3D TV require HDMI. However, visually (at least to me) good component video and HDMI are indistinguishable and component is easier to work with - particularly when running cables through a wall.

It's also been recently reinforced to me that cooling is really really needed where the equipment is located. When our A/C is on, everything is fine. When the A/C is off, the air stagnates. That is one area I should have put more time/money/vents into when I started this project.

Your cabling budget can be significant. We used Monoprice for cables and that was a help. I'm not sure if they deliver to Brazil.

Overall I think the biggest thing missing is a remote control solution - don't forget to include remote control of the switchers. BTW, there is no third party RF (that I'm aware of) solution that will talk via RF directly to a piece of equipment. We all use RF universal remotes that then talk to a box which translates the RF into IR or RS-232 to the equipment in question, or the second solution which is an IR repeater in each remote room.