AVS › AVS Forum › Industry Area › HDMI Q&A - The One Connector World › In-house HDMI wiring
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

In-house HDMI wiring

post #1 of 5
Thread Starter 
Hi,

I am building a house and in the process of designing a wiring plan. I want to run HDMI wires in the walls. I will have 4 media outlet plates, 3 that will have the potential of outputting to a display and 1 that will serve as the master media outlet. all will have the ability to accept HDMI input from a source. basically, i just want to be able to plug in a source into any of my 3 media outlets and be able to display it on any of those 3 media outlets. also, be able to display 2 separate sources on 2 separate displays simultaneously. Ive been looking into the technology for about a week or so now and ive come up with a design and i wanted to get some feedback about the feasibility of it. im thinking of getting a 4x4 HDMI matrix switch that will receive input from my outlets and output to my a/v receiver and to my outlets. (see attachment)


also i have 2 runs that are about 40' and im wondering what the pros and cons are about using 2 CATx cables carrying my HDMI signal. is there signal loss associated with the dual CATx that wont be there with an extended/amplified long HDMI cable?

there is also a distinct possibility that im making this way more complicated then it has to be... if that's the case feel free to bring me back down to earth!

appreciate it,
tim
LL
post #2 of 5
Quote:
Originally Posted by twry84 View Post

there is also a distinct possibility that im making this way more complicated then it has to be...

I would say it is probably even more complicated than you think. Success with HDMI depends on the cables, all the electronics, the bit rate of the data, and the environment. At short distances, it is usually fairly straight forward. Beyond about 30' it can get tricky. It is certainly doable, but might cost more than you anticipate. What resolution, frame rate, and color depth are you planning to run? 3D?

Why do you have the output from the receiver going back into the matrix?
post #3 of 5
Thread Starter 
im just looking for a decent signal @1080p... not running 3D. i have the output of the receiver going into the input of the matrix so all any input into the outlets gets routed through the receiver to pass the audio signal to my built in speakers.

basically, all the outlet inputs into the matrix will be permanently fixed to the output line of the matrix that is plugged into the receiver. the matrix input that carries the receiver signal will be the switchable one that can be passed to all or one of output outlets.
post #4 of 5
Thread Starter 
so if beyond 30' gets tricky, would you recommend running dual CATx cables carrying the HDMI signal or is that not ideal?

thanks
post #5 of 5
Quote:
Originally Posted by twry84 View Post

so if beyond 30' gets tricky, would you recommend running dual CATx cables carrying the HDMI signal or is that not ideal?

thanks

In house/wall HDMI: I've got two 25ft runs, three 35ft runs, a 50ft, and a 75 footer. All of which are the largest gauge, best quality/"speed" offered by Monoprice I.E, the lesser expensive cables etc.
I have three different BD players, two dish network DVRs, a receiver, PJ and three plasma's and two matrix/HDMI switches tying things together. As mentioned above, the biggest issue is getting all of the different devices to agree with each other. My biggest problem was the matrix switches. One would work with several yet not all devices etc. Brings a whole new meaning to "handshake" issues. :-). And yes I am using the Monoprice switch and even another brand and have just recently ordered Monoprice's new switch to try out. There are obviously more reliable/stable matrix switches out there yet you then get into the $600+ territory.

Bottom line it can be done yet plan for a bit of headaches and experimentation $$.

I too have been reading up on the dual cat5/6 cable video distribution/HDMI option. I don't know enough of it's reliability/capabilities to comment yet. Sounds promising however.

One bit of advise regardless. If you do in wall HDMI or other runs, run it in large conduit so it can be pulled/re-run if required.

Cheers
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
AVS › AVS Forum › Industry Area › HDMI Q&A - The One Connector World › In-house HDMI wiring