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New House, because I love this stuff. - Page 7

post #181 of 507
2/7/12 at 10:55am
awesome! thanks so much for the replies, i didnt expect you to answer that or atleast not that fast. so in return, i will provide you some more questions!

Equipment -

Tv mounts (stationary and articulating arm)

i noticed in your equipment list you had an outdoor tv, can you talk more about this setup? pictures?

Sonos, is this the only platform you have for whole home audio, or do you chose to run this overtop of something else? i guess what i'm saying is, doesnt the audio distribution of control4 allow you to distribute music throughout the house, so why sonos ontop of that, isn't there an overlap?
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post #182 of 507
2/7/12 at 11:22am
Have you gotten your solar panels yet? How much do they cost roughly?
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post #183 of 507
2/7/12 at 11:49am
I'm a bit dizzy from reading this and definitely need to bookmark it and come back. This is just flat out amazing. I dream of having a centralized "control room." I'm trying to do a small version for starters in my basement for the theater and the family room down there. If I can figure all of that out, maybe I'll expand it to the living room and master bedroom. It seems something like Control4 ties it all together and gives you the control component. This is just fantastic. Great build!
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post #184 of 507
2/7/12 at 7:30pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by malelan View Post

awesome! thanks so much for the replies, i didnt expect you to answer that or atleast not that fast. so in return, i will provide you some more questions!

Equipment -

Tv mounts (stationary and articulating arm)

i noticed in your equipment list you had an outdoor tv, can you talk more about this setup? pictures?

Sonos, is this the only platform you have for whole home audio, or do you chose to run this overtop of something else? i guess what i'm saying is, doesnt the audio distribution of control4 allow you to distribute music throughout the house, so why sonos ontop of that, isn't there an overlap?

All the big TVs are on Chief tilting mounts and there are a few of the small ones. Office, Master Bath, Game Room Small TVs which have recess boxes for the articulating arm itself. This allows them to sit flush against the wall with the back of the TV actually making contact with the drywall and still allowing for full motion.

Backyard...... There is still a lot of work to do out there. All the wires and power are ran, but none of that work is actually done. I will probably put it up this spring, but I have nothing outside of grass in the back right now. I wired for full surround sound. What I am 100% sure of for the time being is 60" Sharp (Because they are cheap) mounted from the eves of the house with full motion pole mount. The black speakers will be mounted a few inches off the ground on the outside corners of the house. I was thinking about hanging a center channel off the bottom of the TV that way it would point wherever the TV was pointing. Speakercraft Ruckus Rock speakers as rears. We would like to put a pool and outside kitchen in along with some large cedar walls. The full backyard is probably a year away at this point. This summer my wife is graduating and I promised her we would to do big trip to Croatia, Montenegro, Turkey and I have to finish the theater.
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post #185 of 507
2/7/12 at 7:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by malelan View Post

awesome! thanks so much for the replies, i didnt expect you to answer that or atleast not that fast. so in return, i will provide you some more questions!

Equipment -

Tv mounts (stationary and articulating arm)

i noticed in your equipment list you had an outdoor tv, can you talk more about this setup? pictures?

Sonos, is this the only platform you have for whole home audio, or do you chose to run this overtop of something else? i guess what i'm saying is, doesnt the audio distribution of control4 allow you to distribute music throughout the house, so why sonos ontop of that, isn't there an overlap?

Sonos..... The control4 system does provide for audio distribution, but out of every system I have ever seen, Sonos does the best job at actually providing the music to the system. Control4 will give you access to your Mp3s and Rhapsody. Sonos gives you access to those and XM, Worldwide AM/FM, Pandora, Last FM, ect ect. Its just the best thing out there if you love listening to music. Only complaint - I need to buy an external DAC.
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post #186 of 507
2/7/12 at 7:39pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rob black View Post

Have you gotten your solar panels yet? How much do they cost roughly?

Not yet... I have several electricians who work for me and I have been talking to them. I want to get a system that does not require a single DC to AC converter, but rather has mini's on each panel. What is neat about this is that you can also wire data to the mini converters and get production data from each panel. Seems like panels are about 500 bucks once you get everything (racks, wires, panel, converters). Provides for about 280W each. Another complication in N. Texas is hail. You have to find harsh weather rated panels. I would like to do it in 2012 for tax purposes. Planning on about 6 panels. I should be able to rack them up myself and I will have the my guys do the final Tie in. I am also considering a system called TAD5000 which will tie into C4 for energy consumption monitoring. On another note... I have been working on another energy project here at the house post coming shortly. FYI - I am not an environmentalist!!!!! I just think its interesting to leverage existing technologies.
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post #187 of 507
2/7/12 at 7:40pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by randy98mtu View Post

I'm a bit dizzy from reading this and definitely need to bookmark it and come back. This is just flat out amazing. I dream of having a centralized "control room." I'm trying to do a small version for starters in my basement for the theater and the family room down there. If I can figure all of that out, maybe I'll expand it to the living room and master bedroom. It seems something like Control4 ties it all together and gives you the control component. This is just fantastic. Great build!

Thanks a million!
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post #188 of 507
2/7/12 at 7:43pm
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Information on TED!

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post #189 of 507
2/7/12 at 7:47pm
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Micro inverters look something like this.
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post #190 of 507
2/7/12 at 7:50pm
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Thought I would share this.. A little off subject, but pretty funny.
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post #191 of 507
2/7/12 at 8:31pm
Thread Starter 
This is the other project I have been working on!



We have 40-50 of these in the house and have replaced about half. This was a longer process than one might think. I asked for these for Christmas and received a few different kinds. Well several trips to Lowes, Costco, Home Depot and about 15 bulbs later, I finally found one I liked. The problem with LEDs is the color and dispersion. These came from Home Depot and were one of the cheaper options out there. They were $40 ea whereas some LEDs go up to 90 that we tried. These were the best looking and provided the best color. I have them locked out on the dimmer settings to use a max of about 8 watts each and they are very bright.
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post #192 of 507
2/7/12 at 8:31pm
Thread Starter 


Bulb and trim all in one.
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post #193 of 507
2/7/12 at 8:32pm
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I recommend 2700k color temp for anyone buy LEDs. Even 3,000 is a very blue and harsh light. Feels like you are in school again. Yuck.
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post #194 of 507
2/7/12 at 8:33pm
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post #195 of 507
2/8/12 at 7:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrittonYoder View Post

This is the other project I have been working on!


We have 40-50 of these in the house and have replaced about half. This was a longer process than one might think. I asked for these for Christmas and received a few different kinds. Well several trips to Lowes, Costco, Home Depot and about 15 bulbs later, I finally found one I liked. The problem with LEDs is the color and dispersion. These came from Home Depot and were one of the cheaper options out there. They were $40 ea whereas some LEDs go up to 90 that we tried. These were the best looking and provided the best color. I have them locked out on the dimmer settings to use a max of about 8 watts each and they are very bright.

Thanks again. I've been looking at these, but haven't wanted to spend the time/money to experiment with different bulbs.
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post #196 of 507
2/9/12 at 5:04pm
I have several similar all-in-ones in our kitchen. One thing I noticed was that the weight of the unit made fitting them in existing recessed cans a bit tricky...the weight seems to be almost more than the sprung friction arms could hold?

They are up, but it was a pain. Did you have any similar issues? Mine are the Sylvannia ones from Lowes.

(installation aside, I love them!)
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post #197 of 507
2/9/12 at 5:07pm
(I have looked back at your pics, and they do seem to have a slightly different installation method...would definitely appreciate your thoughts on how snugly they sit in new-work cans.

Really enjoying your thread, btw!
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post #198 of 507
2/9/12 at 7:50pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Noelep View Post

(I have looked back at your pics, and they do seem to have a slightly different installation method...would definitely appreciate your thoughts on how snugly they sit in new-work cans.

Really enjoying your thread, btw!

I had no significant issues installing the lights. I had to wreck out the springs and clips which held the old trim in place, because they were getting in the way. A little trial and error and I am more worried that they are so snug that if I ever move, I won't be able to get them out without bending the clips.
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post #199 of 507
2/9/12 at 7:52pm
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They ARRIVED!!!!!!! I originally ordered these about 8 months ago. Went round and round and they finally came. Very excited, last night I could do nothing by listen sorry for the silence.
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post #200 of 507
2/9/12 at 8:03pm
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post #201 of 507
2/9/12 at 8:05pm
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I need to rearrange the room.
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post #202 of 507
2/9/12 at 8:33pm
Thread Starter 
So I have been working to solve an issue I have been having with the HDMI matrix. I haven't posted anything bad, good, or indifferent about it, because I wanted to give Atlona a chance to fix the problem and I can say that I am extremely impressed. Let me first say that I am extremely impressed with Atlona as a whole. I have installed them into clients homes and have had very good luck especially considering HDMI's problematic nature. So that being said I received a 4x8:2 matrix and together with Atlona tech support it was determined that more than one of the outputs was DOA. In most cases, this would be a simple solution for a company. Ship a replacement. The product I bought was no longer in production and the replacement was slightly different. Atlona was kind enough to agree to sending an upgraded model in order to supply the same level of functionality. I worked with Alex on this issue and also on previous customer orders and can not speak highly enough of him. Here is what is on the way....

http://www.atlona.com/Atlona-8x8-2-P...D-Support.html

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post #203 of 507
2/10/12 at 6:26am
WOW....totally what I dream of owning some day....congrats on all the hard work, it is paying off! Great job
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post #204 of 507
2/10/12 at 7:16am
Sorry, another dumb question on the matrix. How do you control it? I see that there is a remote that comes with it, but is that the only way? I'm thinking, say I'm in the living room and the wife is in the bed room and we both want to change our source. Do we have to walk the remote back and forth? Or can you use like iRule, or a Harmony remote?
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post #205 of 507
2/10/12 at 8:36am
Looks like on the back there is an RS232, so it can probably be controlled by some home automation panels, certain remotes (URC springs to mind). Also seems to have a port for IR in, but that's not necessarily for matrix control. BrittonYoder will be using his Control4 equipment to control it.
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post #206 of 507
2/10/12 at 1:12pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BllDo View Post

Sorry, another dumb question on the matrix. How do you control it? I see that there is a remote that comes with it, but is that the only way? I'm thinking, say I'm in the living room and the wife is in the bed room and we both want to change our source. Do we have to walk the remote back and forth? Or can you use like iRule, or a Harmony remote?

This is actually a great question. I will be controlling it via RS-232 (serial). The cool thing about these sytems is that each balun also includes an IR receiver. So you can plug the receiver into the balun behind the TV and then you can program the codes into any universal remote. The system will also route commands to the individual sources. Pretty cool stuff.
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post #207 of 507
2/10/12 at 7:05pm
Beautiful speakers.
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post #208 of 507
2/11/12 at 9:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrittonYoder View Post

...

On this unit, there are 4 inputs and 8 independent zones of video output. Each video output has both an HDMI and a balun output which essentially allows for the distribution to up to 16 TVs.

So hooked into the 4 inputs are DirecTV(1), Blu-ray Player, Xbox, and an Atlona HDMI source selector seen in this picture.



Hooked to this is an additional Directv(2), Xbox (2), computer, and security camera DVR.

So if you select the activity watch tv in the family room, the audio matrix selects the DirecTV(1) as the audio source for the family room and the HDMI matrix switches output 2 to input 1. This gives you audio and video.


So hopefully this provides some background to my upcoming answer. The 4x8 hdmi matrix was $5,000+. Each TV has a control4 box which outputs a control gui onto the screen. So with 12 control4 controllers you would have to go to a 16x16 matrix which is $16k. The control4 gui provided by an individual box is specific to the room so there is no reason to give the switch access to it. Lastly the GUI is only 720p so component video is the best, easiest, most reliable, and cheapest method of distributing that particular signal.

This is what the back of a controller looks like.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BrittonYoder View Post

OK so now.... 10,000ft.

When this system is done there will be a total of 7 video sources, and 11 audio sources available to 12 TVs throughout the home and a total of 15 different zones of audio.

So the first goal of the system was to centrally locate all equipment and provide access to that equipment universally across any room. All rooms are independent...

I just read through the entire thread for the 2nd time, trying to get it to soak in.....just awesome

I liked the explaination you gave about the 1st 4x8 HDMI switcher....now you have an 8x8 right? Does this allow you to plug all 7 of your sources into it without daisy chaining the "Atlona HDMI source selector" as described previously? If so, how is this different than the $5000 16x16 solution you previously posted about?

Also, about the GUI resolution limitation. It would seem that you should be able to pass the 720p over HDMI without issue. I'm still not clear on why component is used for some connections and HDMI for others....is it simply a limitation of a maximum of 8 HDMI outputs, and the remaining outputs are then limited to component? Or, is the GUI limitation of 720p carried over to the content as well? It seems that would not be a very good solution for your Home Theater where PQ is of paramount importance.

I wonder if you'll regret not forking out the extra dough for the 16x16 later when you want to pass something the component cables are incapable of? I hope not, cause it looks likt you're set in stone at this point

Those new speakers look great, how do you like them?
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post #209 of 507
2/12/12 at 12:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by miahallen View Post

I liked the explaination you gave about the 1st 4x8 HDMI switcher....now you have an 8x8 right? Does this allow you to plug all 7 of your sources into it without daisy chaining the "Atlona HDMI source selector" as described previously? If so, how is this different than the $5000 16x16 solution you previously posted about?

He said the 4x8 was 5000+ and the 16x16 was over 16k. This should allow him to use all 7 sources without daisy chaining.

Quote:
Originally Posted by miahallen View Post

Also, about the GUI resolution limitation. It would seem that you should be able to pass the 720p over HDMI without issue. I'm still not clear on why component is used for some connections and HDMI for others....is it simply a limitation of a maximum of 8 HDMI outputs, and the remaining outputs are then limited to component? Or, is the GUI limitation of 720p carried over to the content as well? It seems that would not be a very good solution for your Home Theater where PQ is of paramount importance.

Those component baluns are just for the Control4 boxes. They aren't for the other sources. The other sources passed to the TVs are passed over HDMI via the matrix. The content is not limited to 720p. Each TV then (or at least the ones whose Control4 boxes are racked, he said he installed some into the Chief boxes behind the TV) has two inputs: HDMI (from the matrix), and component from the Control4 box.

He saved money by using component baluns for the Control4 boxes since it made no sense to have an HDMI connection to carry a 720p signal. If you look at the back of the HC200 controllers, they don't even have an HDMI output.

Quote:
Originally Posted by miahallen View Post

I wonder if you'll regret not forking out the extra dough for the 16x16 later when you want to pass something the component cables are incapable of? I hope not, cause it looks likt you're set in stone at this point

The fact that he used baluns means he's not set in stone. As I explained above, he's not limited to component for his video sources, just the Control4 boxes.

The disadvantages of using the 4x8 (now 8x8) vs the 16x16 are:
1. He said he has 12 TVs. Not all of them can be on and operating independently at once. Not a big deal when you consider 12 TVs is a lot, and that he only has 7 sources.
2. He's limited to 8 sources. So, if he wanted to add additional DVRs so each family member could watch TV independently, he'd have to remove other sources.

The 8x8 was a huge step up, in that the devices on the HDMI switcher connected as an input to the matrix were in a 3x1 pattern, and only one could be watched at a time.
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post #210 of 507
2/12/12 at 2:23am
Thanks for the responses JTR7
...so the component video cables were run ONLY for the control4 GUI Why can't the GUI run over the same HDMI that the source is running through? Seems kinda strange to have to run two video lines per display.

edit - sorry, I'm sure the answers are out there, I should probably go read up on control4
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