Hello,
In construction right now and prewiring my home theater. Everyone on the forum has been helpful in selecting my equipment, and I'm needing some advice on how I should handle the IR signals from the remotes to the AV closet, which is in another room.

My setup:

HOME THEATER - high ceiling room, screen against windows, see attached image
5.1 in-ceiling speaker system (but the sub will be wired and sit on the floor)
Epson Projector
XYScren - Projector screen

DINING ROOM
2 in-ceiling speakers

AV CLOSET
Receiver
Apple Tv
Sonos Connect to integrate with the sonos in my other rooms
Wireless router and modem

The wire for the ceiling speakers is being run already, and I'm also running cable for wifi access points to the other floors of my house.

That said, what would be the best, hidden or nearly-hidden system to send the IR signals to my AV Closet which is about 30-ish feet away. I was just going to run 3.5mm. Can that terminate into a low-profile or hidden sensor? Are there wireless options available that work? Could i hide a sensor in the ceiling (it's 11.5' high, and the projector screen has a long 40" black drop to bring it to viewing height).

I'm new to all this, so I don't even know what to ask or what details to provide.

All advice is much appreciated.

Attached Thumbnails

 

You should only use IR if the device does not support serial or IP control (which most devices now-a-days do).
IR can be sent over a Cat5/6 wire (most any wire). IR can also be sent over TCPIP using GlobalCache devices (IP2IR model)

So, if the question is limited to just pre-wire....yes, run redundant CAT6 cable from closet to equipment. And from front of screen to rack. Etc. Provision for what you think might be in the future. Easy to do in rough, very difficult to do once sealed up. The wire is inexpensive. Put empty conduit and a pull string from rack to projector.

Thank you!

I think I'm going to get the Logitech Elite remote and hub. That should solve my needs.
That said, my screen can use either IR or RF. If the hub is in the AV closet, will the remote actually send an RF signal to my screen in the same room? would it work for IR?

the remote itself will only send an IR signal to the screen.

I guess my first advice would be to NOT use in-ceiling speakers if at all avoidable. In-wall or surface mount speakers would be a much (MUCH) better choice for good audio. This is covered over and over again. If you've already heard this, and don't care, then that's up to you. But, maybe consider adding wiring for at least front wall speakers in the future. Remember, half your audio will go UPWARD into other rooms (if there are any) from ceiling speakers.

You are running CONDUIT to the projector correct? 1.25" or larger flexible conduit is the ONLY way to protect yourself from when technology changes. HDMI 2.0 vs. HDMI 2.1 being a good example. Multiple people having issues with 18Gb/s HDMI cables is another example.

If you want to have something at the front of the room, near the screen, at some point in the future, I would run a cat-5e or cat-6 cable behind the screen location to the equipment closet. If you never use it, who cares, but if you do use it, then it could be for an IR repeater, or a USB3.0 extender (XBox camera) or something else if you want/need it.

Likewise, you should run a category cable to the projector. But, if you run conduit (like you should), then you can add whatever cables you want later on to the projector location.

I balk mostly at the in-ceiling speakers. They are really detrimental to a quality home theater setup. Fine for a few years, but at some point, you will want good speakers in there I would imagine.

Thank you! I think we actually traded some replies on the speaker forum.

Unfortunately, in-ceiling speakers are my only option per my room/setup. The wall behind the projection screen is windows, which makes having in-walls not an option. I am looking at several angled solutions, including Triad and ELAC that would direct the sound to the viewing area. This will be especially valuable as the ceilings are 11.5' and the projector screen has a 48" drop to bring it to an appropriate viewing height.

Yes, I'm running conduit for the projector location with several pull-thrus. I'm also pre-wiring a sub hookup to a wallplate.

Yeah, you definitely heard from me before as I gave you a half dozen links to screen manufacturers of tab-tensioned in-ceiling models.

I would still take a close look at the room and see if there is a potential 'future' location for on-wall speakers. Even if 'now' isn't realistic, there may be something in the future that is, and having wires in place is all that really matters. Especially across the front soundstage.

Don't get me wrong, I use crappy $50 speakers in my theater at the moment while my kids are still shooting arrows down there.

But, my Def-Tech BP30's will be back in the game soon enough.

I yell about speakers, but in the end, I think that most people are there to just enjoy the setup, and you certainly will.

Good call on getting the conduit in place and you really should be good to go.

If you are putting in a fiber optic HDMI 2.0 cable right now, please be aware that it is a directional cable. Do NOT install it the wrong way! Also, it's worth testing the cable before you install it. Make sure it works.

Also, I assume you are pulling at least 14 gauge speaker wire, 2-conductor (14-2) to your speaker locations and that you are pulling coaxial cable for your subwoofer locations. There are better options, but those are the minimum I would recommend.

Yes on speaker wire and sub wiring.
I don't think i'll need a fibre optic hdmi as my run won't be that long, but we'll see once the conduit is in.

And because of the windows, there really is no place for in-wall speakers. I even looked at doing speakers on the floor or stands, but that won't work either because of the room's openness. In-Ceiling is the only option, and that's unfortunate for the reason you state but also they're expensive to get decent ones!