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Design and brands for distribution

1954 Views 11 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  robertmee, 
C
Hi folks,


I'm trying to finish my A/V over UTP network. I asked about equipment in other threads, read other threads, and went a'googlin', and frankly I'm overwhelmed. I don't know what's the best design, what brand to buy, what products to use, I found so many choices and I bet there's even more I didn't find.


Here's what I have: each room has six Cat6 cables terminated in a keystone jack in the room, running to a patch panel in a central location. I would like to distribute audio (AM/FM and mp3) and video (regular and/or HD) from multiple sources to each room. By multiple sources, I mean cable box, BluRay, computer, radio, etc. as opposed to, say, three BluRay players. Each room will control each component independently (e.g. one room watches BluRay while another listens to the radio) but every room would receive the same signal from each player (e.g. every room would receive the same BluRay movie and the same radio station).


Taking into account that price is a consideration, what would YOU buy to accomplish this?
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I
What I would do would vary heavily based on:

1) my budget. I know you said price is a consideration, but does that mean $7.5K, >$7.5K. And what does that $$ go towards? Everything needed other than wiring? Are source equipment and speakers in that bucket?

2) speaker wiring. Is it run to in-wall/ceiling speakers in each room already or not?

3) whether the zones are 2.0, 2.1, or 5.1/7.1.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IVB /forum/post/15408067


What I would do would vary heavily based on:

1) my budget. I know you said price is a consideration, but does that mean $7.5K, >$7.5K. And what does that $$ go towards? Everything needed other than wiring? Are source equipment and speakers in that bucket?
Click to expand...

Hummmm ... I'd say less than $2.5k ... a lot less if possible. I didn't originally add source equipment and speakers into the budget, I thought I'd use what I already own or can get on the cheap. I'm willing to build over several years, working on the cheap now and gradually improving the equipment as my budget allows.

Quote:
2) speaker wiring. Is it run to in-wall/ceiling speakers in each room already or not?
Click to expand...

There's no in-wall speakers. No plans to install them. The plan was to plug speakers into whatever receiver/balun/rubegoldberg is plugged into the keystone jack. If that's possible.

Quote:
3) whether the zones are 2.0, 2.1, or 5.1/7.1.
Click to expand...

Only one room would be 5.1/7.1, and I have an extra receiver so I could run straight digital to the room and plug it into the coax or toslink port. The rest would be 2.0.
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How many rooms?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robertmee /forum/post/15410594


How many rooms?
Click to expand...

Minimum of 3. As high as 3 additional with audio only (radio and mp3).
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robertmee /forum/post/15410594


How many rooms?
Click to expand...

BTW, I followed the links in your sig and saw a possible solution to another issue I have, in a single port KVM extender over Cat5. However, when I went a'googlin' I could only find ones where the V was VGA. Do you happen to know if any exist where the V is DVI?
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sathyakamaraj
Quote:
Originally Posted by cronraptor
Hi folks,


I'm trying to finish my A/V over UTP network. I asked about equipment in other threads, read other threads, and went a'googlin', and frankly I'm overwhelmed. I don't know what's the best design, what brand to buy, what products


Taking into account that price is a consideration, what would YOU buy to accomplish this?
I think you are way ahead of me friend....I just started thinking about doing the whole house media system (not audio system). I have budget for media room only including equipments will be around 8K - onkyo906,panaae300u,bluray,ps3,upconvert,aperion,tv stand,crownmoluding,cables...)


my building construction will be over in 3 months. I feel like i cant learn so quickly so that i can run the cables...

i dont know what i am going to do...but i am hardcore fan of music and video..

 

Media Room.pdf 13.9873046875k . file

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Quote:
Originally Posted by cronraptor /forum/post/15412738


BTW, I followed the links in your sig and saw a possible solution to another issue I have, in a single port KVM extender over Cat5. However, when I went a'googlin' I could only find ones where the V was VGA. Do you happen to know if any exist where the V is DVI?
Click to expand...

There are catx extenders for HDMI and Component. They're called Baluns. HDMI requires two Catx cables. Component + Audio typically also require two, but Gefen and NTI make a single Catx model but at about 3x the cost.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robertmee /forum/post/15418202


There are cat5 extenders for HDMI and Component. They're called Baluns. HDMI requires two Cat5 cables. Component + Audio typically also require two, but Gefen and NTI make a single Cat5 model but at about 3x the cost.
Click to expand...

Sorry, kind of switched gears. I was referring to your computer setup. I was able to find quite a few KVM extenders, but all of them were VGA not DVI.
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A

Quote:
Originally Posted by robertmee /forum/post/15418202


There are cat5 extenders for HDMI and Component. They're called Baluns. HDMI requires two Cat5 cables. Component + Audio typically also require two, but Gefen and NTI make a single Cat5 model but at about 3x the cost.
Click to expand...

Robert it has been my experience that you NEED to use cat 6 for HDMI. While Cat 5 will work with lower resolutions (1080i or 720p) it will not work reliably with 1080P. I have been running tests lately with Sheilded Cat 6 but have no concusions as of yet.


Jon
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Audiofn /forum/post/15421145


Robert it has been my experience that you NEED to use cat 6 for HDMI. While Cat 5 will work with lower resolutions (1080i or 720p) it will not work reliably with 1080P. I have been running tests lately with Sheilded Cat 6 but have no concusions as of yet.


Jon
Click to expand...

Jon,


Sorry for the confusion....I was using Cat 5 in the generic sense of a Cat x balun for HDMI. We often use Cat5 to mean a UTP twisted pair cable (ala Cat 5, 5e, 6, et al), and probably shouldn't do that. I recommend running Cat 6 as the physical media. I edited my original post to avoid the confusion.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cronraptor /forum/post/15418488


Sorry, kind of switched gears. I was referring to your computer setup. I was able to find quite a few KVM extenders, but all of them were VGA not DVI.
Click to expand...


Ah....I've only seen the VGA ones. There are DVI to VGA adapters if the DVI isn't HDCP.
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