Electronics Gurus.....Television pre-wiring

[George Schilling]

My ignorance will certainly become evident here. I need to do the in-wall wiring for our new entertainment center. My first choice would have been to install a rather large conduit to facilitate future changes in technology, but due to construction limitations, looks like I'll be limited to just in-wall wiring sans conduit. So here are my questions:

1. What do I do?
2. I'm thinking I'll run HDMI v4 cable from the component area to the display. Do I need a separate cable for each component? How many would you suggest for now and into the future?
3. If all that's required is coax to bring the signal into the service providers box, why can't coax serve the display?
4. What guage speaker wire should I use for about a 10" run.
5. Do I need to shield any of this from the romex that I've run in the general area that these wires will be installed.
6. Are HDMI cables used to link components?

I know I'm clueless. The last time I did anything like this RCA plugs were state of the art.

Thanks for your help.

-George

[Steve Towers]

This might help.

http://columbiaisa.googlepages.com/diagrams_index.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Max Hayter]

1. Vote Obama
2. HDMI from provider box to TV (digital sound cable from provider box to amp)
3. HDMI > coax for big screen
4. regular speaker wire is fine
5. No idea.
6. Not really. They are just used to carry your HD picture from the component (Xbox, PS2, Cable box etc) to your output display (big TV). Additionally, you will need to run sound cabling (ideally digital) from your component, to your amp.

[Greg Peng]

Or if you're going to be using a receiver for switching between video input sources, and your receiver has this capability, you would only need to run one HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV. Most modern devices with HDMI output will carry the audio signals from the device (e.g. your HD cable/satellite box), and your receiver will decode it. So for these devices, you would only run one HDMI cable from the device to the receiver for both audio and video (answers "yes" to #6, depending on device).

[Max Hayter]

Or if you're going to be using a receiver for switching between video input sources, and your receiver has this capability, you would only need to run one HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV. Most modern devices with HDMI output will carry the audio signals from the device (e.g. your HD cable/satellite box), and your receiver will decode it. So for these devices, you would only run one HDMI cable from the device to the receiver for both audio and video (answers "yes" to #6, depending on device).

True - depends how clever your amp/receiver is.

[Kurt Rahn]

True - depends how clever your amp/receiver is.

George, if you don't have an A/V receiver, I'd get one before you start this. HDMI cable is brutally expensive and if you run a separate cable from each component, it's gonna add up quickly. The receiver will allow you to run one cable instead. Go here http://www.crutchfield.com and talk to one of their phone reps. They're really knowledgable and will help greatly in making your decision. They'll also help you figure out your other wiring too.

[Nicole Wong]

HDMI cable is brutally expensive and if you run a separate cable from each component, it's gonna add up quickly.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subde ... p_id=10240" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - scroll down..

[Lily Liu]

If your cable box or satellite receiver is like mine, and have no HDMI output from the box, you'll need the component to HDMI cable. Or better yet, connect the video using only component wires if your TV has the inputs for it.

http://www.dinodirect.com/HDMI-to-Compo ... -AV-Cable/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

since you have an amp, don't connect the audio portion of the cable, and instead run the audio straight from the box to the amp

[Jayson Woodruff]

Digital cables, no. Analog, maybe. Less so if there's little current running though the romex.

BTW, I found cheap HDMI cables at Harbor Freight, all lengths. Digital signals are extremely noise tolerent (like noise unaffected), so don't let best buy up sell you to $50 cables to 'get the most' out of your TV.

Jay W

5. Do I need to shield any of this from the romex that I've run in the general area that these wires will be installed.

[George Schilling]

Thanks for all the responses. Now I've been educated by the best autoxer's in the country, I can do this.

BTW, I found cheap HDMI cables at Harbor Freight, all lengths. Digital signals are extremely noise tolerent (like noise unaffected), so don't let best buy up sell you to $50 cables to 'get the most' out of your TV.

Yeah, I read that in Consumer Reports. Never though of Harbor Freight as a source of HDMI cables.

[Marshall Grice]

Digital cables, no. Analog, maybe. Less so if there's little current running though the romex.

Digital signals are extremely noise tolerent (like noise unaffected), so don't let best buy up sell you to $50 cables to 'get the most' out of your TV.

Jay W

that isn't true at all. Digital cables are quite sensitive to signal to noise ratio due to the large bandwidth being put through them. Now granted the picture looks great right until it starts to break up. The noise just shows up as pixelation instead of static or bars.

[Jayson Woodruff]

And there will be lots of static in an analog signal before there's pixelation in a digital one, when was the last time you vacummed?

Point is, expensive gold plated connectors don't do much for modern TV.

Jay W

Now granted the picture looks great right until it starts to break up. The noise just shows up as pixelation instead of static or bars.

[Aaron Goldsmith]

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subde ... p_id=10240" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Nicole Wong]

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subde ... p_id=10240

Hey, I already posted that link

[Aaron Goldsmith]

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subde ... p_id=10240

Hey, I already posted that link

yeah.. uh.. but mine.. is.. newer..

[Q V]

I'd personally run every single wire I can that the TV has inputs/outputs for (just-in-case). Separate wire for each component is better in the sense that a lot of TV's allow you to label & assign each input.

In my room (not run through the wall, however), I have the vga, component, and rca cables hooked up to the TV, but to nowhere outside. This is just in case I decide to hook up an old PC, old PVR, etc. to it for troubleshooting or something. I have 2 hdmi connections - one for the ps3, one for the PC (each have their own cool icons!).

And fyi, I prefer these hdmi cables from monoprice:



Bought all my sets of various lengths before I found out they have orange ones, though

[Bob Beamesderfer]

I have coax from the wall [brings sat TV signal to HD box] and for now coax to the TV, analog stereo to the AV receiver. There's an HDMI socket on the HD box and one on the AV receiver, but the receiver doesn't have HDMI switching, so I'll probably just run an HDMI cable to the TV.

More important than gold connectors is that the cable is latest HDMI spec.

[John Stimson]

1) Check out the cables offered on http://www.bluejeanscable.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. They have some high quality, large-gauge HDMI cable that is suitable for long runs.
2) There are two strategies: One HDMI cable for each potential source, and select inputs using the TV, or purchase an HDMI switch or an A/V receiver that can switch between HDMI inputs and then run only one HDMI cable to the TV. In the former case, you should have an audio cable back from the TV to your audio set -- either 2xRCA analog audio cable for stereo, or 6xRCA analog audio cable for surround, or digital audio 75-Ohm cable or TOSLINK fiber optic for digital surround. That way when you switch sources on the TV, the audio gets switched too. A/V receivers that can switch HDMI inputs might have an adjustable delay for the audio so you can compensate and not have to run a cable back from the TV.
3) Co-ax can carry digital video -- HDTVs can decode high quality 1080i video from a broadcast signal coming in through the co-ax input. However, most HD video sources do not have co-ax outputs. It's conceivable that you could find a box that takes an HDMI input and encodes it onto a VHF channel to send over co-ax line.
4) I would use 14 gauge wire, preferably with polyester/polyethylene (or better, teflon) insulation and not vinyl.
5) HDMI is twisted pair to reject interference, and some is shielded. You shouldn't have to shield it from the electrical wiring, but I would keep the signal cables apart from the electrical wires, and where they cross, they should cross at right angles.
6) Almost exclusively now. Exceptions are cheaper or older equipment like Nintendo Wii, which has only analog outputs.

[Michael Wolf]

George,

To address your overall concern, try to run conduit if you can. That way when technology changes, you can, for example, run fiber. And speaking of which, RUN FIBER! SPDI (I think) can still handle most signals, including audio and video. It's a great format and means only one fiber is needed. But run 3 anyway.

As for cabling, run something like a 12 conductor twisted pair and put a loop about a foot long at each end; that'll allow you to install whatever the hell current trend in signal cable by putting your own ends on it. You have to run twisted pair for noise considerations.

Seriously though, look into fiber. My setup is quite simple (yes, folks, I have a home theater system, which I paid a whopping $50 for - $35 for a projector, $15 for a screen, oh, I forgot about the $30 cable) and I just run an s-video cable to the projector. But I'm also not running 1080i. If you can find a fiber optic solution, go with it. Fiber is noiseless, lossless, and you can run nearly any distance - and if you exceed the rated distance, you just put in an optical booster - but since your system and projector probably aren't 5 miles apart, you probably won't need a booster.


That's my two cents.