It is a fact of life that our lives are slowly but surely being ruled by TV, not that what we do is controlled by TV but that it is becoming a feature of modern homes that there is a TV in every room.
For example in the Authors home we have a total of 4 TV’s located;
In the lounge – obviously.
In the kitchen – watched when cooking or cleaning up.
In the bedroom – watched in the morning and last thing at night.
In the kids room – as they don’t want to watch the same things we do.
The TV’s are driven by 4 types of content, Sky, Free view, DVD and Bluray all located at different positions around the home.
It is obvious that it would be desirable to view all content on all TV’s depending on which room the viewer is located. There are many methods available in order to do this and this article has been written to discuss the pros and cons of each.
Wireless Video Senders (None Hi-Def)
This is always the method that people try first with mixed results. They are generally made up of a sender and receiver which connects to the source (single) via Scart and then wirelessly transmits the video and audio to the receiver (which is connected to the remote TV again by Scart). There are 2 flavours of wireless video sender which use 2 separate frequency ranges, 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Generally the 2.4 GHz senders are much cheaper, for good reason. Unfortunately you probably already have a variety of devices in the home using the 2.4 GHz frequency band including Baby Monitors, Door Bells and Wireless Networks. These will all interfere with the video sender making the picture unwatchable. The 5 GHz senders are better but still not perfect.
Wireless video senders (None Hi-Def) are useful as a quick fix but suffer from the following problems;
Interference from other devices
Low definition signal
Generally Single Source
Wireless Video Sender (High Definition)
High Definition Video Senders are relatively new and as such still quite pricey at the time of writing we could only find 2 models available in the UK;
Marmitek Gigavideo 800
Gefen Wireless HDMI Sender
Both of the above models have connections for several input devices (so you can connect Sky HD, Bluray player etc at the same time.
The main problem with the above 2 devices is that they do not have a “pass through” for the local TV i.e. there is no way to connect the living room TV to the HD sources as well as the sender without additional equipment, the only way to currently do this is to use a HDMI Splitter. This mainly because these products are designed to be used in one room to connect the HD sources to a wall mounted TV or Projector where wiring would be a problem. Used in these scenarios the performance of the wireless HDMI video senders is very good and they do not suffer from interference like the low def senders above.
Cabled Install – Coax
This WAS generally the easiest method of distributing video around the home (especially for SKY) as most homes have coax (aerial connections) in most rooms already. Using Sky Magic Eyes and the RF2 output on the back of Sky boxes it is possible to watch Sky programming in every room and be able to change the channel from the remote TV. The main problem with Coax is that it is very old technology which has been phased out of modern equipment, i.e. you will not find a Coax output on any DVD player let alone a Bluray player.
Cabled Install – HDMI
HDMI is without doubt the connection method of choice for High Definition Video Signals. It’s an established technology with a whole plethora of connection products available such as;
HDMI Switches – for connecting multiple sources to one HDMI Port.
HDMI Splitters – for connecting multiple TV’s to one source i.e. lounge and kitchen TV to the same source.
HDMI Switcher Splitters – which combine the functions of the switcher and splitter above.
HDMI Matrices – These perform the same function as the Switcher Splitter above but allow you to view different sources on different TV’s i.e. Bluray in the lounge, Sky in the Kitchen.
Using a combination of the devices above it is possible to build any HD distribution system for your home.
There are however a few problems with HDMI;
Cable Length – The maximum realistic cable length for HDMI is about 15m. For lengths over this HDMI Extenders must be used.
Cable Routing – It is not possible to put your own connectors on HDMI cables so you have to ensure you buy the correct length cables and route them with the connectors already attached. The other problem with HDMI cables is that they are quite fat and stiff (as they contain so many individual wires).
Cabled Install – CAT5/6
CAT5/6 cable is the same type of cable as used by computer networks all over the world. It is much easier to route that HDMI cable and there are faceplates and connectors freely available.
In order to route Hi-Def signals over CAT5/6 you need HDMI CAT 5/6 BALUNS these take HDMI in one end and then spit out a CAT5/6 compatible signal at the other end. At the other end of the cable run another BALUN converts the CAT5/6 back to HDMI.
The main problem with using CAT5/6 to distribute HDMI signals is that it is a Point to Point solution and you cannot expand the number of receivers without running another length of CAT5/6 from the source.
Cabled Install – TCP/IP (also known as HDMI Over IP)
HDMI Over IP has the same advantages as CAT5/6 (i.e. it uses the same cables) but it is a one too many solution i.e. one transmitter can server several receivers. This means that the system can be expanded in the future easily and cost effectively.
In the Authors opinion the best current way to distribute video around your home is to use HDMI connections for close components (i.e. in the lounge) and then use HDMI Over IP systems for the longer runs.
An example of such a system can be found in the author’s home please see below for an example.
Lounge
Bluray Player -> HDMI Switcher SplitterÂ
SKY + HD -> HDMI Switcher Splitter
HDMI Switcher Splitter -> TV & HDMI Over IP Transmitter
Kitchen
HDMI Over IP Receiver -> TV
Bedroom
HDMI Over IP Receiver -> TV
Kids Bedroom
HDMI Over IP Receiver -> TV
This system allows any TV in the house to display what is being shown on the Living Room TV. The HDMI Over IP solution also allows remote control signals to travel back along the network which means we can change channel from the bedroom etc.
In the future we may upgrade the HDMI Switcher Splitter to a HDMI Matrix which would allow us to watch different sources in different rooms.
If you want to install this or any other system please visit www.hdmi4u.co.uk for easy to follow guides and all the latest technology in Audio and Video distribution.
About the Author
Anthony Morgan is the owner and Proprietor of HDMI4U which is an online store offering HDMI Distribution Equipment alongside easy to follow guides.
www.hdmi4u.co.uk – For
HDMI Cables, Splitters, Switches, Extenders, Distribution, Matrices, Wireless
HDMI and HDMI Over IP Solutions