[baldrick]

I figured I'd start a new thread rather than adding to other threads on this subject.

A lot of people post on here asking about multi-room options and I thought I'd put down my thoughts for discussion....

Using PC based multiroom systems is by far and away the best option now in my book. Windows Media Center works exceptionally well and once your content is digitised your free to disribute it how you want.

Sonos is by all accounts incredible. Either have player in each room or stack the players in a hub feeding discreet ceiling speakers in each room. From one control you can then listen your music throughout the house.

Music players like Soundbridge and Squeezebox give you local access to your music library and internet radio etc... In our new house I have installed stereo line level feeds and Cat 5 points in certain rooms. This allows me to plug in a music player and send the audio back the hub to feed the multi-channel amp.

Media center extenders give you full access to everything on your HTPC, allowing you to watch in the bedroom content recorded in the sitting room, or start a program recording in the kitchen and then head through to the sitting room and start watching the program before its finished!

These systems are totally scalable as they will work over a WiFi network, or flood wire with Cat 5 and Bob's your uncle. The only thing to consider is the location of speakers as these will need cabling.

If money is no problem then you can of course invest in full HD compatible matrix switching etc... but for the average man in the street I think an HTPC/media server based solution offers the most robust, customisable option....

It's been my experience that with multiroom options, easy access in those room is paramount. Whatever solution you choose, consider how you'll control everything from that room.

Don't constrain yourself to thinking about kicking off a CD or DVD. What if there's no sound? There's nothing like bidirectional control using RS232 over your receiver, so you can tell if there's no sound because the receiver is off, wrong input source, volume down, speakers muted, etc. Simply using IR won't give you the 100% reliability that most of our significant others expect in order to allow us to continue in this hobby.

Furthermore, contemplate what else you'd want control over in that room. If you choose to automate lighting, it would be inconvenient to replace the gazillion TV/DVD/etc remotes with an HTPC remote, a lighting remote, etc. Then, get a device that can address whatever you choose to do there. That too is where an HT/HAPC can offer more functionality at a better price point.