CreativeVision
Standard Member
We are half way there ... and think (hope!) we have got it mostly right. Now is the time to start choosing and buying the equipment, so any advice would be highly appreciated!
Like many on here, we are using the opportunity whilst our house is being fully renovated to completely rewire...with a view to having a 'nice' system in the house when we move in and equally importantly, for the house to be wired for easy future expansion.
The builders have agreed to install our choice of cables and this is what has been done so far:
1. Using a utility room/storage area (which is centrally located in house) for all incoming external feeds (ie. Virgin Media, Freeview Aerial)
2. From this same point, the following cables have been installed to various points all over the house:
- 2 x Cat 6 (TruHD HDBaseT Cat 6)
- 2 x Coax (TV 100 Shotgun 75 Ohm Digital 350)
To each room where one of the double wall power sockets are being installed.
Also have run the Cat 6 to a projector area in ceiling in one room as well as to 4 other points in ceilings around the house (to install wireless access points).
3. Also have speaker cable going to 4 separate rooms for in-ceiling speakers.
Absolutely critical is not having source devices on display. The plan when we move in is actually to start off with a very simple set up:
1. Family room to have UHD TV with Sonos Playbar. This should somehow be connected to various unseen sources to allow us to:
- watch terrestrial freeview TV
- watch Virgin TV (ideally in UHD when broadcast)
- watch the TV's own SmartHub options (with wired high speed connection) and in UHD if broadcast
- watch BluRay
- watch one other device (e.g. Apple TV)
The sound for all above should come through the Sonos Playbar (which I assume is a simple as the connecting the PlayBar directly to the TV?)
2. Separate Reception Room (c.20m away), where we plan on installing a discreet cinema. This will probably comprise of:
- inside the room: fully recessed 8ft projector screen (tab tensioned and acoustically transparent), a ceiling mounted non-4K projector, 5.1 speakers (in-wall and in-ceiling).
- inside the separate utility room: the sources referred to above (except perhaps terrestrial) plus the AVR to drive the 5.1 sound
We are not sure about running a HDMI from projector cable to utility room as it will be about 16/17m distance in total once you include the distance up and down walls etc.
3. In-Bathroom small TV connected to same sources as above.
4. For multi-room sound, we plan following:
- kitchen in-ceiling speakers being driven by Sonos Connect + existing amplifier both placed in the central utility room rack
- bedroom in-ceiling speakers being driven by Sonos AMP placed in the central utility room rack
- reception/cinema room front L/R speakers being driven by Sonos Connect + cinema AVR
- lounge Sonos Playbar situated in room
- other bedrooms, individual Play1 placed directly in room as needed.
The Questions!
1. Given we only have one 4K display, does not sound like a HDBaseT matrix is the way to go? Overkill for our current needs and would not even send 4K as the other display (projector) will not be 4K?
2. Control system? Want a simple and reliable control situation, e.g. Logitech but could consider something better and more reliable (e.g. wifi based) if total cost was c.£1000.
3. Want to be able to watch Lounge TV and Cinema at same time with different sources. So the idea of running both through a simple switch on an AVR won't work, as if someone is watching a film in cinema room we definitely want to be able to watch e.g. Virgin Media in lounge. What's the best way to set up and what do we need to buy?
We were thinking about the HD Matrix from HDAnywhere but the thing that is really putting us off now is the apparent issue/complication once you have a mix of 4K and non-4K screens!
Firstly and most importantly we very much want to avoid any conflicts etc which lead to things not working properly (we have heard that sometimes when matrix switches between 4K to non-4K sources you lose sound) and second it seems a waste to lose the 4K we have on one device.
We will upgrade projector to 4K but only when they drop below £2k. Not willing to pay more than 4K for 4K
Like many on here, we are using the opportunity whilst our house is being fully renovated to completely rewire...with a view to having a 'nice' system in the house when we move in and equally importantly, for the house to be wired for easy future expansion.
The builders have agreed to install our choice of cables and this is what has been done so far:
1. Using a utility room/storage area (which is centrally located in house) for all incoming external feeds (ie. Virgin Media, Freeview Aerial)
2. From this same point, the following cables have been installed to various points all over the house:
- 2 x Cat 6 (TruHD HDBaseT Cat 6)
- 2 x Coax (TV 100 Shotgun 75 Ohm Digital 350)
To each room where one of the double wall power sockets are being installed.
Also have run the Cat 6 to a projector area in ceiling in one room as well as to 4 other points in ceilings around the house (to install wireless access points).
3. Also have speaker cable going to 4 separate rooms for in-ceiling speakers.
Absolutely critical is not having source devices on display. The plan when we move in is actually to start off with a very simple set up:
1. Family room to have UHD TV with Sonos Playbar. This should somehow be connected to various unseen sources to allow us to:
- watch terrestrial freeview TV
- watch Virgin TV (ideally in UHD when broadcast)
- watch the TV's own SmartHub options (with wired high speed connection) and in UHD if broadcast
- watch BluRay
- watch one other device (e.g. Apple TV)
The sound for all above should come through the Sonos Playbar (which I assume is a simple as the connecting the PlayBar directly to the TV?)
2. Separate Reception Room (c.20m away), where we plan on installing a discreet cinema. This will probably comprise of:
- inside the room: fully recessed 8ft projector screen (tab tensioned and acoustically transparent), a ceiling mounted non-4K projector, 5.1 speakers (in-wall and in-ceiling).
- inside the separate utility room: the sources referred to above (except perhaps terrestrial) plus the AVR to drive the 5.1 sound
We are not sure about running a HDMI from projector cable to utility room as it will be about 16/17m distance in total once you include the distance up and down walls etc.
3. In-Bathroom small TV connected to same sources as above.
4. For multi-room sound, we plan following:
- kitchen in-ceiling speakers being driven by Sonos Connect + existing amplifier both placed in the central utility room rack
- bedroom in-ceiling speakers being driven by Sonos AMP placed in the central utility room rack
- reception/cinema room front L/R speakers being driven by Sonos Connect + cinema AVR
- lounge Sonos Playbar situated in room
- other bedrooms, individual Play1 placed directly in room as needed.
The Questions!
1. Given we only have one 4K display, does not sound like a HDBaseT matrix is the way to go? Overkill for our current needs and would not even send 4K as the other display (projector) will not be 4K?
2. Control system? Want a simple and reliable control situation, e.g. Logitech but could consider something better and more reliable (e.g. wifi based) if total cost was c.£1000.
3. Want to be able to watch Lounge TV and Cinema at same time with different sources. So the idea of running both through a simple switch on an AVR won't work, as if someone is watching a film in cinema room we definitely want to be able to watch e.g. Virgin Media in lounge. What's the best way to set up and what do we need to buy?
We were thinking about the HD Matrix from HDAnywhere but the thing that is really putting us off now is the apparent issue/complication once you have a mix of 4K and non-4K screens!
Firstly and most importantly we very much want to avoid any conflicts etc which lead to things not working properly (we have heard that sometimes when matrix switches between 4K to non-4K sources you lose sound) and second it seems a waste to lose the 4K we have on one device.
We will upgrade projector to 4K but only when they drop below £2k. Not willing to pay more than 4K for 4K