HDMI over CAT6 Ethernet

quattro_man

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Good morning,
Looking for a little guidance. I am about to move into a new house and want to cable it out with CAT6. Whilst doing this I want to move all the TV STB's etc into a central location with one box (or wall plate) that the TV (There is only one TV) plug into HDMI/Ethernet to obtain either broadcast TV (Terestial & SAT), Amazon Prime and DVD/BluRay/HDDVDs that are stored on a synology NAS. The selection of input source/device would be carried out via IR from a programmable remote control. My calculatio (allowing for future expansion) is that there will be 12 HDMI inputs + 2 RJ45 inputs (from the NASs). Audio will be from a SONOS Arc soundbar + 2x SONOS 1s for the rear and a SONOS Sub.
Any thoughts on a HMDI/RJ45 mattrix and Ethernet TX/RX equiment would be appreciated.
Thanks
Peter
 
Wouldn’t it be better to get an appropriate tv that had many of the streaming services built into it, and a cat6 back to your router /network switch . You could then limit your hdmi sources to none streamed sources sat box and freeview box , Blu-ray so 3 hdmi devices

I’d certainly be looking at rationalising your number of boxes

further more if you have only one tv it’s not a matrix (Many sources to many tvs ) you need but a HDMI switch (many sources to one tv)

so in your case a 4 way switch if you can rationalise your boxes to 4, if you do need more then maybe a 8 way switch . Then a hdbaset extender (hdmi over cat6)

4x cat 6 behind the tv

1 for tv streaming/network/internet connection
1 for hdbaset
1 for Sonos
1 spare

if you are cabling I’d also cable your rear Sonos ones as well with cat6 always better to wire if you can rather than relying on wifi
 
Bit tricky following your description - as sbriggs says with you only planning for a single TV you don’t require a Matrix.

We often get folk asking about hooking up all sorts of legacy gear - which can often be replaced by a much simpler streaming option using a Smart TV or Streamer, mostly that comes down to the content you need to view.

CAT6 - ensure you use sold core, non-CCA/CCS and avoid unnecessary breaks in the cable run.

Would be good to see a schematic of the long term plan.

Joe
 
As Joe says a full list of gear and a schematic would definitely help.

It could well be that spending your budget on a better TV could save you literally hundreds of pounds, and also be so much neater and easier to control.

Though run as many cat6 cables as you can would still be a good idea when you can
 
As Joe says a full list of gear and a schematic would definitely help.

It could well be that spending your budget on a better TV could save you literally hundreds of pounds, and also be so much neater and easier to control.

Though run as many cat6 cables as you can would still be a good idea when you can
HDMI Network.jpg
 
My design based on the limited information i have, you will have to consider the IR element as the Transmitter will need to be able to "see" all the sources and the HDMI switch



1599917097705.png
 
As @Joe Fernand mentioned, use solid core, UTP (non-CCA/CCS and not pre-terminated ethernet) cable if you are going to hard wire your system. I have two home theater systems, both of which are hard wired. The newer system upstairs is wired to an 8-port, powered gigabit switch, which then connects the tv, UHD/BD player, receiver, and ATV4k, which leaves me extra ports on the switch for expansion should I need it. Control for that system is done with a Harmony remote. The system downstairs is a bit simpler with some legacy devices but is still hard wired to the router and controlled by another Harmony remote.

You want to make sure that you don't use any wall plates, extenders, or adapters in your HDMI run if you plan on pushing 4k HDR because 4k HDR can be finicky with its connections so any "break" in the HDMI chain may result in issues. And, as usual, if there is any in-wall installation then you should consider a well planned conduit system for cable pulls and maintenance (replacement of cable).

HDBT is a good alternative but keep in mind that the current HDBT systems still push compressed data because I don't think there are any yet with the newest, uncompressed chipsets and ARC/eARC may still be an issue. Joe would know more about that than me so maybe he can add to or correct me.
 

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