Hello all. Finishing my basement. My wife wants a 50+" tv on the basement wall ..."whenever I'm done." We're NOT trying to make a "media screening room" with perfect seating and acous tics. Just a big tv with some comfy sofas. My question is, is it worth the effort to extend the cable tv wire to this location from the main floor tv/cable/dvr box? Or are today's tvs and perha ps a dvr box upgrade so fantastic that I can just as well do everything via my local wifi network in the house? I haven't stayed current with the lat est A/V tech and I just don't want to go through all the trouble to run the cable wire for nothing.
Related follow up question: my wife wants surround-sound and is asking me t o install speakers in the walls and ceiling. Is this sort of thing done an ymore? or strictly a 1990's thing? Again, I don't want to install somethin g that is obsolete or even regrettable.
If you have a smart TV and home network with good router it is possible. Where is your cable entry point in your house? At my house, all cable entry point is basement utility room and upper two floors have cable connector in every room and loft.
You can do a lot with "wireless". But, that means you are *depending* on wireless! As the ether gets more congested with signals that *can't* find copper/fiber paths from here to there, you may discover quality or even connectivity suffer (or, have to be "upgraded" over time just to accommodate more uses you've tried to address "without wires").
Also, wireless has to coexist with any/every other wireless user nearby. If you're alone on a 4 acre spread, this might not be an issue. OTOH, if you're in a townhouse with a neighbor on the other side of a stud wall...
I wired the house (retroactively, after it had been standing for a decade or so) with phone, CATV and network. I don't want to *rely* on a wireless technology (or even powerline carrier) as the basis for these things but, rather, fall back on it if I find myself in a situation (later) that can't easily be addressed with "wires".
[Why wire a home for phone? Doesn't *everyone* use a cellphone?? What about the folks who don't??]
Originally, I planned on just doing *everything* "over ethernet". But, that puts other prequisites in place that I -- or a future homeowner -- might not be happy with. So, I ran phone, CATV and network to every location that might need/want it (notable exception is the two countertop phone/network locations don't include CATV -- if I want a TV on the kitchen counter, I'll have to serve video over the network!)
In this case, that means two drops in each bedroom (because you don't want to "force" the phone/TV/computer to reside in a specific location chosen with one particular furniture arrangement that could change over time: "Let's try moving the bed onto THAT wall, instead"), four in the living room, three in the family room (one wall is essentially glass) three in the dining room, one on each of the front and rear porches, etc.
Once you've got things "exposed" to the point where you *can* run wire, then you're really only saving a little bit of labor and a little money (wire is cheap). OTOH, once you've *finished* the work/remodel, opening things up to *add* wire is a real PITA!
Moral of story: run any wires you *think* you might need/want, now. At the very least, a CAT6 drop so you can bring the network into the basement (CAT5 if you want to save a few pennies on wire).
Again referring to my "everything over ethernet" comment, above, I chose to locate speakers in certain places where I expected to want them in the long run. E.g., the four corners of the kitchen (up high, near the ceiling), two on the back porch (again, up high so out of the way), and the four corners of the family room (up high, yada yada).
I did *not* install any in the living room as its a "less informal" place (double negative?) and felt that the presence of permanent speakers there would compromise how the room was used, etc.
But, instead of wiring them *to* a piece of "stereo equipment" (or HiFi or multimedia or...), a single network cable brings the audio program to each speaker (individually). Sort of like "internet radio" but without the (visible) computer -- instead, the computer is installed *in* the Jbox to which each speaker connects (it's REALLY tiny!). I also deliver power to those little computers over the network cable.
So, I can pipe "music" into any of those locations from a "multimedia server" located in a closet. Because their power is sourced down the network cable, I can power each "speaker computer" on or off without the need for a power switch *on* the speaker. Or, a volume control knob, etc.
Because they are fed from a server, I can just as easily pipe the audio content of a TV show through them. So, locate the "TV screen" wherever that might be convenient and omit the need for *more* speakers just for the TV.
I also have a pair of speakers located in the ceiling on different ends of the house. These are hard-wired (via "speaker cable") to a computer that handles my HVAC needs. Their primary purpose is to act as the
*doorbell* for the house as they are just trying to cover "general areas" and not targeting a specific media listening/viewing environment.
[Eventually, I'll let them be used for a "paging" sort of function]
Most important issue is to realize that just because it's low voltage cable, doesn't mean the Code doesn't apply! By way of specific example, running typical "lamp/zip cord" ("speaker wire") in the walls is verbotten. Lamp cord is STF1 or STF2 but you need CL2 (or CL3) certified cable to comply! And, you can't just tack up cable wherever you deem it fit (esp CATV!)
[If you opt for running network cable, make sure you buy Riser (CMR) cable at the very least. I buy it in 1000ft boxes as its more affordable that way. You'll also have to learn how to crimp the terminations -- such fun! :> ]
We have a smart TV but that doesn't help you much to get anything but streamed programs (not cable/sat or broadcast). It does tag my network, get out to the web for Netflix etc or talk to the media library on my PCs. IMHO that is more cumbersome that just putting movies on a thumb stick and plugging them into the TV. I put a
4 port hub on mine so I can have 4 ports out front You can also plug in a USB disk drive.
I ran cable throughout the house when I moved in 30 years ago, and I'd do it again. Besides 18" long bits, which are easy to get, they also sell flexible drill bits 3, 4, and 6 feet long, that can allow you to cut a hole in the sheetrock and insert the drill and drill up to the attic or down to the basement. I bought them at a telephone store, but both of them have gone out of business. Now they even sell them at Home Depot, though the selection was less. Probably the most popular sizes and what you are most likely to want.
Originally I only had cable, with a box in my bedroom and the basement, wired by the cable guy, but I got a VCR and stopped using the basement box as much. I ran the output of the VCR, and not the DVDR, to all the other rooms, and I found that every second splitter, one needs a signal amplifier. So I have two signal amp/splitters and they've been running 24/7 for 29 and 32 years and still work fine. One was covered with clothes for a couple years but it didn't seem to matter.
But you won't need a signal amp if you don't have splitters.
When the cable guy came, I asked him if, instead of putting the cable box on top of the tv, he could put it in the closet, 8 feet away. I don't know if he was serious or not, but he said he wasn't sure the signal would go that far. A little later, when I was running the cable to the kitchen, for some reason, I had the cable going down to the basement 9 or 18 feet, then forward, back, and forward 35 feet, for a total of 114 or 123 feet, and the picture and sound were fine. Of course this is standard def, that's all there was then. But I don't think 123 feet would be a problem for hi-def either. You can check on that yourself.
So why did the installation think 8 feet might be a problem?
I have a TV in my bedroom, one cable up to the attic where I put a spare TV, and a phone (in case the ladder gets knocked down again and I want to call for help) a tv in the office bedroom.
The other line goes through the closet floor behind or into the corner of (I forget) the built-in bookcase, where there's a splitter to the living room TV, then through the floor to the basement to the work shop TV, through the celing to the laundry room/wood shop for a tv, and up to the kitchen for the kitchen tv. I live alone and can play the same program whatever room I'm in. I'm going to connect it to the computer in the next few months.
Wireless is great for devices that are mobile; tablets, laptops, etc. Wired connections are still faster and more reliable for stationary devices like a TV.
At the very least, run a coax and CAT6 ethernet cable to your TV location. If you think you may ever want to relocate the TV, go ahead and run extra cables there too before you close everything up.
Absolutely. Just make sure you use plenum rated speaker wires if you run them inside the walls.
I installed in-wall speakers around our house because I like the clean look (no big speaker boxes sitting on shelves). But you could run the in-wall wires to speaker jacks just as easy.
One of the best things I did when we built our house was to install conduit and empty junction boxes. Rather than preinstalling a bunch of cables I may or may not need, I can easily install new cables and cover plates as my needs change.
Install 1" or greater empty conduit all the way back to your communications closet so when you need the latest and greatest cable you can just pull it in.
Some of the new sound bars are rather good. I have a pricey surround sound with 6.1 but doing it again I'd get a good sound bar and forget about wiring speakers.
Depends on what the source of your TV content and the load on your WiFi router as well as the quality of your WiFi router.
Many consumer WiFi routers can not handle much more than 10 - 15 devices at once. Once you figure in all the iphones and ipads and computers and other connected gear you get to that quantity in a hurry.
My main TV has a few runs of RG-6 coax running to it, one for DirecTV, one for a roof antenna, one to feed output from another video source upstairs back to this set in the family room. WiFi is also available to play shows stored on a router connected 2TB hard drive.
Yes, of course. When I moved (back) to cable internet last year, I routed a cable under the house from the j-box, and ending up coming out of a wall plate to feed the modem. The cable company had originally strung the cable around the outside of the house, and done a rather piss-poor job at it, and I ended up removing it in the interim.
Should the time come when I no longer need it, the amount of work to snip the cable and spackle up the hole in the wall is trivial.
I'm probably just using the wrong terminology again. It has been 12 years since we built our house, so some of the details get a little foggy these days. :)
When we built our house in 2003 we were required by code to use CL2 or CL3 rated speaker wire. Both types are widely available and relatively inexpensive.
The important tip was the original poster shouldn't just run bare two conductor speaker wires inside the walls.
re NOT trying to make a "media screening room" with perfect seating and aco ustics. Just a big tv with some comfy sofas.
s location from the main floor tv/cable/dvr box? Or are today's tvs and per haps a dvr box upgrade so fantastic that I can just as well do everything v ia my local wifi network in the house? I haven't stayed current with the l atest A/V tech and I just don't want to go through all the trouble to run t he cable wire for nothing.
to install speakers in the walls and ceiling. Is this sort of thing done anymore? or strictly a 1990's thing? Again, I don't want to install someth ing that is obsolete or even regrettable.
I hope you find the right speakers to install. Until then, you may want to try these great speakers that I found. They offer a Bose-like sound, you ca n Sync them wirelessly, they have 12 hours of playing time, a noise-cancell ing microphone, playback control and much more. It is the perfect gift for anyone who appreciates music. I was impressed by all of the great reviews a nd they received a Buyer's Choice Award. Check them out using the link belo w.
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