Full house Audio and Video - The last piece of the puzzle.

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  • chris_j_hunter
    Automated Home Legend
    • Dec 2007
    • 1713

    #16
    Full house Audio and Video - The last piece of the puzzle.

    sorry, should said Component not Composite ... and it seems Component can be digital, now ... not sure of the details, but presumably it's what Abitana are using ... seems unlikely the HDMI DRM-encryption would add much to the bandwidth demands, so I think I'd still expect digital Component HD (+ Audio) to need the same dual Cat-5e cable run, for the larger formats, if not all ... OTOH, great if not ! Maybe it's the audio that takes the second ?

    I've Googled, without bottoming this one, but I'm sure somebody knows ...
    Last edited by chris_j_hunter; 26 December 2007, 10:27 PM. Reason: Audio extra, not included ...
    Our self-build - going further with HA...

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    • chris_j_hunter
      Automated Home Legend
      • Dec 2007
      • 1713

      #17
      Full house Audio and Video - The last piece of the puzzle.

      re-reading the Abitana news release, it does seem they use analogue video & digital audio, all going via one Cat-5e cable :

      http://www.abitana.com/index.php?id=49&L=0&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=20&tx_ttnews[backPid]=1&cHash=cae4cd11ec

      ... The connection of the A/V source to the Home Network is made by means of a Component Video adapter ABI-AS1003S00. This adapter draws the Component Video signal (YUV, YPbPr, YcbCr) and the coaxial Digital Audio signal from the A/V source and provides it on the RJ45 connector of the adapter. The Component Video is available on the green, blue and red connector (Y on the green connector, U/Pb/Cb on the blue connector, V/Pr/Cr on the red connector) and the coaxial Digital Audio signal is available on the white connector ...

      at least, they only mention digital on the audio ...

      so ... still seems a lot to be going through one Cat-5e ...

      anyway ... eaten too much, and best put my head down again ...
      Our self-build - going further with HA...

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      • TimH
        Automated Home Legend
        • Feb 2004
        • 509

        #18
        Component = digital?? I'm not sure about that...

        Although, I wonder if it's the blind leading the visually impaired here...

        Component is an analogue standard, and that's what I reckon Abitana are doing. After all, "HD" is a resolution and not a transport method (HDMI = a transport method). And, confusingly, there are two (AFAIK) "HD" "standards": 720 & 1080.

        FWIW, a friend has a Pioneer 42" plasma (I forget the model #). This blows away *everything* else I've seen in the shops. He has it fed with the HD box that Virgin cable do (again, I forget the name of this, a bottle of Merlot later and things aren't as clear as they used to be... )

        It's also been said that the "classic" Xbox upscales SD DVDs to 720p "HD" resolutions amazingly well.

        There was a point here, which I think I'm struggling to make, which is perhaps two-fold...
        a) it depends what you feed the display with, and in all probability a crappy Freeview box will give a correspondingly crappy picture, and,
        b) a "proper" demo is required of whatever you decide upon, and also some competitive products, to make sure you can tell the difference and its not "Emperor's New Clothes" syndrome - much the same as you would audition proper hifi components...

        Sorry, a bit of a ramble. Maybe I should post in the morning when I haven't had quite so much wine...

        HTH somewhat...

        Tim.
        My Flickr Photos

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        • TimH
          Automated Home Legend
          • Feb 2004
          • 509

          #19
          Originally posted by chris_j_hunter View Post

          so ... still seems a lot to be going through one Cat-5e ...
          But it is only video...
          I suspect the Abitana baluns put one "signal" over one core of the Cat5 so it is only a video signal being transferred and there's nothing else being superimposed over the top which would affect bandwidth...but I don't really know for sure...

          anyway ... eaten too much, and best put my head down again ...
          I know how you feel...
          My Flickr Photos

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          • chris_j_hunter
            Automated Home Legend
            • Dec 2007
            • 1713

            #20
            Full house Audio and Video - The last piece of the puzzle.

            Tim ...

            many thanks .... think I'm like you with the wine ... that and that Austin Stevens guy with his snakes, who was on the telly this evening ...

            as you say, need to audition, but all this is relatively new, so not sure how easy that would be to do ...

            we're wanting to send HDMI signals to remote screens, around 20m to 30m away, as the cables go ... maybe four+ sources, not co-located, and maybe be eight screens, half not co-located ... hence my nervousness of anything analogue ! Screens would be nothing large - 20 to 30", mostly 24", probably, eventually, plus maybe a projector (or maybe something large). Sources would be AppleMacs & maybe a BlueRay player or two ...

            The Gefen products sound good & complete, but too expensive ! The Avrio products seem more limited (less ability of mix & match, sources & screens) but more affordable ... no doubt the market will evolve ... maybe we should lay just conduits & drawstrings & await events ... our budget would certainly encourage us to do that !
            Our self-build - going further with HA...

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            • TimH
              Automated Home Legend
              • Feb 2004
              • 509

              #21
              Originally posted by chris_j_hunter View Post
              maybe we should lay just conduits & drawstrings & await events ... our budget would certainly encourage us to do that !
              That's what I've done although, for now, I've filled the conduits with Cat5e, coax & speaker cable. My wiring is really configured for a centralised infrastructure, although items with an ethernet port could be located anywhere.

              How far off are you "finishing" your place?

              Tim.
              My Flickr Photos

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              • chris_j_hunter
                Automated Home Legend
                • Dec 2007
                • 1713

                #22
                Full house Audio and Video - The last piece of the puzzle.

                Tim -

                >finishing ...

                outside almost done, started on inside, drains & waste-pipes are all in ('cos they're most particular on routes & falls), ventilation pipes going-in now ('cos need to ensure clean flow, so they're quite critical, too), plumbing & electrical conduits next (in that order, maybe, 'cos need the plumbing to be quiet), then ufh & screed & plaster ... then maybe top-floor down ... trouble is, we've other things going-on & don't get as much time as we'd like to do it ! Still, gives more time for homework ! Updated the photo's on UK_Selfbuild the other day ...

                Anyway, hence the burning interest in Cat-5 & network topologies & DIN-rails & tools, etc - in this case for the AV part of the job ! We've taken a lot of trouble over things acoustic, so I'm keen to try it out ... wonder when that'll be & what we'll play first ??

                Chris
                Our self-build - going further with HA...

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                • chris_j_hunter
                  Automated Home Legend
                  • Dec 2007
                  • 1713

                  #23
                  Full house Audio and Video - The last piece of the puzzle.

                  Tim -

                  >analogue ... digital ...



                  includes this :

                  Digital component video is slowly becoming popular in both computer and home-theatre applications. Component video is capable of carrying signals such as 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p, although some TVs do not support 1080p through component video.

                  and the Abitana mention in

                  http://www.abitana.com/index.php?id=49&L=0&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=20&tx_ttnews[backPid]=1&cHash=cae4cd11ec

                  of YcbCr in :

                  The adapter draws the Component Video signal (YUV, YPbPr, YcbCr) and the coaxial Digital Audio signal ...

                  made me think there could be a digital Component option ...

                  that they could be using ...

                  YcbCr, as in :



                  Chris
                  Our self-build - going further with HA...

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                  • Paul_B
                    Automated Home Legend
                    • Jul 2006
                    • 608

                    #24
                    Chris,

                    Do you have a link to the pics on the Self Build pages?

                    We have discussed the type and style of wiring but what sort of video will you my distributing and how? Are you going to rip DVDs to NAS, link mutliple free-view / free-sat units direct into the topology? Use streaming from PC cards?

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                    • chris_j_hunter
                      Automated Home Legend
                      • Dec 2007
                      • 1713

                      #25
                      Full house Audio and Video - The last piece of the puzzle.

                      Paul -

                      >UK_SelfBuild ...

                      Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo!


                      you'll need to join to get to the Photos area ... I included a montage, which you'd have to view with the large option, though I rather over-did the file-size reduction on the jpeg ... was thinking too much of people's down-load times ... next time I'll be less extreme !

                      >what sort of video will you my distributing and how ...

                      anything out of the Macs, which (going forward) probably includes quite a lot, certainly photo's & videos, possibly TV (if we have it, we don't at the moment), and stuff from the 'net, plus DVDs & HD-DVDs / BlueRay ... the Macs will be networked with Ethernet, of course, including some form of NAS & the MiniITX running 'XP for Cortex etc, and they will feed external displays (standard, dual included) via DVI & HDMI, which we intend to use to feed several around the house, some small, primarily for info' (time, weather, HA status, etc), some larger, primarily for HD photo's & video ... well, that's the idea, anyway ... it'll be a challenge, budget-wise, but hopefully there'll be some good end-of-line offers from time to time !

                      Chris
                      Our self-build - going further with HA...

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                      • chris_j_hunter
                        Automated Home Legend
                        • Dec 2007
                        • 1713

                        #26
                        Full house Audio and Video - The last piece of the puzzle.

                        PS: should have noted that the Macs will run OSX & Windows & Linux, and that the DVDs / HD-DVDs / BlueRay data doesn't have to go (as it were) through the Macs, 'though often it will ... and that stuff from the 'net could be e-mails or movies, or anything in-between ... that the bandwidth will allow (G3 will soon be 14+ whatever the units are, and landlines presumably will take another step up, which we need to anticipate) ...
                        Our self-build - going further with HA...

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                        • The Masked Installer
                          Automated Home Lurker
                          • Dec 2007
                          • 3

                          #27
                          I know they've been mentioned on this thread already and discounted on cost grounds, but Gefen make the most fantastic HDMI over Cat5e products. Needs two Cat5e cables, but it's great quality stuff. For component switching - whether you're going to distribute it over Cat5e or coaxial - Autopatch make really nice matrix switchers.

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                          • chris_j_hunter
                            Automated Home Legend
                            • Dec 2007
                            • 1713

                            #28
                            Full house Audio and Video - The last piece of the puzzle.

                            'trouble is, the Gefen kit is not just expensive, it's v.expensive - would need a v.good margin to put one in unexpectedly !

                            1 to 10 HDMI :

                            at USD650 + cables

                            which gives some hope, but :

                            1 to 8 HDMI over Cat-5 :

                            at USD5000 (3000 as above + 8x250 receivers) + cables

                            1 to 8 Component over Cat-5 Matrix :

                            at USD3100 (1500 + 8x200) + cables

                            4 to 4 HDMI over Cat-5 Matrix :

                            at USD4000 (includes receivers & cables)

                            4 to 4 HDMI over Cat-5 Extender :

                            at USD2000 (includes receivers & cables)

                            BTW, they all do up to 1080p TV / 1920 x 1200 Computer, which is great, up to 150' away (1080i would be 300'), their web-site is a model of clarity, and the range of their kit is amazingly complete !
                            Our self-build - going further with HA...

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                            • The Masked Installer
                              Automated Home Lurker
                              • Dec 2007
                              • 3

                              #29
                              Gefen

                              Beautifully made too. yes, but you're right they are expensive

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                              • Paul_B
                                Automated Home Legend
                                • Jul 2006
                                • 608

                                #30
                                I just can't get video multi-room distribution sorted in my mind so please help explalin to my thick head!

                                First of all what I want:
                                All AV kit located out of site (in the garage)
                                Receive any available video source in any room (living, kitchen, master bedroom). Either the same source or different source.
                                Digital TV through aerial will not be available until 2012 here (we are too close to France so transmission signals have to be very low)

                                What I am thinking:
                                I need a Matrix Switch? From reading AVForums HDMI still seems expensive and problems with compatability between manufacturers. Therefore, I am thinking component.
                                Does a Matrix Switch for Component direct to CAT5 exist?
                                Would I be better off running co-axial cable as well as Cat5?

                                How do I use all 4 satellite signals from the dish (1 x Full Sky Package and 3 x Freesat)
                                What about using Microsoft Media Centre or MythTV with a Hauppage Capture Card and then a media center extender for each room (like the new Linksys MC Extender II)?

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