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help with av setup

  • 26-07-2014 4:49pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 19


    I was just looking for advice about av requirements in my home. Here is a overview of what I have so far:
    -I have 3 rooms downstairs and 3 upstairs .
    -Each room upstairs is has 1 coax and 1 cat6 cable at the location of TV, all cabled back to a central location.
    -Downstairs in my kitchen I have 2 speaker cables in 2 corners of the room at ceiling height and 2 locations with coax and cat6 for TV.
    -In the smaller sitting room I have speaker cable in all 4 corners of the room at ceiling height and also 1 coax and 1 cat6 in 2 alcoves for TV ( not sure witch corner TV will go)
    -In the the larger sitting (main) room again I have speaker cable in all 4 corners at ceiling height and 1 behind the TV also behind the TV I have 2 coax and 2 cat6. There is also in another corner 1 coax and cat6.
    -All of this cable is cabled to a central location under the stairs and housed in a cabinet.
    -There is also 2 coax and 1 cat6 cabled to the attic ( for satellite, free veiw).

    For sound , what I want is a system that I can listen to music in all 3 rooms at the same time and separately, that can be controlled by laptop, tablet or phone wirelessly I would also like to be able to ad wireless speakers upstairs and maybe out in the garden.

    For video I would like to be able to have surround sound in main room, and I would like to be able to play DVDs in central location and watch in any room in house and to be able to access my hard drive in any room also.

    The coax cables in attic is going to be for free view TV dish and maybe a foreign satellite dish which I would also like to be able to view in any room. I also have a digital TV box from UPC in main room this is also my broadband router I am planning to fit a network switch in my cabinet and use 1 cat6 from router to feed my switch and 1 coax to split my digital box (so I can also view in another room).

    I think that's all the info but feel free to ask me anything I might have left out.

    So what I'm hoping to find out is if all of the above is possible and what type of av receiver will I need and what speakers to buy.

    Regards,
    Gary


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 184 ✭✭cyberspider


    I am looking at a similar set up and am still making my mind up about a few things. But here is what I would suggest - depending on Budget.

    Sonos for Audio as you can add additional zones if you need. You can use Connect:Amps to connect to the smaller wired rooms and a Connect (ZP90) to link to the amp powering your 5.1 sound system in the main room. Richersounds are selling off Sonos Connect's if you want to save a few quid, check out their forum http://www.boards.ie/ttfthread/2057265277.


    For video streaming you need to save all your files on a server and then index them. I would recommend Plex as the media server, running on something like UnRaid to preserve the files. You can install the Plex server software on your media server. You then need a media player connected to your devices to control and play the media. Your best option is to connect a cheap Roku or Chromecast to each TV with it connected to teh network. This means you can play different media in different rooms and also have other service like Netflix available.

    For the DVD and UPC TV you can place these in the central location and route video and IR over Cat6 using a HDMI extender over Cat6. This will allow you stream and control DVD & UPC from any of the other connected devices.

    In terms of Speakers and Amp. You need a 5.1 speaker setup for the main room and an AV amp. What you go for depends on Budget. The speakers in the wired rooms can be in ceiling or wall mounted Bookshelf speakers. The model all comes down to budget.


  • Registered Users Posts: 98 ✭✭MHI


    Hi Gavel

    I've just posted in another thread concerning Audio/Video Distribution see below, you are in the better situation that you have cat5 cable run to your TV points for HD distribution but your is similar.

    You have 6 Zones and maybe 10 sources we all have to many these days :)

    You want control via Tablet/Iphone/Smartphone devices, then i'd recommend a Russound C-Series System paired a Key Digital 4x4 HDMI Matrix, this can be controlled via the My Russound App on Android and Apple Devices. I'd always recommend to have in-wall keypads for local control but if you feel you can live with them well and good.

    The Russound C-Series has a built in turner, smart control, would auto switch the audio and video to whichever source you choose and also zone pre-outs for your zones where you are wired for surround sound.

    This is just an example of what you would have.

    Zone 1: Kitchen
    Zone 2: Dining Room
    Zone 3: Sitting Room
    Zone 4: Masterbed
    Zone 5: Bedroom 1
    Zone 6: Bedroom 2

    Source 1: Built in Tuner
    Source 2: Bluray
    Source 3: PS3/PS4/XBOX (Console)
    Source 4: Sky TV
    Source 5: Apple TV/Android Box (Movies And Stream Music/airplay from smartphone)
    Source 6: Apple TV/Android Box (Movies And Stream Music/airplay from smartphone)

    Concerning your zones without speaker cable (Don't know why it was wired like that) you could use Russounds New XStream Wireless System to add audio to the 3 zones upstairs. Of course all the above is budget dependent.

    Hope this helps if you need anymore info just pm me.


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