What ceiling wiring is required for overhead media projector?

Mad Mike

We are half way through building a new extension and we have just had the notion of putting in a ceiling projector for movies and such. I haven't had time to investigate properly but we need to tell the electrician what wires are required before the ceiling gets sealed up.

I am thinking of a projector with built in speakers connected via HMDI to a media box of some kind that will be at ground level. Is this doable? It will be quite a long run from ceiling to floor perhaps 3 or 4 metres. Can HDMI do this? Is there an alternative way to do this?

In addition to HDMI we will need a power socket up there for the projector but are there any other cables we should put up there just in case?

Gmaximum

HDMI is standard now on all media devices, laptops etc. I'd suggest you'be be OK with HDMI and power

The maximum length for HDMI is 15m, going above 15m requires extenders and it begins to get expensive. If you're running HDMI invest in a good quality cable such as Kramer. Cheaper cables tend to be copper clad aluminium which can fracture and will cause issues.

If you're going for a true home cinema effect you should probably make provision for audio and run speaker cable to appropriate points in the room

Perhaps the electrician could leave a draw wire for you if there was a requirement for additional cables in the future

You could look at using chromecast or something similar as an alternative to running cables if that was preferred

MHI

Mad Mike wrote: »

We are half way through building a new extension and we have just had the notion of putting in a ceiling projector for movies and such. I haven't had time to investigate properly but we need to tell the electrician what wires are required before the ceiling gets sealed up.

I am thinking of a projector with built in speakers connected via HMDI to a media box of some kind that will be at ground level. Is this doable? It will be quite a long run from ceiling to floor perhaps 3 or 4 metres. Can HDMI do this? Is there an alternative way to do this?

In addition to HDMI we will need a power socket up there for the projector but are there any other cables we should put up there just in case?

HDMI Depending on Length, you should be ok to go 20m with HDMI.

Also run 2 x cat5e cables so you can run HD over cat5 if your HDMI cable ever fails.

imp1

As MHI says HDMI should be ok for 20m. Cat 5 is so cheap that at least one is worth running. If you fit a double 220v socket in the ceiling then a small amp can be fitted on the projector, use the audio out of the projector as the source for the amp and ceiling / wall speakers can be run unobtrusively. Get the spark to use proper speaker cable or anything other than 2 core white flex for the speakers, it won't sound any better, just be much much easier if you ever want to add speakers when it comes to finding the right cable to cut.

Mad Mike

Thanks for all the replies. I spoke to the electrician and he has fitted a 15 M HDMI + a power cable behind a discrete box on the ceiling. I had to take a guess at the location but I looked up some typical models and I think it is about right. It will probably be a couple of months before I get around to the next stage but I think that wiring will be a good start.

I didn't put any audio cable in but I believe it is possible to extract the audio from the HDMI at the source side should I want to put a separate amp in later.