Connecting PC upstairs to TV downstairs to play games with Xbox wireless receiver.

Hmm i always thought 500 mbps powerline would be same as a cat 5 cable.

Cat 5 or any kind of category cable is just that , a cable.
The Standard use for this kind of cable is networking , and more often than not this means TCP/IP or some other standard networking protocol.
Its the equipment connected by the cables that determines what kind of signal protocol is being used , not the cable.

All the HDMI extender units you have linked too use the category cable in a non standard way , they are using it to get a "live" HDMI feed from point A to point B.
There is a massive difference in data rate between a "live" HDMI feed and data being streamed over a network.

The HDMI protocol is TMDS ( transition minimised differential signalling ) and can be up to 10.5Gb/second depending on the content.

Even if the protocol were compatible with Ethernet / TCP/IP that homeplugs work with , and its not , there is still no way any homeplug unit could handle that kind of data rate.

With the "affordable" HDMI extender units , the only ones that transmit unmolested HDMI are the ones using two runs of category cable , which must be wired to 568B and using all 8 connections. Both runs must be uninterrupted and must be the same length.

These units usually work better than a HDMI cable for runs exceeding 10 meters.
With HDMI , there is voltage attenuation on long runs ( over 10 meters ) which means that for a 15 meter cable say , there may or may not be problems in terms of the source and sink being able to see each other.
There would be no drop in quality , if its too long you will either get a no signal error or massive macro blocking and then a no signal error.

As long cables can cost just as much if not more than the extenders , I would just go ahead and get the extenders , as these will work with no issues.

The Main things to remember with these extender units ,
1: You cannot route the category cables through any kind of network gear , the signals these extenders put out are not compatible and it wont work.

2: Both runs must be the same length and uninterrupted , that means no joiners , patch panels or anything like that.

3: They must be wired as per the extender manufacturers instructions , so if they say T568A then use that , if they say T568B ( Most units use T568B but its important to check ! ) then use that , if wired incorrectly they simply wont work at all , as the manufacturer will be using specific colours to transfer each specific HDMI signal through the extenders.

Note: The "affordable" single cable HDMI extender units compress the data using various tricks , and the results usually have very visible artifacts , so I wouldn't recommend any of these units.

There are now systems whereby unmolested HDMI content can be sent over one run of category 5 , but these units are intended for multiple display pro distribution and the cheapest I know off costs approx 1000 euros , I would imagine that's not what you were planning on spending ?

Satellite signal quality is a whole different subject and nothing to do with what were talking about here.

By unmolested I mean lossily compressed , all the single wire units that do this are terrible , imagine your PC hooked up over a scart connection , that type of dreadful picture quality !

But there's no need to worry , the units that use two runs don't mess with signal and you get the same as you would over a HDMI connection.

The neet units , or any of the two wire units you linked to before , will work.

These will all get a picture from your PC to the TV.

How are you going to control in though ? None of these units have any facility for controlling the PC ? All they will do is get the Sound and Video to your TV.

I have that same Neet HDMI extender and it did the job for me to get HDMI to my projector in a previous house. That said, when I'm starting to buy new units for my current house, I'll probably push the boat out and get the Octava brand.

Their old unit transmitted over dual CAT5/6 but their new models use HDBaseT
http://www.tmfsolutions.co.uk/Octava_HD70STP-EX-UK.htm

£274.

mrcheez wrote: »

Just so I'm sure, what exactly are the problems if I get a high-quality 15m HDMI cable from NEET, instead of the 2 x Cat6 setup?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Neet%C2%AE-Black-Line-High-Speed-Ethernet/dp/B001AJDERQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414080429&sr=8-2&keywords=15m+hdmi+booster

"GENUINE 24 AWG gauge cable for ZERO-LOSS HD performance over distance"

These appear to have a booster built into them, plus I wouldn't need to use up a power supply, or have 2 cables running the length.

Price is cheaper than the Cat 6 solution?

I've never heard of a booster built into normal passive HDMI cables. I've heard of active cables but I thought they needed an additional PSU.

I have one of those Neet HDMI cables in a 10m length and it seems fine. The 15m cable you link to will more than likely do the job. But as mentioned above, for anything over 10m, baluns and twin CAT5 or CAT6 cables are recommended.

If the cable doesn't work I'm sure you could return it to Amazon and go for the other solution.

mmmm it could be the box itself is broken or your having HDMI/EDID handshaking issues. I installed a new AV processor over the weekend which has 3 HDMI outs, two of which are mirrored, and it worked fine as long as I didn't try and have two displays connected to the mirrored/split pair. So even with a very expensive piece of kit it's suspect to HDMI handshaking issues.

In my case I've ordered a "Dr. HDMI" EDID emulator to hopefully fool the processor that I have the same device connected to both mirrored/split HDMI outputs. They are not cheap - €65 each from Amazon.de.

If you disconnect all the other TV's and just have the main TV connected what happens? So take out all HDMI cables except the HDMI from UPC box to splitter and splitter to TV. Unplug everything from the mains (not just put them into standby) and leave it for 5 minutes. Then in order plug in the tv and switch it on to the correct HDMI input, plug in and switch on the splitter and finally plug in and switch on the UPC box.