Where to put the A/V components?

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Bill V

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A question for the A/V people on the site...



My wife and I are considering putting a TV in our bedroom. The room is pre-wired (coax-in and electricity) for a TV to be mounted high in one corner of the room. We plan to get a flat screen, and have it mounted slightly at an angle, perpendicular to the sight line from the bed against the opposite wall to the TV.



However, we'd like to be able to watch DVDs (or maybe Bluerays sometime in the future) on this set, as well as a DVR. So we need a place to put these components.



Nothing in the immediate vicinity of the TV seems really practical. Mounting them below the TV will result in these bulky components sticking out, wrecking the visual streamlining obtained from a plasma or LCD television. It might be possible to put something behind the TV, but it could still look unsightly, might be difficult to mount with the television support bracket, and may be difficult to access for changing discs (and it's my understanding that many DVD/blueray players won't function if placed vertically).



Does anyone here have any ideas, and/or have you seen any creative ways people have dealt with this issue?
 
If you have a large headboard, or captains bed (drawers under matress), perhaps you can use a drawer or shelf to place the equipment, and then it would be hidden, but well within reach. Wiring could be done under carpet at molding, or even brought outside in a corner hidden, and then return at the tv.



Another option would be a 'built in' look, by mounting equipment in a wall that has storage (closet) or other non-exposed area behind it. Face it with doors matching other furniture in the bedroom.
 
Les, Jerry, don't HDMI cables have significant loss with runs that long? Or is this either an old wives tale or out-of-date data?
 
HDMI is digital you either have signal or don't.. I have an HDMI to DVI cable run that is 50 feet long and works perfectly.
 
Yes if you don't have line of sight with the remote to the box you will need to convert the devices to RF and get an RF remote.
 
Here is what I used when I ran my wires through the wall for my media room.



Its HDMI over CAT5E / CAT6



I recommend if you need any cables or wall plates to get them from Monoprice.com. I've ordered multiple times from them and have been very satified.
 
In regards to the remote. I went with one of these. Works great and able to use my Logitech 880 to control all the componets in the closet out of sight.



IR Repeater Distribution Remote Control Extender System uses Cat5/6
 
Check out the Component Wall Mounts" @ Sanus.com

We have been dealers for Sanus over ten years and this line is a "cut above".

"You get what you pay for", is spot on here.
 
Bill, we do this all the time for customers. Most of the time, the components end up on a shelf in the closet like Les said. Of course you will need A/C power and the cables snaked in and through walls. We have had good results with the cat 5 baluns with long runs ( smaller and easier to run than HDMI ). I wouldn't put them under the bed, as some of the components get hot and its too dusty under there. Everything depends on the layout of your room. Sometimes the equipment is on a small dresser or A/V cabinet under the TV. You then can use much shorter cables that way. I'm doing one of these installs Friday over a fireplace with equipment on the side of the fireplace. Good luck with the project.
 
Bill, I have a slightly used HotLink Pro IR repeater for sale if you're interested. I'll take $40 shipped for it, its in like new condition and works great. I was using it with my equipment set up in a cabinet that I built into the wall around the side of my fireplace (TV is above it), but then my Harmony 880 bit the dust and I replaced it with a Harmony 890 that includes an RF to IR repeater setup, so I no longer need it.
 
Thanks Dan--I'll keep that in mind!



I'm looking at the setup guide for the HotLink Pro right now. If I have the A/V components in a closet, and I want to be able to control them by pointing the remote at the TV, I'd mount the receiver eye on the TV, and put the repeater box in the closet. And then I'd need to run a cable between them to connect them. Is that cable standard CAT5/6 coax? The instructions say that coax extender cable is available in custom lengths, but provides no info on if it's something proprietary or not.



Otherwise--what do you think of the 890? I have an 880 in our living room--I generally like it, although I've been disappointed by it's range. (Anything over about 10 feet away tends to not receive the signal. I suspect that it's the result of it being dropped so often by our 2 and 3 year olds.) I've also heard nice things about the Harmony One--although it's also IR and would therefore also need the repeater.
 
I really like the 890, except the display on mine has gone out and I need to send it in for service. I got it for a really good price from ebay, but somehow didn't realize it was a refurb, and I usually don't buy refurbs. I have no problem using it without the display, but my wife and kids don't have it memorized like I do (the basic funcions, at least). My remotes also take quite a beating from my kids (and my wife!).:angry:



As for the HotLink, I believe you can use standard cable, but I'm not completely sure. I'm still in Texas at the moment and its at home in Florida. I think it was just an RCA type plug on the eye, and I see on the SmartHome website one of the reviewers states that he extended it with a 50ft. audio RCA cable.
 
Hmmm...Looking at the Hot-Link website, I may need to consider trying that on my living room system, as it claims to be able to double remote usability lengths via an extra-sensitive eye. Right now in our living room, if you're sitting on the main sofa, you need to get up and move a few feet closer to the entertainment center just to get a response. :angry:
 
I'd probably use an armoire for the components, that way the closet space is retained and the components can be closer to the TV and the room. Dickering with components in a closet is no fun. Also, and armoire reduces the issues of line-of-sight and the IR remotes.



Either way, make sure you have good ventilation. Today's AV components run.hot, hot, hot, and without good ventilation their lifespan is shortened.



TJR
 
TJR, good advice, but in our particular situation, an armoire isn't very practical to the room layout. And the more I think about a closet location, I think we have a really good spot which would be well-ventilated, easily accessible by adults but inaccessible by kids, existing shelving, and not-too-difficult to get electricity and cables to. So I think that's going to be the option.



The question now, for my wife and me, becomes whether we're going to just do the TV for now, without installing any receiver; or if we'll also add in a receiver and speakers for a truer theater setup. If I'm understanding everything correctly: If we add in an receiver, I'll need to run cables to get sound from the TV to the receiver, and video from the receiver to the TV. The DVR and DVD would then connect locally to the receiver. I'd also obviously need to run speaker wire. If we don't do a receiver, I'll need to run cables to get sound and video (likely combined in HDMI) from both the DVR and the DVD in the closet to the TV. And either way, if I use a HotLink Pro or something similar, I'll need to run the cable for that. I'm personally leaning toward doing the sound system--both for TV usage and for music. (Would also likely run a set of speakers from the receiver to the master bathroom with a separate in-wall volume control. Would be great for when we're soaking in the hot tub.)
 

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