wanting to hide zgemmah1/dm800hdse in cupboard can ir extenders work , ideas welcome

[awhitey44]

Hi guys,
was hoping you could give me some fresh ideas after me trawling the net and Im all dried up of ideas myself. Im having an extension built on the back of the house and its getting close to the stage were the builder is wanting to know what gear (av receiver, cables amps etc.) I have and where i want it going. I already own a dm800hdse which is in the main living room and am looking at purchasing either zgemma h1 or another dm800hdse. Heres the main issue. My wife has said that she does not want any box or cables at all on show anywhere in her new extension or kitchen. She has stated that she will allow me to hang my samsung f8000 55" on the wall only if it floats with nothing on show, I think she is wanting freeview and a power cable thats it.

I have tried to speaking to her reasonably and asked if i could have the builder fit a cupboard or shelf set back but she is saying no way. So I think im going have to situate all my gear in a cupboard in kitchen/utility room.

So finally to my question if i decide to purchase a zgemma h1 or dm800hdse is there a way I can run an ir extender of some kind so i can change channels. Ive read a lot and theres guides on how to solder and extend ir cable with cat6 wiring which is way to risky and difficult for noob like me, there is also these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261319495704?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191511684990?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

or

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marmitek-PowerMid-XL-infrared-extender/dp/B000GIXH42/ref=pd_bxgy_23_img_y

I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions, Im happy enough to hid all in cupboard but would just like confirmation that i will be able to change channel without having to open the cupboard door and point.

[awhitey44]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmXdGgcr-T4

this imo looks ridiculous however appears to do the trick - can anyone figure out what that device/kit is he is using?

[awhitey44]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Infrared-Remote-Control-Receiver-Emitter-USB-Adapter-IR-Extender-Repeater-EA-/201394642181?hash=item2ee40e5d05

i have found what he was using however his dm800 his shoved behind the tv mine is likely to be 8-10ft away in a cupboard

anybody out there any ideas please?

[maca]

I use this mate http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/nikkai-remote-control-ir-repeater-a37gw works a treat ..

[digicon]

if this is a brand new extension from scratch you need to run at least 2 x Coax and at least 2 x Cat6 cable to behind the TV, if you dont do this to future proof you will be sorry in the long run, always better to have more than enough.

I recently renovated my own living room and have 4 x HDMI (Hi-Speed with ethernet) 5 x cat6 5 x TX100 Coax 11 x Speaker cable for the home cinema LOL and even rewired for more extensions due to equipment changes, all mine is done in conduit wall chased and then re-plaster so i can change any cable at any time i need just to be on the safe side.

the cat6 will allow you to run HDMI sender/receiver unit for full HD from any Sat/Freeview receiver the Coax will do Freeview and satellite for the TV (I dont like sat/freeview combiners would rather have separate cables) and one spare cat6 for future use

[awhitey44]

a massive thank you both for your suggestions, I am going to ensure i put every cable that exists in the conduit including cat6. Digicon am I right in thinking that I only need to use a hdmi sender receiver unit if i am wanting to send the hd picture from my living room dm800hdse? This could be an option for me however my router is situated in the living room also next to my dm800hdse, I doubt I would get away with running a cat6 from my router to the the back of the living room into the new extension - the only way would be to run it under the carpet.
Digicon if i wish to have a seperate cable or sat receiver in the extension or kitchen so I can watch footy if she/kids are watching some other ~~~~~ then I am still stuck with the same problem. From what i hav read Mac the reviews are immense for the maplin receiver but it does say that the ir cable is short and an extender does not work. So this negates my idea of placing the gear in a cupboard away from the tv. I wish i could show you the rough plans of where the extension starts and finsihes and where i plan on mounting the tv.

I cant seem to understand how im going to do this without it looking crud. Wherever my gear is hidden Im obviously going to have to have a black ir receiver cable running from inside the cupboard to somewhere on view form me to point the remote at. She isnt gonna let me stick stuff to her new kitchen units and seeing a a black cable running up a cupboard is gonna look terrible.

The only other thing is to gamble with the wireless ir receiver?

Just to confirm Digi if i decided to purchase the hdmi sender you mentioned would all i need to run to the tv from that sender a cat6 cable? or would it need a cat6 and hdmi simultaneously connected to tv?

[awhitey44]

Hi Digi ive been watching youtube clips of the hdmi sender and i honestly find it stunning tht you can send/repeat hdmi signals over such great distance. My question is though surely for the cost of a zgemma or any other clone box why would someone choose to have this set up in the current climate. Obviously if there was no sly or virmin feed entering the extension I get why someone would opt for this but I cant see the argument for doing it. Like i say its impressive but I just think if Im in the dog house and wish to make myself scarce in the back of the house I dont want to be wacthing whats on in the living room or free to air channels.

So I ask you both based on my situation and that fact that Mac has confirmed the ir system works if my cupboard is around the corner back towards the entrance to the kitchen. As you enter the kitchen there is a galley walk way about 10ft and then the new extension opens out, the tv is on the far left wall which is literally a dog leg left, so am i going to have to nip around the corner each time I wish to change channel on my zgemma. I know there is the Ir option as mac said but the little jack lead which comes with all these kits seems to be a standard short imo size. which wont be able to be run 10-15 feet around the corner near to the tv so i can point. I bet i am just making all this complicated.
Would it help if i uploaded a basic plan of where im wanting things to go?

[awhitey44]

there is another option i have just thought about but this would be expensive i think. I could purchase a gigablue hd quad an an additional ip box. The ip box could somehow be hidden behind the tv and the little ir cable and sensor could be stuck on the side. this would set me back 350quid which could be painful

[digicon]

I based my HDMI cat6 theory on you having the Satellite receiver placed inside a cupboard in the new extension, not being funny is the wife paying for all this out of her own pocket. Geez put your foot down and tell here whats what and if you dont like it do one LOL (only joking).

Seriously though if you want HD then the cat6 senders are the most reliable form i know of about the size of an iphone and come with ir leads for full control, i can see what you mean that you have equipment in other rooms but i was in the same situation i had to rip open a stud wall in the hallway so i could feed all cables and reroute all my outside cables inside the interior walls ( i hate having cables run down external walls ). it took me a good few weeks and ended up redecorating my hallway even though i only did it last year but the benefit outweighs the work involved.

By the way the Gigablue IP box works with any Enigma2 receiver you could even get a raspberrypi2 to do exactly the same job, but it still needs network access for it to work so whether you run cat5e/6 or nothing at all and rely on wireless thats entirely up to yourself.

Grow a pair and get on with it LOL

[awhitey44]

Hi Digi - ur rite mate I need to strap a set on, I think Im finally catching the Jist of this now.
Ok so the living room was done last year and I dont have any spare hdmi ports in the tv plus the only option would be to pull up the carpet and run a cat6 along the grippers then drill through the stud wall into new extension which Im not keen on. This hdmi sender would then save me 60quid as I wouldnt have to lay out for a zgemma however I would watching what was on in the living room.

So this is my plan and please give me your thoughts and let me know if it wont work
Still stick with the original idea of placing all my gear in a custom cupboard in the kitchen or extension this way i could hide my sat receiver, sonos amp, ccctv dvd player, m8 player and sony tv. I could purchase one of these
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HD-3D-1080P-60M-IR-HDMI-Extender-Adapter-Over-Single-LAN-RJ45-CAT5e-CAT6-7-Cable-/121701803964

from zgemma run a hdmi into the receiver, then from receiver input cat6 and run the cat 6 to one of these
http://www.kenable.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=5885

or would i have to use the matching sender?

then reason I suggested the plate was because it aint guaranteed I can hide the sender behind my samsung f8000 tv there quite thin and so is my wall mount.

I could then stick the ir extender onto the tv and thats that. Can you see any flaws in this? would you do anything different?

[awhitey44]

http://www.kenable.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=110_231&products_id=5514

46quid seems better quality???

[awhitey44]

It probably seems expensive to some sending a hdmi signal through a 46 quid sender just so i can utilise the Ir blaster/receiver on the tv but having explored all avenues it seems the most future proof and tidy way to do it. thanks for the help Digi. Ive got a lot of cable ordering to do but the good thing is kenable is literally a 5 min drive from my house so I should be able to purchase all my cables and electricals over the counter.

Having took onboard what you said in your first post Im going to go to town on cables.
4 cat6, 4 coax, 4hdmi, 8 speaker cables, 1 phono to analog cable (for ceiling speakers to play tv sound) 1 ledtv power cable, component cable (unsure if its worth it??)
I will have the sparky install a double socket in the cupboard and also purchase home plugs for the cat6 cables

can you think of anything else????

[cactikid]

hell yes lol,i had a similar issue cable heaven and eventually got a carpenter to build me a unit floor to ceiling,tv on top,then speaker bar, 5 glass shelves and inbuilt into unit with all cabling through holes in the back,only later found out it gets bloody hot and removed shelves to put much bigger holes for venting.
i also use home protection with all cabling mains,sat/cable/lan and good quality cables used if putting in walls,spdif/digital out needed? fan ?
flowers,chocs and oysters when finished for the wife.

[awhitey44]

holy shizzle cacti I didnt even think about over heating. What is home protection?
Am i going to need a fan?

[happy_highlander]

Surge protection for power spikes. Lan cables carry enough power to wipe out your components. No point running cat6 if your going to use homeplugs. Your system will only run at the speed of the slowest connection which will be the homeplugs

[awhitey44]

Surge protection for power spikes. Lan cables carry enough power to wipe out your components. No point running cat6 if your going to use homeplugs. Your system will only run at the speed of the slowest connection which will be the homeplugs

thanks for this highlander more food for thought. From what ive read the cat6 for the sole purpose of hdmi sending or extending is ok to still use as it isnt connecting to the network it is sending hdmi. If my sonos amp runs off a wifi bridge and then my dm800 or zgemma connects to homeplug would my intended set up be ok??
Im all about sending a true hd signal to my tv and getting a discrete ir blaster to change channel. I will also prob run a cat 5 to the smart tv to utilise the smart functions. I dont see any need is this moment to worry about a superfast network in the extension. If i can run my sat receiver smart tv so on ill be a happy man.

[happy_highlander]

Still need to look at decent surge protection. If any of the components get hit there is a fair chance they will all go down. What I'm saying is just because cat6 is being used to send hd signal it can and will still carry enough power to wipe out everything. Again homeplugs are the weak link as they should be connected directly to plug socket (not through surge protection) with lan cable carrying power to receiver bypassing all other surge protection. Don't get me wrong i use homeplugs and take the same chance as everyone else lol. Just a little something to think about. If you can avoid it best to do so.