HDMI Distribution

[goingonholiday]

Has anyone got any experience of HDMI Distribution systems. I'm looking to put 3 sources out to 4 or 6 TV's (prefer to go to 6 but have a budget so would settle for 4 if there was a way of doubling up a couple of rooms or an alternative for 2 of the rooms).

Budget is £2.5k fitted and working once the cabling is in (running 2 CAT6 to each room from a central cupboard.

A couple of local firms have both suggested a Wyrestorm system. Has anyone got this system or used it?

Any alternatives at that sort of price I should be looking at?

Cheers

[emss]

Hi,

Check Kramer Electronics product range, one should cover your needs.
I'm using a 4Ix1O switch, it works flawlessly.

Regards

Éric Masson

[goingonholiday]

emss said:

Hi,

Check Kramer Electronics product range, one should cover your needs.
I'm using a 4Ix1O switch, it works flawlessly.

Regards

Éric Masson

Thanks, I can't see from there website what I would actually need. Do they sell to the public? I was really looking for something a bit more user friendly.

Thanks

[goingonholiday]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Thanks I'll have a look at those. I've had 2 quotes for the Wyrestorm system (4x4 matrix) that are under £2.5k fitted inc VAT, the additional cost is running the CAT6 to each TV point but our electrician is doing that while doing other things so I've exclude that cost.

[goingonholiday]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

The Wyrestorm kit includes the conversion from HDMI out on your source into CAT6 then a small box the other end to convert from CAT6 to HDMI. It covers HD, 3D and 4K so, I think as future proof as I can get.

It has IR pass-through and the control is a simple remote control, essentially 4 buttons 1,2,3&4. You label your sources with a number and just press the number to put that source to the TV you are infront of. To be honest I think I'd prefer a control system but no idea where to start with that!

[Rick Cutler]

I have wyrestorm but don't rely on the ir repeater it's rubbish. I have control4 now and it's great. Contact Andrew Hazell at Smart Home Solutions for a quote.

[VEX]

My preference for the installs I do is CYP.

They are the only manufacturer that will warranty hot plugging (ie plugging and unplugging while on)

Prices are good and IR works.

Had a few failed Wyrestorms recently on rescue jobs.

V.

[goingonholiday]

VEX said:

My preference for the installs I do is CYP.

They are the only manufacturer that will warranty hot plugging (ie plugging and unplugging while on)

Prices are good and IR works.

Had a few failed Wyrestorms recently on rescue jobs.

V.

Thanks I'll see if anyone local gives that as an option.

[VEX]

Yep, the others will do it if pushed but they dont actively promote it.

Hot plugging is more the HDMI Balum's than the source and display options.

OP, let me know if you struggle with the locals sourcing CYP.

V.

[ASK1974]

Rick Cutler said:

I have WyreStorm but don't rely on the ir repeater it's rubbish. I have control4 now and it's great. Contact Andrew Hazell at Smart Home Solutions for a quote.

This really the best solution as relying on IR routing for video systems is fraught with potential issues. You can add Control4 for as little as £650 ex VAT (plus installation) on the proviso that you have iOS devices already to hand and good Wi-Fi covering each video zone. The best solution is to employ proper remotes but this costs several hundred quid per room so more a budget question.

WyreStorm is fine as is CYP (although I wish they made the kit better, very cheap build quality), you also have Leaf, Key Digital and a wealth of others to consider.

Of course I can't endorse the company recommendation

[goingonholiday]

Thanks for all the suggestions, some reading for me!

I've also found justaddpower, this seems a much better more flexible system but I can't find anything on prices. Has anyone got any info on prices for this kit. It looks like a transmitter and receiver either side of a managed network switch so you can add sources and receiving TVs over time.

Thanks

[Too Late]

£2.5k seems like a HUGE budget....
Cant you have HDMI source converted to Ethernet and then distributed throughout the house for a few hundred?

[ASK1974]

Too Late said:

£2.5k seems like a HUGE budget....
Cant you have HDMI source converted to Ethernet and then distributed throughout the house for a few hundred?

No. There are cheap HDMI over IP products but what the OP requires is encoding at source, decoding at screen, HDCP/EDID support and IR feedback to control the source remotely. £2.5k is about right.

goingonholiday said:

I've also found justaddpower, this seems a much better more flexible system but I can't find anything on prices. Has anyone got any info on prices for this kit. It looks like a transmitter and receiver either side of a managed network switch so you can add sources and receiving TVs over time.

Great product but won't save you on price I'm afraid. Works out well on bigger systems but installed this would be more expensive than WyreStorm or CYP when compared like for like. However, once you have the switch it is scalable so for your requirements you could start 'in budget' with a smaller system and add to it as you need.

Edit : PM me and I can give you a quote for pretty much whatever you need. Where are you based?

[goingonholiday]

ASK1974 said:

Great product but won't save you on price I'm afraid. Works out well on bigger systems but installed this would be more expensive than WyreStorm or CYP when compared like for like. However, once you have the switch it is scalable so for your requirements you could start 'in budget' with a smaller system and add to it as you need.

Edit : PM me and I can give you a quote for pretty much whatever you need. Where are you based?

Thanks, tried to PM you but that didn't work! Base requirement is 3 sources (2 x sky/virgin boxes & 1 x DVD player) to be sent to 4 TVs. We would ideally like to send to 6 TVs but the extra 2 are optional, we could add them later or we would be happy to double them up with other rooms. With the Wyrestorm kit one supplier suggested we could do this e.g. have 2 bedrooms where whichever source is playing to bedroom 1 that's all bedroom 2 can watch.

Based in West Yorkshire and I think you are greater london? If anyone can recommend someone local it would be appreciated.

Should also add that we want a home network aswell, so each TV point can be used to plug into the network and access internet etc.

Cheers

Edited by goingonholiday on Sunday 6th April 15:44

[VEX]

Then the tech you need in deffo, HDbaseT.

It is mostly what are known as Full Fat ones, or 5 Play ones, They carry HD, IR, RS232, Ethernet and Power.

However I know the CYP ones, (I know I am banging on about them, but they are the only ones I know) have Lite versions, or 3 play that carry ethernet and sometimes power as well.

V.

[BenM77]

Interesting thread and surprising to me how much it can cost to Network a few rooms.

Just my opinion but I think with fast broadband and online services, it makes more sense to have independent zones rather than pushing a source all around the house. Now TV, Netflix, Amazon etc.

[ASK1974]

BenM77 said:

Interesting thread and surprising to me how much it can cost to Network a few rooms.

Just my opinion but I think with fast broadband and online services, it makes more sense to have independent zones rather than pushing a source all around the house. Now TV, Netflix, Amazon etc.

Quite right, more and more content is now sourced from the cloud and with small media players, smart TVs etc. this is quite easy. However I've still not found a smart TV that works as well as WDTV or Apple TV. The thing is Virgin & Sky are still mainstays as far as broadcast TV is concerned. If you have a set top box with recording facilities and more than one TV then Video distribution allows recordings to be sourced anywhere, it's pretty much one of the main arguments for this. Sky would prefer you had a multi-room subscription with one box for every room but until they allow receivers to either share recorded content or pool it on one central 'server' this fails. Most of our projects are large properties with more TVs than users, so we design systems that provide a Sky receiver for mum, one for dad, one for the kids (and maybe a guest as well) to be accessed on all TVs. Once this is in place you can add things like Blu-Ray, Apple TV etc. and avoid the need to clutter rooms where storage of such kit is difficult, like Kitchens. We follow the same theme for all video media so for example; if you have three resident users and ten TVs you buy three of each source (SkyHD, Apple TV, WDTV) and map to all ten TVs, otherwise you need ten of each which even at £100 a box that's £2,100 of source kit that can be put towards distribution - add Sky subscriptions and that increases.

[ASK1974]

goingonholiday said:

Thanks, tried to PM you but that didn't work! Base requirement is 3 sources (2 x sky/virgin boxes & 1 x DVD player) to be sent to 4 TVs. We would ideally like to send to 6 TVs but the extra 2 are optional, we could add them later or we would be happy to double them up with other rooms. With the Wyrestorm kit one supplier suggested we could do this e.g. have 2 bedrooms where whichever source is playing to bedroom 1 that's all bedroom 2 can watch.

Based in West Yorkshire and I think you are greater london? If anyone can recommend someone local it would be appreciated.

Should also add that we want a home network aswell, so each TV point can be used to plug into the network and access internet etc.

Cheers

Edited by goingonholiday on Sunday 6th April 15:44

I'm on holiday with my Family till Wednesday but if you're happy to wait I can ping over hardware costs for all the main contenders later in the week? You're a little out of my area but you might want to call Custom Controls, they have a Manchester office and I've met a few of their team - very good.

[BenM77]

ASK1974 said:

BenM77 said:

Interesting thread and surprising to me how much it can cost to Network a few rooms.

Just my opinion but I think with fast broadband and online services, it makes more sense to have independent zones rather than pushing a source all around the house. Now TV, Netflix, Amazon etc.

Quite right, more and more content is now sourced from the cloud and with small media players, smart TVs etc. this is quite easy. However I've still not found a smart TV that works as well as WDTV or Apple TV. The thing is Virgin & Sky are still mainstays as far as broadcast TV is concerned. If you have a set top box with recording facilities and more than one TV then Video distribution allows recordings to be sourced anywhere, it's pretty much one of the main arguments for this. Sky would prefer you had a multi-room subscription with one box for every room but until they allow receivers to either share recorded content or pool it on one central 'server' this fails. Most of our projects are large properties with more TVs than users, so we design systems that provide a Sky receiver for mum, one for dad, one for the kids (and maybe a guest as well) to be accessed on all TVs. Once this is in place you can add things like Blu-Ray, Apple TV etc. and avoid the need to clutter rooms where storage of such kit is difficult, like Kitchens. We follow the same theme for all video media so for example; if you have three resident users and ten TVs you buy three of each source (SkyHD, Apple TV, WDTV) and map to all ten TVs, otherwise you need ten of each which even at £100 a box that's £2,100 of source kit that can be put towards distribution - add Sky subscriptions and that increases.

Great point regards multi-room and recording etc. In your business it must be about providing the exact solution for everyone rather than something passable.

It must be an interesting game to be in.

[BenM77]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Interesting but with quite a few headaches I suspect.

I've only got my house to worry about and then occasionally help parents. I am betting that having customers who expect everything to work, all the time every time must be a challenge.

Ongoing service contracts maybe?