Magic eye IR for inside cupboards?

[TonyHetherington]

Afternoon all,

We're right in the "mid build" of decorating my girlfriends house for me to move in - all very good, the 42G10B is waiting to be put up (wall getting knocked down next week so waiting for that to happen before putting TV in adjoning room).

Anyway, long story short - my intention was to put the 42" Tv on an unused chimney breast, and then put all the bits and bobs (V+, Popcorn, Wii etc) in the old fireplace gap, running all cables in the chimney cavity. Lovely jubbly. However, we've just come across a big problem - the V+ box (installed on Wednesday) is chuffinf huge and wont fit in the chimney at all. We can't make the chimney wider as the lintel (how do you spell that?) doesn't extend far enough, and therefore it's much too much work.

So plan B - I'm looking to place stuff down the side of the chimney breast. I first considered everything on glass shelves - ok, but bit too "open" and tatty. Then I considered lots of things inside a low case of some sort and just having the popcorn and V+ box on glass shelves on the side of the chimeny breast (i.e. stuff that needs to be remote controlled).

But, having looked through the "pictures of installs" thread to get some inspiration, I've noticed a fair few people have absolutely no visible equipment at all; how is that done? Is that a magic eye that repeats an infrared signal? If so...how good are they? Can I put everything (popcorn / V+ mainly) inside a cupboard, and have the repeater eye in a cupboard too and it will work? What sort of money are we talking, where do I look etc?

This MIGHT just be the solution to my problems

Thanks world
Tony

[UpTheIron]

I've got wireless IR senders and they work fine. Had some wired ones before that. Only headache is if your amp doesn't have a video output so you can't tell what channel it is on (and mine doesn't). Not really a problem as long as you don't need to scroll through lists of inputs.

[TonyHetherington]

Ah actually, I used the word wireless but I think I got that wrong - I wont actually need wireless, it's just to hide everything away!

What ones did you go for?

[tur8o]

i use a harmony 895 remote that operates everything, the tv via i.r. and the components inside the cupboards via a wireless repeater inc. with the remote
[URL=http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2218035590103855262tmhvtx][/URL]
failing that check out www.keene.co.uk

[CraigW]

Tony, I boult this false wall, sunk RBH speakers in then all the av kit is in a habitat unit on floor. plotty wired up a ir link which works transmits radio waves to my harmont remote. He is quite clever though. IKEA doing a whole new range of av cabinets this season so worth checking out.



click stupid red X above, I couldnt link to it for some reason.

Edited by CraigW on Friday 16th October 15:28

[TonyHetherington]

Interesting stuff - thanks

[E31Shrew]

Pair of small pyramids. Approx £40.00

[UpTheIron]

Sorry Tony, got sidetracked.

I've got these: http://www.marmitek.com/en/catalogus/product.php?s...

Bought them from Keene Electronics. I've got pyramids sitting in the living room (2) and one in the bedroom to receive the signal from remotes, and then two in two different cupboards to transmit the signal to the various devices.

[E31Shrew]

UpTheIron said:

Sorry Tony, got sidetracked.

I've got these: http://www.marmitek.com/en/catalogus/product.php?s...

Bought them from Keene Electronics. I've got pyramids sitting in the living room (2) and one in the bedroom to receive the signal from remotes, and then two in two different cupboards to transmit the signal to the various devices.

They're the little fellows!

[TonyHetherington]

Thanks chaps! I went for the keene distribution amplifier cabled version - as I'll be having 2 inputs and 2 outputs, rather than the 1, plus it's wired and so will be a smaller unit visible - well chuffed.

Thanks for the advice!