New Home - Wall Mounted TV Socket

[anonymous-user]

Evening,

Bought a new house and it has one of these fitted to the lounge. It's literally in the middle of the wall for the TV and the wires to be hidden behind. It's on an internal wall.

I'm just about to order Sky. Is there a way I connect my Sky box to it and not have any of the wires showing? Obviously I will need a cabinet elsewhere in the room for DVD player etc.. but I just want the TV on it's own in the wall with the DVD and Sky box elsewhere.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Matt

[megaphone]

Looks like it has two 'TV' coax cons and an ethernet, theses should run back to a 'hub' somewhere, cupboard under the stairs etc, Can you find it and take a pic?

All you need for Sky is an HDMI cable from the Skybox to the TV, is there any way of pulling in extra cables? Where is the Sky box going? Alternatively you can run HDMI down the ethernet/cat5 cable using a pair of convertors.

Why the builder thinks it needs 4 sockets for power behind the TV I don't know!

That plate will also restrict where you put the TV bracket and how flush the TV can fit to the wall, not really the way to do this sort of thing.

Does you DVD have HDMI? That will also need a cable to the TV or you'll need to switch between Sky/DVD on one cable

Edited by megaphone on Thursday 3rd July 13:52

Edited by megaphone on Thursday 3rd July 13:58

[NH1]

Dont understand, is this higher up on the wall behind where a wall mounted TV would go or is it just above the skirting somewhere in a corner.

You say you are putting the sky box elswhere, are there co-ax satellite cables in place for these and how do you propose to get the cables between the box and TV.

Its strange to go to the trouble of fitting an expensive chrome media plate like that and then only have basic connections on it, I would unscrew it and see what is behind, there may be additional cables just curled up inside it. We need to know where the other end is to those outlets on the plate.

[clived]

Three blanks in that - suggests ample room for expansion so long as you can get the cables pulled through.

[VEX]

Three blanks to me implies there is cable already there waiting to be connected to something.

Have you opened it up to have a look what is behind, cant help at all until that is done.

V.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks for so far guys.

In answer to the questions...

The plate is literally in the middle of the wall - and would be hidden behind a wall hung TV.

There is Cat5 cable behind the top right - all wired in.

The three blanks have nothing behind them. No wires connected to them..

I want a Sky Box / DVD player elsewhere in the room, probably in a corner unit.

I haven't managed to track down where the coax cable runs to. It heads north so I would assume to the loft / aerial.

Here's a pic of behind the plate.



Any other help appreciated with how to connect sky and DVD player would be appreciated

Thanks

[Mojooo]

DVD - you will have to find a way to get a cable (presumably HDMI) to the plate - and add a new module

SKY - as above but with a satelite cable.

Might be a faff getting cable to the loft and then back down again though,

[megaphone]

AS already said, you need an HDMI cable from the Sky box to the plate, ditto for your DVD, I'm assuming it has an HDMI? Or you can use the CAT5 and use HDMI over CAT 5 extenders, looks like you have a spare CAT 5 as well. Where do they run to?

I reckon you're screwed as it looks like they have left no way of adding in any cables. Is there a gap in the plasterboard down to the skirting board? That might be you only option to get a cable in.

Sorry, I know you don't want to hear this but the spec is all wrong. This is a typical 'new build' type spec, done badly, there is just nothing right about it. This type of plate should be down at skirting board level, behind the 'AV' kit, not in the middle of the wall, probably spec'd by the electrical designer or similar with no thought or idea what they are doing..

Edited by megaphone on Monday 7th July 09:20

[dtmpower]

I had an aerial socket with UHF cable in one room of my house.

I used the existing aerial cable to pull through some cat5 to the loft and then pulled it back through further up the aerial cable.... now have aerial cable and cat5 at the same wall box.

[Rick Cutler]

megaphone said:

Looks like it has two 'TV' coax cons and an ethernet, theses should run back to a 'hub' somewhere, cupboard under the stairs etc, Can you find it and take a pic?

I would guess that one is for the RF2 feed for a sky box and the other direct TV feed. Not required though as provided you plug your TV aerial into the sky box it routes that through the RF2.

There must be a cable room somewhere. Have you tried the loft/airing cupboard?

Edit: and from what it looks like the CAT5 point is only wired as a telephone point.

Bloody builders trying too hard!

Edited by Rick Cutler on Monday 7th July 12:21

[VEX]

Matt,

Where are you and who was the developer?

There may be one of us AV installers locally who could pop in and advise you better, also there is now an opportunity for one of us to educate the electrician / developer and may be get more business.

V.

[megaphone]

Rick Cutler said:

Edit: and from what it looks like the CAT5 point is only wired as a telephone point.

Bloody builders trying too hard!

Edited by Rick Cutler on Monday 7th July 12:21

I reckon you're right, looking at the pic I'm guessing the 2 CAT5s are run as telephone cables, in and out to another telephone point.

It gets worse for the OP!

As suggested time to get someone in, it could be rescued, by ditching the wall plate all together, the hole in the wall may provide a route to pull in new cables, down and across to a corner, maybe an existing power cable can be used as a draw wire? May need some access holes cutting in the wall, better done now before you decorate.

[ch427]

Not ideal but decorative skirting trunking may help and a few strategic holes in the wall to get the cables to the wall plate if you plan to decorate.
If you dont plan on pulling the upstairs floorboards this is the only way i can see you doing it with the last mess.

[VEX]

Popped in to see Matt last night.

What a mad way of wiring a system and the builder has done all 21 houses the same!!!!!!!
(business opportunity me thinks)

Confident he can route downed between the dot and dab wall as there is quite a bit of depth to it, shame is it a block work wall through.

V.