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Home Theater wiring recommendations
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Arkham_c
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Jul 8, 2008, 02:08 PM
 
I am having my basement finished right now. Down the road, one of the rooms will be used for a home theater. The thought is that I will run all the cables now and then go back later and put in the equipment (speakers, projector, screen, etc). I want to get the right wires into the walls though so that I can get it all hooked up with minimal fuss. Does anyone have experience with this that could offer advice?

My current thought is:

1) HDMI cable from the "network closet" to the ceiling where the projector will go.
2) 7.2 speaker wiring.

Is this sufficient and complete for a home theater, or is there more I should consider? Since I am doing drywally ceiling in this room, it's fairly important that I get it right the first time.

Thanks for any insight from those who have done this already.
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dcmacdaddy
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Jul 8, 2008, 02:17 PM
 
I would have the contractor install gang boxes and mounting points* at the various locations you will have gear (ceiling for projector, walls for side and rear channels of audio) and then have them run two strands of pull cable to each location from the "network closet". This way you decide later on what type of cable to use and, if you want, do the work yourself. Plus, with two strands of pull cable you will always have a spare in case one breaks or if you want to upgrade your wiring in the future.


*Make sure these mounting points are tied into framing lumber. For large ceiling projectors use horizontal ties, with cross-bracing, between two adjacent ceiling joists. This is usually sufficient for most projector mounts. (This assumes you are using a professional plate-and-pipe mounting system. Check out Chief for some ideas on the types of mounts available.)

Oh yeah, don't forget to think about installing gang boxes and mounting points for your screen. You never know what future screen technology might allow.
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cjrivera
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Jul 8, 2008, 02:25 PM
 
How "soundproof" do you want this room? Because now is the time to do it while it's being framed and drywalled.
Remember you'll need an outlet in the ceiling for the projector down the road. If it's a drywall ceiling, you may wanna plan in advance. A drop down ceiling, would of course, not be a problem.
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Mrjinglesusa
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Jul 8, 2008, 03:34 PM
 
     
mduell
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Jul 8, 2008, 08:11 PM
 
The problem is there's no way to know what kind of cable you're going to want in 5-10 years. Run conduit and pull lines so you can pull whatever kind of cable you need in the future (ethernet, displayport, fiber, whatever).
     
sek929
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Jul 8, 2008, 08:14 PM
 
Originally Posted by mduell View Post
The problem is there's no way to know what kind of cable you're going to want in 5-10 years. Run conduit and pull lines so you can pull whatever kind of cable you need in the future (ethernet, displayport, fiber, whatever).
Quoted for good idea.
     
Eug
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Jul 8, 2008, 08:15 PM
 
Don't cheap out on the cable quality. You don't need chichi boutique cables, but run-of-the-mill HDMI cables don't cut it either for long runs. And by long I mean > 25 or > 50 feet.

Originally Posted by cjrivera View Post
How "soundproof" do you want this room? Because now is the time to do it while it's being framed and drywalled.
Remember you'll need an outlet in the ceiling for the projector down the road. If it's a drywall ceiling, you may wanna plan in advance. A drop down ceiling, would of course, not be a problem.
Don't forget cable runs to the ceiling too.

Also, it might make sense to do some calculations now on some popular projectors before you decide on where to put the ceiling plugs. Projector placement is a very important thing that people forget about.


Originally Posted by mduell View Post
The problem is there's no way to know what kind of cable you're going to want in 5-10 years. Run conduit and pull lines so you can pull whatever kind of cable you need in the future (ethernet, displayport, fiber, whatever).
Yup. I had to run wiremold to put in HDMI cables and component cables to my projector. The last person who owned this house ran only VGA and S-video. Luckily he did have a set of electrical plugs in the ceiling though.

<-- Stock image, not me.

Running external wiremold works, but obviously it ain't ideal.
( Last edited by Eug; Jul 8, 2008 at 08:26 PM. )
     
cjrivera
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Jul 8, 2008, 10:51 PM
 
Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa View Post


I used this in my theater and it works great.
I would highly recommend it for any theater where you want to keep the sound inside the room.
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dcmacdaddy
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Jul 8, 2008, 10:57 PM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
Don't cheap out on the cable quality. You don't need chichi boutique cables, but run-of-the-mill HDMI cables don't cut it either for long runs. And by long I mean > 25 or > 50 feet.
Check out Markertek for all your cable needs. They mean it when they say they have everything in audio and video cables. Just remember to get your cable with sufficient shielding (stranded, braided conductors provide the best insulation for the signal) if you plan to have florescent lights in your basement: Nothing kills an analog signal quicker than the interference from the ballast/starter for a florescent light.
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Arkham_c  (op)
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Jul 10, 2008, 06:43 PM
 
The guy who did the low voltage wiring recommended that I go ahead and run the wiring for the speakers, and then he did a conduit for the projector. In the conduit he ran two cat-5 and two "pull lines" for pulling whatever I may want to the projector. He seemed really knowledgeable.

The current plan is to put the speakers in-wall instead of in the soffits of the trey. The wires go up to the soffits if I change my mind though. I'm pretty happy with how it all is coming together.
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