Building a new house & not sure what basics are needed

[chris_tx]

We are an older couple who has finally decided to take the plunge and build a new house. We have basic a/v needs, but honestly don't know the best way to achieve them and don't know that a high-priced installer is needed. I am hoping some of you guys can assist us so that we don't go in blind with the builder.

Needs:
(1) whole house audio via cieling speakers. I think this requires a separate amp to power all those speakers and volume controls in each room.
(2) Will most likely have cable (versus satellite), which means either TivoHD boxes or Comcast DVRs. Can they be networked so that...
(3) ...we can record on one DVR and watch on another TV (or transfer to that DVR to watch)? My wife records everything in sight and is used to just walking a VCR tape from tv-to-tv. I can't stand VCRs!
(4) To have a network connection (more than one?) in each room for future expansion and grandkids computers. Do we need multiple network cables to each room?

Plan to have:
(1) Two flat panel TVs, one in the living room and one in the master bedroom. Might add on in the future to the kitchen and other bedrooms.
(2) Audio receiver with HDMI switching (I have been told this is the way to go with a new receiver to keep cables to a minimum)
(3) Either blue-ray or hd-dvd...can we stream them to multiple TVs?
(4) Current plans call for a central closet on the second floor. Should all the cables run to that room or to the home theater system in the living room? There isn't a main closet near that room, unfortunately.

Thanks, and if I have posted in the wrong forum, please let me know!

 

[MDS]

(4) Current plans call for a central closet on the second floor. Should all the cables run to that room or to the home theater system in the living room? There isn't a main closet near that room, unfortunately.

That is the key to it all. New homes with 'structured wiring' are configured in just that way. Mine is in the master bathroom closet.

Every room will have whatever cables you need (RG6 for cable/satellite, CAT5e for phone/network, and various speaker wires). The RG6 and CAT5e go to the central wiring closet where there should be a phone patch panel and/or network switch). The speaker wires go from the speakers in each room to the location of the HT equipment. If you want multiple speakers around the house you need a multi-zone receiver or a combination of speaker selector and impedance matching volume controls - it all depends on how many pairs and whether you want fully independent source and volume control for each room.

My house was fairly well wired but required upgrades. I would recommend at minimum 2 RG6 and 2 CAT5e to each room so you can have cable/sat and phone/network in every room. With the patch panel and network switch in the central wiring closet you can change any jack from phone to network simply by switching the cable from the phone panel to the switch or vice versa.

Your builder may offer structured wiring as an option. It is much easier to do it before the drywall goes up than to retrofit it afterwards.

That's the short story...but I can explain how I've got my house wired if that would help you understand some of the options.

Edit: And don't shoot yourself in the foot. Be sure to run CAT5e cables for network to a location near your HT equipment. Lots of current and future devices will need access to your local network and/or the internet for full functionality.

 

[pzaur]

Is this a one-story or two-story build?

If it is a one-story build, do you have access to all the attic space above your house?

I can walk from one end to the other across all the beams. If you have a house similar to mine, it is extremely easy to run wire after the build is done and to do it yourself. I've attached a picture to more accurately portray what I'm asking.

The builder will charge you a handsome premium to install all the wiring. Granted, it'll be there and you won't have to worry about tearing holes into walls/ceilings later.

When you do have all the wiring done, take pictures of EVERYTHING. Know where all your wiring falls inside your walls and above your ceilings.It's always good to have a reference to look back at.

-pat

 

[chris_tx]

Thanks for your replies. The house is 2-stories with no basement. It is semi-custom, so we are responsible for picking out just about every finish and option we can think of. It's quite overwhelming, which is why we are trying to keep the a/v simple, but still relatively future-proof (which is hard when technology changes faster than we can keep up with).

So cat5e and not cat6?

What I have on the list so far:

• Two cat5e to each room that needs connection
• Two RG6 to each room that needs connection
• cat 5e run to central closet (does closet need an a/c vent?)
• patch panel (do you have a link to a recommended brand?)
• network switch (recomended brand?)
• don't forget the network outlets by the HT equipment (I'll put down 4 connections to be safe)

Any recommendations on brands or more specifics are appreciated. We have approved the plans and so I plan to speak to the builder about wiring within the next two weeks.

PS, before I forget...if we put the DVRs on the network, can we swap shows between televisions? Or does the copy protection stuff (we use HDMI) get in the way?

 

[goodsnd]

Anyone know, would the use of CAT 5/6 still meet code requirements if it is used for speaker wire, rather than networking wire?

 

[MDS]

Anyone know, would the use of CAT 5/6 still meet code requirements if it is used for speaker wire, rather than networking wire?

For in-wall use as speaker wire, yes.