Cat5 HD Television Question

[livinafterglow]

Im moving into a preplanned community. They promised fiber to run tv,phone,internet. Now, they are saying that they are going to run this all through Cat5. The question is is there a technology out there that will show the same results as uncompressed HD signals over fiber? I'm installing a 92" screen and putting in a Panasonic HD Projector, so I am concerned. thanks.

 

[Haoleb]

Im not sure you have made clear enough what exactly your asking. Or whoever it is your asking is not clear on the answers they are giving you. Subdivisons are not wired with cat5. Infact as far as I know its actually the cable companies job to run the copper or fiber up to the demarcation point. Nothing wired with copper is going to have the bandwidth that fiber optic will. But keep in mind that just because the bandwidth is available doesnt mean it will be put to good use. Rather than a better HD signal they would rather use it for 100 more infomercial channels. Your not going to get uncompressed HD from a cable company anyway. Your best bet will be Blu-ray if you want "uncompromising" picture.

I think perhaps what your being told is that the houses are wired with cat5 for phone and data and not fiber. Which, They wouldnt be anyway. Your fine

 

[bandphan]

cat5 has bandwith for hd transmission over runs less 300 feet without a booster needed. It can also handel ir, audio(digital and analog)serial and others. Maybe they are saing distribution thru your home will be cat5

 

[10010011]

Im moving into a preplanned community.

I would stay away from anything like this. You could end up being stuck with a poor excuse for a cable company ran by a group of investors that know nothing about cable TV.

Read your agreement and covenant's closely, you may not be allowed to get another TV, phone, or internet service provider or even install a dish or antenna on the exterior of your home to receive OTA-HD.

BTW: OTA is the only way to insure you are getting non-compressed or at least minimally compressed HD

 

[BMXTRIX]

See, now I'm just not sure what the question is.

You will likely have cable boxes and outlets in your home to connect to. Unless the community is not using traditional cable boxes, which run off of COAX, which would suprise me.

Fiber to the home is up and coming for sure, but then it typically breaks out to cable at the home which usually has the bandwidth for specific signals that are necessary after being broken out - similar to Verizon's FIOS service.

The video to the projector would then typically be run from the cable box, through an A/V receiver, and up to your projector using traditional coaxial 75ohm cabling, not CAT-5 and would be wired accordingly. For the best image, typically you will go with HDMI these days. Theater plans, from the ground up, are recommended to include conduit so you can add wiring later. For HDMI over CAT-5 you will need two pieces of CAT-5 from the projector to the area where the receiver lives, and CAT-5 to HDMI converters.

I'm not sure how 'planned' things are, or how much say you have in any of it. I know in our area, almost every community is carefully planned with homeowners associations, etc. But, when it came to my individual house, I got full say in everything that went into it, and I ran wiring out the wazoo.