Need Some Advice

[ddcobb]

I recently enclosed my detached garage and turned it into a home gym. I was going to hang a flatscreen in the corner but ran into a bit of a problem. When ATT (Uverse) came out to put in a new outlet they informed me that given the location of the garage there is no effective way to wire it for another Uverse. My initial thought was to get a slingbox and throw together a system. Is there a better and/or more cost-effective solution? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[adk highlander]

I'm sure there are several ways to do this but I am doing a similar process and this is the route I am going.

I have a multizone system already in my house using the component video outputs from each of my sources. I reserve the HDMI outputs for the theater room. I input all the component sources into a 4x2 component switch. http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=180-037

Then I take the output and use a component balun to convert the signal to CAT5 and a Balun on the other end converts the signal back to component and digital audio.

I also have a URC control system that feeds and RF signal from the remote back to my rack to control the devices.

The next questions would be what is your budget for this? Also on the Uverse boxes are all video outputs active or just the one that you set the box too?

 

[gkaste]

How far from the main house is the garage? If it is a reasonable distance you can use a wireless HDMI and connect to a ATT box in the house. Also will need some type of RF remote transmitter.

Here is one for only $100.
http://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-Wireless-Computer-GUWAVKIT2-Gray/dp/B0047E3GJM

 

[BMXTRIX]

How far from the main house is the garage? If it is a reasonable distance you can use a wireless HDMI and connect to a ATT box in the house. Also will need some type of RF remote transmitter.

Here is one for only $100.
http://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-Wireless-Computer-GUWAVKIT2-Gray/dp/B0047E3GJM

That's not a HDMI wireless unit. It's a computer wi-fi product which does not transmit full video bandwidth.

A true HDMI transmitter is one like this:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10105&cs_id=1010504&p_id=8087&seq=1&format=2

As far as I know, that's one of the cheapest out there which does true wireless uncompressed transmission and it is a real option.

You can put a HDMI 1x2 splitter ahead of it:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10113&cs_id=1011301&p_id=8204&seq=1&format=2

Or they have a version which allows for switching and a local/distant end source in a matrixed unit...
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10105&cs_id=1010504&p_id=8088&seq=1&format=2

These should be better than the Slingbox version, but Slingbox HD you can use on your iPhone.

 

[gkaste]

It does 720p. But you are correct, for more money you can buy better.

 

[BMXTRIX]

It does 720p. But you are correct, for more money you can buy better.

But, that's not a video piece.

That's a USB to wireless unit. It doesn't allow for a standard piece of HDMI gear to send out to another location. Instead, you plug it right into your computer. In this particular forum, it may make sense that is what the user is after, but it really sounds like he wants to get his HD cable feed from a box inside the house to outside the house.

The product you listed is 100% incapable of doing that unless his cable box has a driver to allow for a USB PC connection which will actually work, which is extremely unlikely.

What he needs is a standard video connected product which can take full bandwidth video and send it out.

The Slingbox can't really do that, but it will do on the fly H.264 encoding, or similar, and send it to a receiving unit. A zone player. But, it is still going to compress the video signal and then decompress it upon arrival.

The wireless HD unit I linked to sends full bandwidth, uncompressed HDMI from ANY HDMI device he may have and then transmits it as an uncompressed stream to the receiver. So, the video put out of the HDMI source, is received pixel for pixel at the receiving location.

It maximizes video quality and allows for any HDMI source to be connected to it directly. Whether that's a Blu-ray player, game system, or cable TV feed.

The product you listed is pretty specifically, and uniquely, designed as a PC to display wireless adapter. These devices also typically don't run at full 60hz, but run at less than full frame speed with heavy encoding making motion video less than perfect. Not that this is bad if this is the goal, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it in a part of my home that I cared enough to convert to a TV watching area!

 

[jonnythan]

Run your own coax to the garage.

 

[ddcobb]

Thanks for the responses. Currently, I don't have a receiver in the garage although I may add one at some point (just not right now). Not sure it's relevant but I have Cat5 run throughout the house for my uverse. The garage is approx. 20 feet from the closest uverse box, with 2 walls in between the box and the planned location of the TV.

I'm a little confused as to how the HDMI transmitter listed http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10105&cs_id=1010504&p_id=8088&seq=1&format=3#specification works.

Just to be clear, I'd run the cat5 to the uverse box and run hdmi from the uverse box to the transmitter and then connect the transmitter to the TV? So does the garage need a uverse box at all or would I just connect the other transmitter directly to the garage TV?

Thanks

 

[BMXTRIX]

Are you looking for an Internet connection, or is this uverse box just another cable box?

If it is a cable box, you would typically run coax to the cable box, not cat-5. But, I'm unfamiliar with the uverse boxes. Typically it is coax to the cable box, then HDMI out. You need to get HDMI (a video/audio connection) to the TV to view/hear it. The wireless transmitter/receiver can do this.

You would not have a cable box in the garage, but would be feeding it from another location. You can put that cable box wherever you find most convenient.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Are you looking for an Internet connection, or is this uverse box just another cable box?

If it is a cable box, you would typically run coax to the cable box, not cat-5. But, I'm unfamiliar with the uverse boxes. Typically it is coax to the cable box, then HDMI out. You need to get HDMI (a video/audio connection) to the TV to view/hear it. The wireless transmitter/receiver can do this.

You would not have a cable box in the garage, but would be feeding it from another location. You can put that cable box wherever you find most convenient.

Not 100% sure, but I think uverse is using cat5e for last mile cable and not coax

 

[sholling]

Not 100% sure, but I think uverse is using cat5e for last mile cable and not coax

I could be way off base but I thought Uverse was fiber to the neighborhood VRAD (FTTN) and then to the house via bonded DSL over existing copper that's shared by both internet and video. The whole idea of Uverse going with FTTN instead of FTTH like Verizon did with FIOS was to avoid the expense of replacing existing copper. I'm a FIOS customer but if I had to guess I'd say that AT&T is probably splitting out video at the entrance to the building and then running over the home's existing coax (saving cabling the building) but that's a guess.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video-ready_access_device

 

[ddcobb]

Not 100% sure, but I think uverse is using cat5e for last mile cable and not coax

They can use coax or cat5. I was having problems with the coax so they ran cat5 throughout the house instead.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Ok, I reread this thread from the begging and few things become clear to me:
What you need is a separate tuner for your garage gym, since you don't to watch same channel as in the tv in the living room.

Have you considered installing second u-verse box in the living room and extending it to the garage - if AT&T doesn't to do it, you still could.

http://www.hdtvsupply.com/xantech-hdmi-over-cat5.html (I didn't do price hunting, you could try to find a better price, but stick with Xantech brand - they have very strong rep)

I'd get this Xantech box - it'll allow you run HDMI and IR signal over cat5/6 to your garage and then connect it to TV

You could also try the wireless hdmi bridge BMX suggested, but if you could ran cat6 from living room to garage Xantech box would be a better solution.

Keep in mind - you'd need need a second AT&T u-verse box in living room.

 

[ddcobb]

Are you looking for an Internet connection, or is this uverse box just another cable box?

If it is a cable box, you would typically run coax to the cable box, not cat-5. But, I'm unfamiliar with the uverse boxes. Typically it is coax to the cable box, then HDMI out. You need to get HDMI (a video/audio connection) to the TV to view/hear it. The wireless transmitter/receiver can do this.

You would not have a cable box in the garage, but would be feeding it from another location. You can put that cable box wherever you find most convenient.

I'm wanting to have uverse service available on my tv in the garage. My house only uses cat5 (uverse can run of either) because I had issues with the signal when using coax. Any problems using cat5 with this wireless transmitter/receiver?

 

[BMXTRIX]

http://www.hdtvsupply.com/xantech-hdmi-over-cat5.html (I didn't do price hunting, you could try to find a better price, but stick with Xantech brand - they have very strong rep)

I'd get this Xantech box - it'll allow you run HDMI and IR signal over cat5/6 to your garage and then connect it to TV

You could also try the wireless hdmi bridge BMX suggested, but if you could ran cat6 from living room to garage Xantech box would be a better solution.

I've used, personally, the Xantech boxes - they do not work. I'm not sure why, but I ordered 5 of them in my company and they did not work at all.

It's important to realize that if you can run a uverse box directly off of cat-5 or cat-6 and you have run cat5/6 to your garage, then it seems like you can just put a uverse box there to begin with if uverse can run off of it.

If not, and you really have no way to run a cable without ripping up the walls, then I would go with the wireless solution.

If you ONLY have one piece of cat5/6, then you will have to go to the newest cat-5/6 extenders, and they are about $200 if you want to go this route.

I've personally used the ones from Monoprice for the 2 pieces solution, and they are my go to product for HDMI extenders. I've got several in my home that work great.

I would add that I have not used the new 1-piece cat-5/6 extenders on Monoprice and can't speak to their quality at this time.

 

[ddcobb]

I've used, personally, the Xantech boxes - they do not work. I'm not sure why, but I ordered 5 of them in my company and they did not work at all.

It's important to realize that if you can run a uverse box directly off of cat-5 or cat-6 and you have run cat5/6 to your garage, then it seems like you can just put a uverse box there to begin with if uverse can run off of it.

If not, and you really have no way to run a cable without ripping up the walls, then I would go with the wireless solution.

If you ONLY have one piece of cat5/6, then you will have to go to the newest cat-5/6 extenders, and they are about $200 if you want to go this route.

I've personally used the ones from Monoprice for the 2 pieces solution, and they are my go to product for HDMI extenders. I've got several in my home that work great.

I would add that I have not used the new 1-piece cat-5/6 extenders on Monoprice and can't speak to their quality at this time.

I can't run cat 5 to garage because it is detached and the cable can't withstand the wear/tear of being strung up between the 2. Is this the extender you'd recommend?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10105&cs_id=1010504&p_id=8088&seq=1&format=3#specification

 

[BMXTRIX]

If you don't intend to share the cable box with the inside connection. That is, you intend to have a dedicated cable box for the garage, then you don't need that unit, but can use this one...

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10105&cs_id=1010504&p_id=8087&seq=1&format=2

Still, if $30 is no big deal, I would probably go with the one you linked to just because of the extra features.

I will yell at you later about the importance of proper cabling and conduit!