HT setup help for Basement room

[sahhog]

I have a few questions,
I have a room I framed out in the basement 13x19 . I want to hang a plasma 50" or larger on the wall and have a component cabinet below. What cables do I put in the wall? I read that they have to be inwall rated. I was planning on putting rg6QS and cat5e but what about the component hook ups? Do I use alot of rg59 cables or mini coax and buy some conectors? what type of cable for a subwoofer? How do I wire for a remote that will control everything including the lights? The room is framed out with some electrical and lighting already done, but want to get all the cable I will need in before drywall. Where should I mount my speakers? I read they should be ear level while sitting. I would think that they would be awful close to the ears with this size room. Any help would be appreciated!!!! My budget is limited so I cant afford to hire a professional.



Thanks,
Scott from Indiana.

 

[royalj7]

Scott,

Welcome to CocoonTech. I'll see if I can't help you with some of your questions. The cables you should run to the plasma/component area vary alittle, so I'll give you some ideas:

5 RG59 or RG6 solid copper core or 5 minicoax. This is for component video and L+R audio or digital coax audio. Should be rated CL2 or better.
2-4 Cat5e or Cat6. These would be for IR, network connection for media players, phone connection for sat or tivo, or another way to run HD video using balums.
1 RG59 or RG6 for subwoofer.
I would not use RG6QS for this btw, too stiff and not necessary for baseband signals.

If I was doing a new HT room, I think I would use the RapidRun product line to hook up my components. Very versatile, and it looks like and gives you some flexibility to change as technology matures (ie from component to HDMI).

Hope this helps.
--Jamie

 

[sahhog]

Thanks for your help Jamie. So where can I get the Rapid Run Products. Do I buy the different connections and where do I buy them?


Scott,

Welcome to CocoonTech. I'll see if I can't help you with some of your questions. The cables you should run to the plasma/component area vary alittle, so I'll give you some ideas:

5 RG59 or RG6 solid copper core or 5 minicoax. This is for component video and L+R audio or digital coax audio. Should be rated CL2 or better.
2-4 Cat5e or Cat6. These would be for IR, network connection for media players, phone connection for sat or tivo, or another way to run HD video using balums.
1 RG59 or RG6 for subwoofer.
I would not use RG6QS for this btw, too stiff and not necessary for baseband signals.

If I was doing a new HT room, I think I would use the RapidRun product line to hook up my components. Very versatile, and it looks like and gives you some flexibility to change as technology matures (ie from component to HDMI).

Hope this helps.
--Jamie

 

[IVB]

Also i've noticed more and more TVs have RS232 connections. You would want to run a CAT5 so you could serially control that TV too (ie, switch inputs automatically to DVD input, or turn off if the TV was left on but there's no DVD or TV on, or one CQC'er is even turning off the TV automatically after 1 hour so his kids don't watch too much without him knowing).

 

[mdesmarais]

If you REALLY want to know. . . .

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=3

You can find a range of answers here. . . just be careful not to fall down the rabbit hole. ;-)

 

[royalj7]

The RapidRun products are here http://rapidrun.com/

The system is basically a versatile runner cable with multiple end connection options. Never used it myself, but I will try it out if I get a chance. There is a "Where to buy" link on their page.