2 TV's 20-30m apart connecting to My Sky Hdi and Blu Ray player

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hazza87

348 posts

Ultimate Geek

#55658 7-Jan-2010 16:04

Moving into a new house in a couple of weeks (rental) with 2 lounges one main large lounge and a smaller one joined to kitchen. Have purchased a new 50" G10 plasma for the main lounge and picked up a 40" Sony S series LCD for the 2nd lounge to watch while in the kitchen etc.

In the main lounge there will be Plasma connected up with a panasonic blu ray player and a my sky hdi box.
It would be nice to connect both of these to the other HD Tv aswell and retain the HD on both TV's which obvoulsy leads to HDMI cables to both TV's.

What is the best way to set this up? HDMI Splitter? (2inx2out)(1inx2out and switch cables over)? Cat 5/6 baluns or long HDMI cable with extender?
It would also be nice to be able to control at least the mySky from the other room aswell.

Obviously with this being a rental, cabling will not be going through walls etc.

hazza87

348 posts

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#288434 9-Jan-2010 13:49

BUMP

Kyanar

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#288447 9-Jan-2010 15:10

The only way you're going to be able to do it is an HDMI splitter, and it's absolutely required that it be HDCP compliant (i.e. no ultra-cheap chinese knockoffs). No HDCP = no HD.

I finally have fibre! Had to leave the country to get it though.

stuzzo

534 posts

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#288448 9-Jan-2010 15:11

I take it there is at least some viable way to get a cable to the 2nd lounge.. I'd try to do it with a single HDMI cable if I could. Possible sources Cables Direct, Jaycar, Rapallo AV or even Trade Me. For 15m or more you might need an extender (booster) but try the cable alone first.

With switching there's a couple of options......get a switcher and run that into a splitter or get something like a 4x2 matrix switcher, more expensive, but which will allow you to show a different source on each TV.

Compatibility of switches can be a bit of an issue especially with MySky. Make sure you can return them if they don't work. I'd suggest you check the switches/splitters are all working with your equipment and then purchase an HDMI cable for the long run to the other room.

Don't spend hundreds of dollars on cables . I've used a 10m cable from Jaycar which was fine ($130 now) but you might be able to go under $100. I guess you're looking $250-400 all up though.

Not sure if wireless HDMI is an option here yet but likely much more expensive than wires and you'll probably still need to buy the switches etc. Good Luck.

sleepy

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#288455 9-Jan-2010 15:47

Was at Rapallo av site earlier today and they have a hdmi splitter with booster on special for $99
would probably do the job, good luck

richms

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#288533 9-Jan-2010 21:22

To test a splitter you need devices on all the ports. I had the joy of one that would drive any display on its own fine, but serveral would cause it problems, had to change input away and back on them to get it back, and then the other would go blank and crap like that. Just because one screen will drive ok on the splitter doesnt mean it will work with them all.

Richard rich.ms