Where to put Controllers?

[AJF]

I have 8 TV's in my house and each is home-run wired back to an equipment closet were all of my satellite receivers are located. I understand that each display should have it's own HTC so that each will have it's own Navigator screen and control.

My question is, if I put the HTC's in the equipment closet, can the remotes (located at the TV location) directly control the TV by outputting IR ? Mainly I'd just need the remote to turn the TV in/off and adjust volume.

Otherwise, if the HTC's are located at the TV's, I'll need to send the IR back to the equipment closet to control the sat. receivers. Which makes more sense?

[csilv]

The remote does not output IR

[R_Willis]

By having your TVs and boxes in different areas, kind of makes it difficult. You wire the IR sensors from out of the Control4 boxes (media, htc, HC300) to what you want to control. You then use the C4 remote or other control devices and then it converts that into a IR signal the media controller, HC300, etc sends out to control your TV/sat box. So, you could put all the HTCs in the equipment closets, but then you'd somehow have to get an IR wire from there to the TV and a set of video wires from there to your TVs from each HTC if you wanted dedicated onscreen navigators. Hopefully that made sense.

[AJF]

I understand what you're saying it just kind of defeats the whole purpose of having all of your source components centrally located so that they can be shared among all of the rooms. Xantech makes a system that sends IR on the same coax as the video which I can use but it would just be easier (and less complex/expensive) if the C4 remotes could send IR.

Actually it would be cool if C4 or InHome made a box that can stay in the equipment room and relay IR to the appropriate components.

[phreeze]

Couldn't you just use a cat 5/6 wire at the tv location to connect an IR blaster onto the TV and then terminate the Cat5/6 pair or cable into the centrally located HTC.

I am trying to figure out to do the same thing. I don't want a bunch of electronics spread out everywhere.

Also Wouldn't it be possible to use 1 HTC among several TV's if you were using a Video Matrix/Switch? I am glad this topic was brought up because I want everything and I mean everything in racks in the basement out of Sight.

[slemay]

In all of our installations we run an 18/2 to each TV location and use that for IR blasters to control the TV... everything is centrally located in the equipment closet.

[AJF]

In all of our installations we run an 18/2 to each TV location and use that for IR blasters to control the TV... everything is centrally located in the equipment closet.

I would like to do it that way. Are the blasters you use strong enough to sit on or near the TV and bounce back so you don't have to use one of the mini-emitters stuck to the TV? Have you ever used the Xantech I mentioned that sends the IR on the coax with the video signal? Thanks!

[phreeze]

What about the question of using 1 HTC with more than 1 TV?

[zipperman19]

They can control more than 1 TV, but its unadvised unless you have a LCD or MTS in the room. What happens alot is that someone will press the 4 button and bring up ths OSD but it will be selected for another room and will end up changing the channel in another room and it gets very confusing. Unless you dont mind solely using the remote's navigator I guess you could do it, but its strongly recommended you put a MTS or LCD keypad in one of the rooms instead of the OSD.

[jesh]

Um, I have 1 MC, and 1 HTC that is only connected for alarm stuff, and 4 TV's? Why one HTC for each TV? I never tried having more then one OSD at a time, so I don't know if it works.

[zipperman19]

Read this old thread. It explains alot. http://c4forums.com/viewtopic.php?id=311

[slemay]

In all of our installations we run an 18/2 to each TV location and use that for IR blasters to control the TV... everything is centrally located in the equipment closet.

I would like to do it that way. Are the blasters you use strong enough to sit on or near the TV and bounce back so you don't have to use one of the mini-emitters stuck to the TV? Have you ever used the Xantech I mentioned that sends the IR on the coax with the video signal? Thanks!

1) We still stick the IR on the TV (hate blasters - people can walk in front of them or they get interference from somewhere else).

2) Have used the Xantech IR's before - they're good... never used their COAX solution before, but have used the Channel Vision (or maybe it was Channel Plus) that did it - and yes it works - but it's easy to fry it - and then you have to replace the whole system (we used a 5 volt system and the guy blew it up within a year) - so we try not to use any type of those systems anymore.

[slemay]

What about the question of using 1 HTC with more than 1 TV?

You can modulate or use an AV switcher with one HTC - yes... but just realize it takes time to changes room etc... it's not the "ideal" way to setup / use your system, but you can do it.

[phreeze]

In all of our installations we run an 18/2 to each TV location and use that for IR blasters to control the TV... everything is centrally located in the equipment closet.

I would like to do it that way. Are the blasters you use strong enough to sit on or near the TV and bounce back so you don't have to use one of the mini-emitters stuck to the TV? Have you ever used the Xantech I mentioned that sends the IR on the coax with the video signal? Thanks!

1) We still stick the IR on the TV (hate blasters - people can walk in front of them or they get interference from somewhere else).

2) Have used the Xantech IR's before - they're good... never used their COAX solution before' date=' but have used the Channel Vision (or maybe it was Channel Plus) that did it - and yes it works - but it's easy to fry it - and then you have to replace the whole system (we used a 5 volt system and the guy blew it up within a year) - so we try not to use any type of those systems anymore.[/quote']

How do you terminate the 18/2 wire or do you just tie an IR emitter on the end of it and stick it on?

[zipperman19]

Yeah you cut one of the supplied c4 emitters and splice it to each end on the 18/2 wire.

[slemay]

Exactly.

[joed]

I am using the Cat5, spliced IR Blaster solution with my centrally located Controller and 5 TV's. Works Great! No Issues at all.

I also only have a single Controller providing the display for all 5 TV's. I have not had an issue in 16 months with more than one person pressing the Red C4 Button at the same time.

I have had issues with more than one person trying to watch a DVD out of my Sony DVD Jukebox at the same time

I did ran out of IR ports on my controller and just picked up a Global Cache GC-100-06. Haven't installed it yet, but it looks small enough to mount behind a TV to provide IR out, but you would still have to run a Cat5 to the box for its ethernet connection. So I am not sure if it buys you anything.

- Joe

[Sbutter]

I use a 3.5mm extension cable at 50 feet, and it works perfect. I have not tried longer lenghts.

http://www.cablestogo.com/product_list.asp?cat%5Fid=2002&sortType=partNum&sortDir=ASC&cm_mmc_o=-p8ByplCjCiIC4-q7GW-1CjCN.DFF+gz_kwlCjCN.DFF+gz_kwljPyBzp%7CC%7Cviiiiiiiiiiiiiivnoxxn&gclid=CNvRxrmWlJACFQltZQodkmkC_Q

These are stereo but I think mono cable will work fine.

[jbs]

We have 5 TVs in the house, each wired back to an equipment closet with RGBVH and Cat6. Have one HC300 and a Media Controller in the closet, along with all the video sources (DVD changer, DLink Media Lounge, Tivo, Cable Box, Camera system, etc). The sources go into a video matrix, the TVs all come out of it, and the IR signals from the Media Controller run over a couple of strands of the Cat6 cable. At the TV end there's a Cat6 jack behind each TV with a short length of Cat6 cable coming out of the spliced into an IR bud which is stuck to the front of the TV near the IR receiver.

At first I did not like the fact that the IR bud "flashed" but now I find it a useful diagnostic/confirmation.

We are using the Media Controller for all the IR control, but the HC300 for the OSD because it's an HD OSD (720 I think). As others have suggested, we've thus far had no problems with the fact that all the TVs get their OSD from the same box, and the programming is set so that if I press the Red4 when I'm in the Living Room (and the remote is set to Living Room of course) then the OSD comes up with Living Room selected, so all you really have to do is amke sure the remote is set to the right place . . .

The centrally located components, though, are definitely the way to go, and for us the video matrix makes it all much more functional.

[zipperman19]

Oh, I didn't realze the OSD automatically switched to the room the remote had selected when you pressed the 4 button. I thought you manually had to change it. Did this change in a software update? That's good to know though! I may put my MC into the matrix switch.

[henniae]

Oh, I didn't realze the OSD automatically switched to the room the remote had selected when you pressed the 4 button. I thought you manually had to change it. Did this change in a software update? That's good to know though! I may put my MC into the matrix switch.

One problem having one controller/OSD for the entire house will cause is contention for the OSD. If someone in the living room calls for the OSD the matrix switch will switch the OSD to the living room. If someone in the master bedroom calls for the OSD then it will switch away from the living room into the master bedroom. The end result is that people can end up trying to use the single OSD at the same time. This may or many not be a problem in your situation but it can happen.

[zipperman19]

No I realize that. Almost every room in our house has a HTC, except for one patio. So I may put it on the matrix switch so it can get an OSD like the other rooms. Otherwise, you have to just use the remotes navigator. Once question though, If I put the MC in the matrix, but also have HTC connected via RCA to the TVs, how will the system pick which unit use for the OSD? Does it default to the controller which the room has selected in the "Room Control" area of the connections screen?

[RyanE]

zipperman,

Yes, there is a room binding for 'OnScreen Display'. If you specify that a certain controller provides on-screen for that room, and it can access that room (either connected directly to the local TV and/or through a matrix switch, etc.), it'll switch to that room and fire up the on-screen display for that room when you hit the '4' button (and the remote is 'on that room').

RyanE

[AJF]

Do you think it's possible to have 2 controllers and then program it so that if one OSD is being used it automatically switches to the other controller's OSD ?

[henniae]

Do you think it's possible to have 2 controllers and then program it so that if one OSD is being used it automatically switches to the other controller's OSD ?

This would be an interesting feature. I do not think there is currently any way to tell if navigator is being used and what room it is being used in.