Installation Question - Centralized vs. At Location

[mludwig]

Ok, so I'm potentially looking at a chance to grounds up rebuild my system. Aside from things like lighting, pool, etc, my primary focus is video (TV, DVD, Movies, etc). I'm questioning whether this time around, I want to centralize everything in a rack or put everything at each location. My thinking is this:

- All my movies are now digital.

- We use whole house DirecTV so things recorded on one unit are available to all.

- My wife/kids always complain about the lack of a DVD player at location when they want to pop a random title in.

- Each location requires it's own HC.

- Each location already has networking wired, but would need additional cabling for a centralized install.

All things considered, I'm wondering whether the cost of running all that cabling is worth it, or if I should just put a dune, BD player, and DirecTV receiver at each location. Cost-wise, it would appear, on the surface, to be cheaper to do at-location, I don't think I'd lose any capability by doing so, etc. And each location has some kind of "cabinet" that would discretely hide the gear anyway.

Anyone else pondering this kind of thing? Am I missing something basic in my thinking?

[Letran]

I don't feel like it is either or. I've balance my install of where the equipment would sit via 3 criterion.

1. Is there convenient cabinetry/space in that room?

2. If the system goes down, is it important to have the equipment there

3. How is the room going to be used.

As a general rule I have a local DVD on each video room.

The cable boxes are distributed via video matrix but they also reside in the 2 rooms that having cable is important. If the C4 system goes down, cable remote will still be functional because the cable box is in the rooms.

I also have my controllers distributed on each floor to function as ZAPS.

All my music is centralized.

It is really more a question of functionality. Design your system how it is most convenient in your daily use.

[kevvo]

How many TVs are you talking about and how far are they from your central location? Knowing that would really determine the price and feasibility of a centralized setup.

Also, how future proof you want this? Are you going to be upgrading stuff again in the near future?

Personally I'm a fan of doing things centralized, as I've put everything on the rack on a battery backup and was able to get less redundant equipment.

[strange_brew]

Personally I'm a fan of doing things centralized, as I've put everything on the rack on a battery backup and was able to get less redundant equipment.

Ditto. It also makes for a much cleaner install in most rooms. In our Family Room, Fitness Room, Master Bedroom and Guest room we just have a flat panel hanging on the wall and an SR-250. I understand you have cabinetry, but I think its more elegant. The exception I would make is gaming systems. They tend to be better installed locally IMO. Here is our config in case it helps.

Common Sources (rack) all are on an 8x8 component/DA switch:

3 x HD-PVR Cable boxes (Dad's, Mom's, Kid's - love that config as my PVR doesn't get filled with crap and I can see my stuff where-ever I happen to be)

1 x Roku

1 x Dune HD (all movies stored on a NAS)

1 x C4 HC300 (HC800 coming soon!)

1 x Sonos (on a separate stereo matrix along with the stereo sources for the other Common gear)

1 x Apple TV (pending)

Local Sources:

Kids Play Area: XBox, Wii

Theater (which is local to the Common Sources so these are in the rack as well): Dune HD, Xbox

I think having central source gives you greater flexibility and system simplicity. The heart of the system is, of course, your matrix switch. So if I were doing it right now I would try to make sure I had capability to do both. What we all want is an HDMI matrix but, in my opinion, they're not even close to being reasonably priced for what you're getting when you compare the quality to a good component / digital audio matrix. The only issue we have is when someone wants to do use the same source, but that happens VERY rarely. Overall, it works beautifully.

[ILoveC4]

I'm with kevvo and strange_brew.

Centralized & distributed rocks. Storing everything in the rack is so nice and efficient. Clean power on dedicated circuits, proper climate control, etc... plus distributes video rocks for so many other reasons.

[JHill9]

Go with centralized. I just wired my new house for it and bought a rack and love it. But it does depend on where the DVD player would be located. I wouldn't want to walk across the house to put in a DVD. All of my movies are on hard drives so it was an easy decision for me.

[nikon]

I like centralized but going to the rack is sometimes a pain inthe ass. So I would personally put most sources in the rack and have a local source with an HDMI running back to the video distribution system for easy access or game systems.

[thecodeman]

I like centralized but going to the rack is sometimes a pain inthe ass. So I would personally put most sources in the rack and have a local source with an HDMI running back to the video distribution system for easy access or game systems.

Yup, I would put something like a Dune B1 and my Xbox 360 locally.

[Paulknapp]

Here is a hybrid of the two options that works really well for me:

Common Sources (rack)

3x DVR

1xSonos

Common Sources (dispersed)

1xDVD player in basement media room closet

1xDVD player in second floor linen closet

1xDune B1 in third floor office

Local Sources

1x3D Blu Ray in basement media room closet

1xWii in basement media room closet

Dispersed sources are wired to the matrix switch in the rack so they are viewable across the entire system, but conveniently located so you never have to go far to insert a DVD.

Cheers!

Paul

[turls]

I think this question is pretty relevant now considering the price increase coming for the HC-250, does being centralized or not matter how many HC-250s you have?

And secondly, where do you draw the line on if you need an HC-250 per room if you already have whole-house audio and you don't want to run audio through the TV anyway?

Please tell me if my thinking is correct--any room where I think I would want to view security cameras on the Navigator interface it is worth going ahead and having a HC-250 dedicated to that room? Also, am I correct in assuming it would be rather difficult to share a HC-250 across multiple rooms if I matrixed them?

The big thing that breaks things is the kids rooms. Hate to make too much of an investment in them even though I want them to participate in the whole house audio and whole house video (I don't have video yet). They don't have to have HC-250s to "participate" properly, do they?

Also, its an old post right above mine, but the common/centralized and common/dispersed model seems to be made for the JustAddPower solution. I guess you can do it other ways as well but seems over-complicated without JAP.

[ILoveC4]

turls, the GUI can be used for a lot more than audio selection. The time it doesn't make sense to run a GUI through the video switch, is when there is concern that two TV's will try to access it at once.

I run the GUI through my video switch, and have never had a problem Works great, because we don't use the GUI that often. It's used for a moment or two while you pick a movie, check a camera, etc...

For music (and a lot for video too) we usually just use an SR250, touchpanel or MyHome app. I wouldn't buy an HC250 for every TV, unless you need the zigbee coverage.

[turls]

thanks for the insight. So for any rooms you do plan on pulling up the GUI regularly, don't you want it dedicated to that room (whether installed in the room or installed centrally in a rack), otherwise it would get old to keep having to switch the room every time you go into the GUI?

I guess if you use it regularly it would likely fit into your "two TV's will try to access it at once" caveat anyway.

I may be overthinking this as I realize I have TS or MyHome or whatever I would be likely to use. I'm kind of looking for an excuse to get at least one HC-250 I guess because I've got a couple of HC-300s right now I got pretty soon before the 250 came out...which aren't even being utilized correctly, but that is a different story.

Also, how does the SR-250 remote know which HC-250 to control if you share them with a video matrix? I assume at that point you would also be sharing the SC-250 remote among multiple rooms?

[qVAMPIREp]

I would centralize everything and rip all of your movies to iso's and or use a 400 disc bluray player. It's the best thing I ever did.

[turls]

I used to try to rip everything, but my BluRay collection is too large to keep up.

[louisraza1]

when i started my project last year , my plan was to put a controler in every room with tv,sat and everythings else. Now everythings is centralazied in a basement room and its for sure the best idea that i get ! Everythings is less complicated because all your stuff are in one place ! no more need to fish cable trought walls or ceilling and you dont need big fursnish to hide stuff .

[turls]

when i started my project last year , my plan was to put a controler in every room with tv,sat and everythings else. Now everythings is centralazied in a basement room and its for sure the best idea that i get ! Everythings is less complicated because all your stuff are in one place ! no more need to fish cable trought walls or ceilling and you dont need big fursnish to hide stuff .

Are you doing one controller per TV?

[louisraza1]

Yes and no ... for the moment i only got hc-200 and a hc-300. I got my alarm system , 2 hd scientific atlanta, 2 tv , 1 soundbar, 1 receiver so thats why i got 2 controler in my project ( no ennough ir output on controler) . My basement is not complete and i will have a projector , receiver and all the stuff that got with it.

when i started my project last year ' date=' my plan was to put a controler in every room with tv,sat and everythings else. Now everythings is centralazied in a basement room and its for sure the best idea that i get ! Everythings is less complicated because all your stuff are in one place ! no more need to fish cable trought walls or ceilling and you dont need big fursnish to hide stuff .[/quote']

Are you doing one controller per TV?

[ILoveC4]

thanks for the insight. So for any rooms you do plan on pulling up the GUI regularly, don't you want it dedicated to that room (whether installed in the room or installed centrally in a rack), otherwise it would get old to keep having to switch the room every time you go into the GUI?

I guess if you use it regularly it would likely fit into your "two TV's will try to access it at once" caveat anyway.

I may be overthinking this as I realize I have TS or MyHome or whatever I would be likely to use. I'm kind of looking for an excuse to get at least one HC-250 I guess because I've got a couple of HC-300s right now I got pretty soon before the 250 came out...which aren't even being utilized correctly, but that is a different story.

Also, how does the SR-250 remote know which HC-250 to control if you share them with a video matrix? I assume at that point you would also be sharing the SC-250 remote among multiple rooms?

Your dealer will tell your system which controller provides the GUI for which rooms, so if you did have multiple controllers going in to a matrix switch, it would know which one to call on based on the room that you're in.

We have an SR250 in most rooms, but it's easy to "move" them to a different room...couple clicks on the remote.

With regards to switching the GUI to the room you're in, it does that automatically. It isn't like if you were using the GUI on the TV in the exercise room, then went in to the great room and turned on the GUI it would still have the exercise room selected. The GUI changes to be "in" the room that called for the GUI.

Does that make sense?

[turls]

Does that make sense?

I think so. So the SR-250 to HC-250 relationship works fine even if not 1:1. Sounds like you can have multiple remotes basically control one HC-250, if you share as you described?

Or you can take the remote room to room and press a couple of buttons before you call the GUI and you will get the right screen (which would also apply to taking an iOS/Android device room to room).

Am I close?

[ILoveC4]

Does that make sense?

I think so. So the SR-250 to HC-250 relationship works fine even if not 1:1. Sounds like you can have multiple remotes basically control one HC-250' date=' if you share as you described?

Or you can take the remote room to room and press a couple of buttons before you call the GUI and you will get the right screen (which would also apply to taking an iOS/Android device room to room).

Am I close?[/quote']

Now you're confusing me a little bit.

In my house I have 9 SR250 remotes. I have 7 TV's. I have 5 controllers, 3 of which provide the GUI. One provides the GUI for the theater (HC250, not in the matrix switch), one provides the GUI to all the TV's (HC800, through the matrix switch) and one provides the GUI for the slingbox and IR control over the System (HC300C).

On the SR250, you can change which "room" it's in, using the remotes built in display. If I am in the kitchen, the remote is in the kitchen (assigned to that room, says so on the screen) and I press "4", it will pull up the GUI on the kitchen TV and the GUI will be assigned to the kitchen...regardless of which room was using it last. It doesn't matter at all the number of SR250's versus the number of controllers versus the numbers of rooms. When your dealer sets up your project, he "assigns" everything and creates the "paths" for the video and audio sources to flow through the house.

You're over thinking it. The system does a very good job at all this...I can shoot a quick video for you (on my phone, nothing fancy) showing me executing these processes if you need me to?

[turls]

Let me digest it tonight and see if I that would be a worthwhile step. Thanks.

[louisraza1]

If you can digest that let me know how you did it because i'm lost !

Let me digest it tonight and see if I that would be a worthwhile step. Thanks.

[turls]

I think I get it. So if somebody else presses "4" on another remote in another room they are going to get the same matrix feed as the original room, but it will switch to their room.

I had completely forgot about the Slingbox angle. That is one more HC-300 I will be using, and one more reason to add an HC-250...

[ILoveC4]

I think I get it. So if somebody else presses "4" on another remote in another room they are going to get the same matrix feed as the original room, but it will switch to their room.

I had completely forgot about the Slingbox angle. That is one more HC-300 I will be using, and one more reason to add an HC-250...

You have to use an HC200 or HC300 for the Slingbox, because it controls the system via IR. The new controllers don't accept an IR input for control, which is a real bummer.

I think you got now with the shared navigator. You would never know it was shared, unless two TV's tried to use it at the same time.

[zariaman]

I think I get it. So if somebody else presses "4" on another remote in another room they are going to get the same matrix feed as the original room' date=' but it will switch to their room.

I had completely forgot about the Slingbox angle. That is one more HC-300 I will be using, and one more reason to add an HC-250...[/quote']

You have to use an HC200 or HC300 for the Slingbox, because it controls the system via IR. The new controllers don't accept an IR input for control, which is a real bummer.

I think you got now with the shared navigator. You would never know it was shared, unless two TV's tried to use it at the same time.

new to C4 and slingbox; can you explain a little bit more how you use slingbox? Are you only using it to capture the output of the HC300c?