System Design

[iippood]

Hi, 

 

I would like to see the best way to design the following system- 

 

8X8 HDMI Matrix with HD-BaseT Extenders - 8 TV's

 

8 - HC-250 controllers. 

 

1 HC-800 Controller

 

so my question is as follows - All my equipment will be centralized in a Rack. 

 

Do you keep my HC-250 Controllers behind TV's or Can i leave them in the rack. 

 

 

Its a large house. i would like to leave in rack but how do i get the ON screen display to my TV? i don't want to use the 8 Inputs for On screen sources..

 

Thank You

 

[ILoveC4]

I use one navigator for all TV's, not 9 of them. I'd stick them behind the TVs, but I doubt you need 8 of them.

How many people live in your house?

[AK1]

Hi, this would be somewhat of an unusual (and expensive) design with 8 x HC-250's and 1 x HC-800. Where has this design come from? is it based on an assumption that each TV needs its own Navigator? 

 

if you're using an 8X8 HDMI Matrix with HD-BaseT Extenders for  8 TVs chances most of these TVs can be serviced with the IR from the HC-800 via the matrix, although you may well need an IO extender for additional IR.

 

HC-250's can certainly and often are placed behind TVs but at just under $1,000 each it's not a cheap design. There seems little or no point at all in putting multiple HC-250's in a rack. Additional IR can be achieved with CardAccess Z2IR, Cat5 from rack or bypassed entirely for IP drivers for certain TVs.

 

You may need one or two HC-800s for Zigbee ZAPs or dedicated Navigators. You can also use one of the inputs on your matrix for the HDMI out of the HC-800 thereby sharing it between the 8 x TVs.

 

Perhaps post details about the rest of the system design so we get the whole picture.

[Cyknight]

Hi, this would be somewhat of an unusual (and expensive) design with 8 x HC-250's and 1 x HC-800. Where has this design come from? is it based on an assumption that each TV needs its own Navigator? 

 

Yes it takes that assumption - and it's hardly unusual at all, I see it come across my desk regularly. It's (somewhat) C4's recommendation to have "no TV left behind" and to do "one on one navigator to TV".

Combine those two and you get in not so many words "each TV should get access to navigator and navigator should not be shared".

 

That said - I don't really agree with that sentiment ----- understatement.

 

HC800 at rack, i/o (or two) at rack, maybe a HC250 behind a central TV to act as ZAP/ZAPco. If a huge house no lighting - sure maybe a second HC250, or better yet choose to use Z2IR which act as pretty decent extenders behind each TV to create your mesh.

 

Only reason for more HC800's or HC250's at a rack location is to give more induvidual streams of music if desired.

 

The details are depended on the houseplans, clearer desires for function etc - but I'd agree - very overdone.

[AK1]

On first blush Cy I thought we were going to get into eternal discussion of system design, but in your inimitable style we're saying the same thing   - pretty much!

[Cyknight]

Pretty much. The ones that come across my desk that way are the ones we quoted on and people wonder why we're half the price of te other guy.....

[nawty]

What if the home were perhaps 5-10k in size and the HC800 in the rack was 100-200 feet away from tvs in some cases.?

 

I have seen these and 10-20k size homes where this would be totally applicable.

[AK1]

These are the factors that would require HC-250 in proximity to each TV:

 

1. Zigbee APs

2. Separate Zigbee mesh creation

3. Navigators - 1 per TV

 

Or if HC-250's are going in rack it's for additional audio streams - must be a lot of listening going on!

 

I didn't list IR control because it's an overly expensive method just using HC-250's.

 

While it's hard to be prescriptive on a house-by-house basis, no more than 3 x HC-250's for items #1 or #2  should get you by on up to 10,000 ft2. 100-200 feet is an inconsequential distance between TVs and rack, provided there is reasonable Zigbee coverage usually achieved by C4 lighting.

 

Creating one or more separate Zigbee meshes can be required where dictated by the environment, construction materials or multiple buildings.

 

8 x HC-250's would suggest a massive or quite unusual home for items #1 and #2. Ir's more likely, as Cy and I suggested, that 1 x HX-250 is being recommended for each TV / projector for navigators.

[dwman113]

I did a 10k square foot house where we used hc250s around the house to create a large stable mesh. However this was many many years ago and seems extremely unnecessary. 

 

Put the hc800 into the gui and just use light switches for mesh.This is a standard design everybody is doing these days. As other people have suggested, all the hc250s are pointless in your design.