This is question has been on my mind for a while and I thought you guys would be the best to ask.

Why do a whole house distributed A/V system? Why not have the required individual sources (cable box, sat box, DVD, VCR, etc.) plus the output devices (TV monitor, speakers) in the location you need them? Each location would only have the source and output devices required.

Pros
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You can use one set of high quality sources
You can view/listen to the same source in multiple locations

Cons
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May still need multiple input sources (2+ DVD players, the kids watch one movie and the adults another) to watch/listen to different content in different locations
More $ for wiring
More debugging
More complex
How to control the sources from the various locations?

Enquiring minds need to know.

Thanks

Pro: No Need for ugly odd shaped boxes around your extremely clean wall mounted Plasma TV.

Pro: Central Control of the entire system.

Its no secret that you can put a DVD Play, VCR, and a Sat/Cable box in every room of your home for less than a High quality HD Matrix Switcher, but the look and functionality of the systemis very important to many folks.

Not to mention having sound in rooms where you wouldn't want to have AV equipment. I have speakers in my bathrooms, garage, laundry room, front porch (for seasonal music during parties), and back deck. And I have full control over all components from each of these places (except the hallways, and front porch, where I only have volume controls).

Dont forget the "cool" factor. I've advised people to use secondary systems based
on their situation only to have them tell me they really want a "high tech" system
to show off.

"less is more"

So, what I'm hearing is that it is more prestige and appearance that performance?

Except for Mark's comment for distributed audio to locations without equipment. Which I understand and have and will implement but only for volume control. The dining room and deck are my targets.

I have a friend that built a full boat house - dual RG6, dual cat5, dual phone lines, audio and remote control in the majority of the rooms. All home runned to a distribution panel. It could feed a signal from the kids bedroom to the theater room. I thought that was cool but questioned the usefulness of it.

A lot of the time, we'll do both distributed AND local. There are some times that it's warranted.

Even though you're using a DVD file player, or server, there may well be a need for a local item. The old VCR for the kiddies to use with their library of purple dino movies.

Can't hardly expect the kiddies to run to another level in the house to load a tape so they can watch it in their room, hey?

May not be an issue in the very high end of the business, but here inthe middle, it's definitely something to be dealt with.

Shoot, a pre-existing CD player has come up as a problem item a couple of times.

Running distributed audio with the guts down in the basement level, and the owner has a nice 5 disc player that he really, really wants to keep. Sometimes a CD file, or server is just that one item that runs the budget a bit too far.

BUt what the he**, my customers need exercise anyway....lol

I routinely add local source capability... Especially for Play/Bonus rooms and Master Bedrooms..... What mommy and daddy watch after the kids go to bed really doesnt have to be distributed.......

Don't you mean it really Shouldn't be distributed.

He He He....

Robbie S

There is any Distributed A/V controller that is at least S-Video?. I don't know of any yet.

OOH! You mean distributed video can only be composite?!?! Yucky!!

I've done distributed video via component.

Just one huge amount of wiring involved.

Crestron, for one, has a matrix switcher that allows for distribution of either composite, s-video or component. I am sure that there are lesser priced solutions available, but it is an option without a lot of wiring. With the Crestron PVID and room controllers it can be done with 2 Cat-5's (or 1 Cat-5 and some other type of cable that will handle the Crestron network/power requirements). Plus, it gives you many other control advantages and can even use local sources for distribution depending on the room controller selected.

I'm not a Crestron dealer, so I'm sure that others would have way more to offer in this regard. I have just seen some of the things that can be done with their products and I think that they are the standard-bearer that others try to emulate.

My .02....

John

The most important reason, in my opinion, to distribute a central source to multiple rooms is so that you can have the same music playing thoughout the house. For instance, with a mega-changer CD player, or a one-zone music server. Additionally, I like to distribute a TiVo thorughout the house. The home owner can watch his TiVo recordings anywhere in the house, without having to go to each room to find which machine he recorded it on. Sometimes I even distribute two TiVos, such as his and hers. I also like to distribute music sources such as XM, Sirius, Music Choice, or DMX satellite or cable receivers, just for music.

The zones can also be controlled from multiple locations. For instance, when it's time to leave the house, one button can turn off all of the rooms.

I am, however, a proponent of having local systems throughout the house. For instance, the family room has a home theater system, the MBR has a dedicated system, maybe another dedicated system in the den. All of these dedicated systems could have dedicated local sources such as DVDs and VCRs, cable boxes, etc., but could also share some centrally-distributed sources, such as a CD mega-changer, music server, TiVo, or XM radio receiver.

Other rooms could share a central control box, since there often isn't room for equipment in each room. I have even used multiple stereo receivers, one for each zone, stacked in a central closet. Each of the receivers shares some common sources and yet has an independent FM tuner. The receivers are each controlled by kepads in the various rooms. Rooms that have dedicated systems with local components would receive the centrally-distributed, common sources via line-level audio cables and where applicable, composite video cable. A/V distribution amplifiers, such as the Xantech AV-61, effectively distributes a common source to each of the receivers. Sounds very "Rube Goldberg", but it actually works pretty well. It's not hard to find small receivers for $150.00, such as the Sony STR-197. Not real high fidelity, but very adequate for a secondary room for most people. The keypads can be programmed for "global" features, such as "all off".

I think that keypad control is almost essential. It should be as easy as pushing a single button to listen to music. If it's easy and convenient to use, the client is much more likely to actually turn it on. The value of something can be measured by how much it costs versus how often you use it. The cost of the installation can be divided by each hour used to determine it's value-- at least to some degree.

I don't like most of the pre-packaged keypad systems. They forget a few essential functions. The most commonly forgotten is direct numeric input. If you want to listen to satellite channel 821, do you want to push a pre-set, dial it in by digits, or push the channel up button about 800 times? Most would require you to push the button about 800 times. The same goes for CD changers. Just push the "next-disc" button a few hundred times to find the disc that you want to listen to. And remember, you probably can't tell which disc it is on at the miniute, so you'll have to wait for the disc to start each time so you can tell if you are on the right one. A few hours later, you should be able to find the disc that you're looking for. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like a better solution would be to provide numeric keys on the keypad to directly select the disc you would like. Some people's answer to this problem is to add an infrared sensor so that a combination of keypad and hand-held remote would allow better control. Seems less than desirable to me-- too many steps, to many things to deal with.

Just my two cents. Not everyone can afford a Crestron, ADA, or Via.

Something I would like to see more available is a small, high-quality LCD screen on a double-gang plate that could be used as a monitor for finding music selections with a keypad. The monitor could be mounted a few inches, or feet above the keypad. Sort of like the Elan Via, without the rediculous price. We should be able to find a 4" monitor builit in to a wall plate for about $120.00. Why not?

you can distribute Hi Def with baluns