Okay, I'm not a custom installer, but I figured you guys would know the best method to accomplish what I want. Basically, I want to control my home theather equipment with my Pronto remote, but with the equipment in a different location than the TV. I currently have my HT setup in my basement. I want to make the room look more like a theater, so I plan to relocate the equipment (DVD, power amp, pre-amp, etc) to the utility room (also in the basement) onto a rack.

I already have a TSU2000 and would like to continue to use it. What is the best way to transfer the commands from the remote to another room. I know that Radio Shack makes and IR to RF and back to IR to send codes from one room to another, but I question the build quality. I would prefer a more professional piece of equipment as I will be utilizing macros for DVD playback from my changer.

Any help that you guys can offer is appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

I've been using the PowerMid IR transmitter/receiver with good success. You can put multiple transmitters wherever you need them, and one receiver at the location of the equipment. SmartHome.com, and other vendors sell them.

PF

The PowerMid huh... what remote are you using with it?? Do you use macros?? I'm curious to know what kind of response time you get. Does it seem instantaneous, or is there some lag. Since my Pronto is setup to fire off a dozen or so commands to turn all of my equipment on and play DVDs, I would like to know if the PowerMid is up to the task.

Thanks.

I'm using the Marantz remote that came with the SR7000 receiver, as well as remotes from Sony, Yamaha, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, One-For-All, and Toshiba. It seems pretty responsive, but it's hard to say since I am in another room, and cannot see the response at the location of the equipment. You need to position the receiver so it is facing the equipment if at all possible.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has used a Pronto through the PowerMid as well, as I want to upgrade to the Pronto in the near future.

IR is IR....if a regular remote control works, I would say that a Pronto will work too...

I'm curious; if you are moving your source and power equipment to another room, then you must have some signal and speaker cables between them. If so, I would just get a Xantech IR receiver, hardwired to emitters at your equipment.

One thing to be aware of is the frequency of the ir signal for the device being controlled. I have had some issues with receivers mounted near plasma screens being flooded by the ir rediation emitted from the screen. There are devices on the market to cater for this issue but they tend to be of the narrow band type (limited ir carrier frequency range)and can be a bit titchy with some devices. Some of the Sony plasmas seem to use a different carrier freq to the std 38kHz. If you don't have a plasma screen the the Xantech microlink is very good as it has a very wide range of frerquencies over which it works. Problem then is it becomes sensitive to sunlight if there is any present, and to the radiation from some of the fluorescent bulbs.

Yeah, IR is IR. This should be just as fast as the Pronto.

If you have heard that any of the RF type IR devices are slow (which I have written in this forum), it was not RF devices like the PowerMid that just translate IR to RF, move them to another place, and translate them back to IR again. It was a system such as the Sony DSS RF remote. Apparently the components that receive RF signals have to receive more repetitions of the signal before they will consider them verified and then issue the proper IR command.
Another RF method that makes sense but is not the way I assumed it would work is the Niles Intellicontrol. It sends RF signals that are the equivalent of, say, "button 12 pushed," then the receiver -- after it verifies that it totally understands the command -- issues the proper IR command or macro.

Niles, Crestron and AMX all use the same theory in RF transmission for IR commands. The Panels or COntrols only spit out predetermined RF codes. It is up to the control processor to receive, translate, and then output the apropriete IR or RS232 commands at that point. The Niles is reletively slow at this, but the Crestron and AMX Brains now use 274Mip Coldfire Processors. No lag at all.

Back the the original question.

Best bet is to use a Xantech, Speakercraft, Niles IR Repeater system. No conversion of the IR codes to RF, They work reliably 99% of the time (the 1% is usually Plasma, Florescent or Sunlight related)

And all in all its gonna cost ya $150-200 tops for a Receiver, Connecting Block, Power supply, Emmitters, and wire.

I've installed Xantech, Niles and Russound IR repeater systems and they are all VERY FAST as far as response time. As a general rule (I'm sure all the top installers out there will agree) hardwire is better than no wire!! I've also done the Pronto Pro with RF adapter kit (I didn't know Radio Sh*t sold this!!). Its close to the speed of hardwire but will be bothered by "dead" RF spots! Crestron and AMX are MUCH better at the RF thing but will cost you an arm and a leg!! Listen to Impact, best advice and the price is right!!!!

Rob you are right on about the RF dead spots with the Pro. I moved the receiver and made it a lot better but I can have the remote an inch away from a working to non working spot. It's the strangest thing? Over all I am very happy with with but I would go with Xantech on my next one.