I just built a house, and have put TV drops in each room (two cat6 and two coax, mainly for any future expansion). I've got all the wire running to a network closet in my media room where I want to store all the media components (FIOS DVR and receivers, DVD, Boxee box or Netgear media player, router, NAS boxes, etc). I'll mount my TVs on the walls, and don't want any components visible at the TV location.

Here's the question. I would like one or more remotes to be able to control any location, and choose which source will be played on that TV, while not conflicting with another location being used simultaneously (I understand one component can be controlled by only one location at a time, but viewed by several). I've looked at a lot of products, and don't know whether to go RF or IR. I could use a product like this and an IR blaster for each room, but that could get expensive, and complicated. Finding a RF remote that just has some kind of "Zone" feature to select "Living room" or "Outdoor patio" and then have the list of available components would be great.

Also, I need a receiver that I can plug all these components inputs in to, and all the HDMI (over Cat 6) output cables to, and then be able to select which component is being viewed by which TV, not to mention any ceiling surround speakers I want to add anywhere (one set in living, one in media room, one in outdoor patio)

Any comments over the HDMI over Cat6 product I chose would be great.  I have heard they are not all created equal, and some receivers and components don't work if they aren't powered.

This is probably easy stuff for some of you guys, but my brain is starting to fry trying to figure this out. I'm sure I'm dreaming up something that is not possible, or outrageously expensive, but I'm still giving it a shot. Any help would be appreciated!!

Bump?? Please??

There actually isn't anything particularly complicated about the setup you're describing. It is definitely doable but the first thing you need to decide on is a budget. There's no point in anyone tossing around product recommendations until you give people an idea of how much money you're able to spend.

Also, is this something that you want to set up and maintain yourself or are you okay with the idea of hiring a pro to do it? This is an important consideration since many of the products in this field are "protected" lines that are only available through authorized dealers and it can often be very difficult if not impossible for an end user to get the proprietary software needed to set the system up.

I do have a alarm/audio-video guy I work with when I hit snags I can't figure out. He wired my house for alarm already. My brother and I do IT work, and he is employed as an IT manager for Sara Lee. We wired all the low volt for my home, have it all ran to a network closet, and are putting in the patch panel and multimedia connections over the next month.

I know the receiver and remote are going to be the most expensive part of the system, I just don't want to buy one and then long for an upgrade a year later. What I described is basically all I want to do. I don't mind the IR receiver in the ceiling I described, I just don't want to have to have multiple IR blasters to control each component for different rooms. I also don't want to have 3 or 4 DVD players, one for each room. I'm buying a small WDTV media player for each room because they are not that expensive, and they can all draw different media from my NAS drives.

The only thing my remote is going to control from the closet is the FIOS receivers, a DVD player (or two) and the receiver I get. Money of course is a concern, but I have no reference point for a receiver that does what I'm looking for costs. I see them all day long for $300-$3000 in Fry's, and the standard Harmony remotes. I guess I would like to keep the cost of both to around $800-1000.

Hope that helps in any advice. If I need to be more clear, please tell me how.

Unfortunately for that kind of budget your options are going to be very limited. First of all, receivers (even high end ones) typically have only one or two HDMI outputs. What you need to be looking into are matrix switches. If you only want to do HDMI then there are some cheap options out there for some basic 4x4 switches (4 inputs/4 outputs) in the $200 range. You can also get relatively cheap HDMI-CAT5/6 baluns in the $50-100/pair range be be aware that they can be flaky. I've seen cheap ones have problems with frequently losing sync due to interference from appliances, fans, lights, etc. and other times they work fine so it's a real crapshoot.

Then if you want to introduce distributed audio with in-wall/in-ceiling speakers you now need an audio matrix switch with a multi-channel amplifier. However, even a cheap one of those approaches your total budget. Plus you have the remote as well. For that I would only consider RF since IR distribution will likely cost you the same or more in the end and be a lot less flexible. However, here again you're into $500-$1000 or at least a few hundred for a "high end" Harmony remote.

Bottom line is I don't think it's likely you can put something together with those sorts of capabilities with that sort of budget. An entry level system would typically be much more in the $3,000-$5,000 range. You could maybe cobble something together that falls more into the $1,000-$2,000 range but be prepared for a lot of tinkering and pulling your hair out.