5 core comp, 3 cat5's and cross your fingers. Conduit when its feasible.

I run both and explain the issues with HDMI. I show them how to select the HDMI input if they want to use it.

most of our clients want some type of A/V distribution with their 5.1 system, TV on the patio w/ dvd video etc. Can't do that with HDMI unless client wants to spend lotsa cash on HDMI splitters and long cables.

Denon DVD players we use gives you HDMI or analog, not both. so we use analog.

Allowing the client to use HDMI means having them understand that this will happen and we won't be held responsible for the extra claw or thumb in the forehead as the HDMI species evolves into a respectable beast.

We cover those costs ahead of time by pointing out that HDMI might some day be what it says it is today, but meanwhile there are problems. We then name the problem categories: connectors, handshakes, switching issues. We tell them that as products evolve this will change, and probably but not necessarily for the better.

When they know that service calls might be necessary just to keep things going, we then go ahead and put in VERY high quality HDMI cable.

Well... I have a few projects still sitting out there that were pre-wired before HDMI really took off, so if people that move into those homes, demand HDMI it'll involve retro wiring!

Nowadays I run 1.5 to 2 inch smurf to all display locations, or if not easily done, I'll put in 3 cat5e's along with mini RGB.

I'm just grateful that the Balun - designers came up with HDMI baluns... It is kind of a continuum however... What the heck will it be in a nother 5 or ten years???

I personally haven't run into any handshake problems recently, having said that now my next phone call will be an HDMI problem.

I have no problem spec'ing HDMI, but only with equipment I know plays nice together. Once you step foot outside that realm, that saftey net so to speak, your faucked.

"What do I tell a customer that wants HDMI?"

"Yes Sir, you'll need this expensive cable."






I'm in the business to sell stuff. Those of you who aren't ought to try it sometime.

Followed by a request for a plumber to fix the water pipe you drilled through running the smurf tube, and then a call to the insurance company to repair the flood damage, and then..........

OK, riddle me this.....what are the AMX/Crestron guys doing in large houses with 20 video zones spread over several hundred feet from the head end? I know you are not running HDMI cables!

Cat5e, and a few extras just in case. And then another one for good measure.

There are good UTP and fiber solutions that support HDCP for sending HDMI/DVI long distances. I am unaware of the application that would call for running 20 HDMI hundreds of feet. I've seen it with DVI in a control center environment and recommended against it. Use the right technology for the right application.

I try to warn them that its considerably more expensive then component distribution and that it has the beauty of not always working. I tell them we intend to run component too and that we will have that "ready to go when/if there is a problem."

Besides has anyone found a real big/solid HDMI matrix? Like 8x16 and up?

Our local rep can't get the system they set up to work more then some of the time using a bunch of distro amps.

In the field I have found the KeyDigital HDMI switch to be the one that I know it going to work. It even works with those lovely Moto cable boxes that refuse repeaters. But it is a 2x1 or 4x1. I have not tried the 2x4. But that is kind of small for a matrix.

I have had a
PS3---->
Directv HR20---->
HDMI DVD ------> KeyDigital HDMI 441 ----> Gefen HDMI1x2 ----> Maratnz 4001 (audio) Samsung DLP (video)
Game Port ------>

That actually worked...

I haven't seen anything larger than a 4x4 HDMI matrix (Gefen has that one). I don't know if it works or not, I think I've seen a couple reports on AVS of people using it.

I saw a Chinese or Taiwanese manufacturer at CES this year who was showing a 6x6 (behind glass) and when I looked in through the vent holes, there was a circuit board that was totally unpopulated. Vapor.

Chipsets to handle larger matrix systems have just now begun to emerge. We're looking into offering one, but at this point they're vaporware to my knowledge. And the challenges still remain - even if you had a perfectly functional 6x6 or 8x8 or larger, we're still depending on the sources to correctly implement the HDCP handshake.

Any manufacturer looking to enter that category has to be concerned about the number of returns of perfectly good product that will inevitably occur. That's part of the reason for the holdup.

Trent

Amen to that!

If I've pre-wired the home for component already... I tell them --HDMI ? Oh, you mean the "Horribly Distorted Media Images" cables the retailers are pushing???

actually just kidding... ;>)