A/V over Cat 5
Hello,
Maybe one of you experts can help me out.
I am moving into a new house next month. I would like to burn all my cds to my computer and run all my music through it. Here is the setup that I would like:
Computer in bedroom
Run audio and video through Cat 5 to living room
In living room, run audio to stereo receiver and video to HDTV
Get an RF mouse to select and change music (while viewing options on TV)
This seems very doable. However, I am not sure of the optimal way to do it. When I say “optimal”, I mean “maximize quality of sound and video while minimizing cost”. I already have the computer, audio receiver, TV, and a house wired for Cat 5. Can I establish all the needed connections for uner $200? Do I need a sound card for my computer to ensure the best quality audio in stereo?
Any thoughts/assistance greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Cliff
December 4th, 2006 at 10:12 am
Sorry for the late reply. There are a few additional considerations, such as what connections are on the TV, and the application/quality. $200 might be a little low, CAT5 extenders are generally fairly expensive, especially for video.
The simplest solution would be a VGA + audio extender, SW-4399 and SW-4403. That is assuming that you have a VGA input on the TV. While maintaining the highest video quality, it would run about $270.
Another simple option woud be the Wireless PC to TV. It would send both video and audio, but would not use the CAT5 wiring. The quality would not be as high as the VGA extender, but it is about half the cost. ($139.95)
Other options in between would probably require a combination of PC to TV converters and video/audio baluns, again depending on the available connections and the desired end quality.
December 13th, 2007 at 11:53 am
I may be way under what you’re trying to do, so bear with me but, would Media Lounge by D-Link accomplish anything close to what you’re trying to do? I’d like to do similar local broadcasting of audio and video throughout my house and some outdoor speakers too. I believe Media Lounge is 802.11g Bluetooth so not sure how that would be for audio and video quality. The D-Link Model DSM-320 seems to be most popular. Would this require a BT receiver at each device? Please let me know what you think, or what is a good setup that is fairly simple, effective, flexible and not too expensive.
Kevin