Best way to hook up PC to TV from across the room?

[Bat123Man]

Hi,
My basement is being redone. The walls and ceiling are open, I have the opportunity to string whatever I want behind them before they are drywalled. I'm having Cat6 run all over the house, including through the basement ceiling where it will come out behind the TV for consoles (PS4, XB1). The basement room where I will have a TV measures 23 feet by 11 feet (7m x 3.3m). The best place for the computer is in the far corner on a desk. The best place for the TV is on the opposite wall, which means 23 feet away. I could buy a 50 foot HDMI cable and run that up behind the wall, across the ceiling, and come out behind where the TV is going to be. Or I could try a wireless solution such as the IOGear wireless HD digital kit gw3dhdkit. That seems unnecessary since I have the walls open, and it isn't cheap (270 in Canada).

The main objective is to play Steam games on the big TV, although movies, video, etc. from the HTPC are definitely going to be played on the TV as well. The computer already had dual-monitors to an Nvideo 1060 card which has 3 DisplayPort, 1 HDMI, 1 DVI. I am using one DP, and one HDMI out for the two monitors. I'll have to buy an HDMI switch to hook up the TV if I buy that 50 foot cable. I have a wireless KB/mouse combo I can use, when sitting on the couch it will be about 12 feet (3.6m) from the computer.

Is the HDMI through the walls the best solution?

 

[Bat123Man]

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

 

[snoopy7548]

If the walls are open, I highly suggest running conduit where you're planning on running cables (and where you think you might want more outlets such as audio or home automation); if you don't, you'll be kicking yourself in 15 years when you need Cat10 and the successor to HDMI. In the future, you can simply pull/fish cable through the conduit and be done with it, rather than having to cut the walls and fish cabling all over again.

Just re-read and it's only the basement that's open. I still stand by the conduit suggestion, at least around the basement. It gets trickier to run conduit through finished walls, but it's certainly possible with a basement.

 

[Bat123Man]

Thanks. It's a full-house gut. Every wall and ceiling is currently open. The electrician is laying dual lines of 5e to every room. I discussed cat6 with him, he can do that but the cabling costs roughly double and requires Cat6 everything. He will also run 4 lines between where the computer will go in the basement corner to where the TV will sit so that I can do HDMI over Ethernet on two dedicated lines not connected to the network, and then have the regular 2 runs of ethernet for internet. I'll ask today about conduit.

 

[LoveMachine]

I have a 50ft HDMI cable running between my PC and TV in a similar situation (but old house, just ran the cable along the wall behind furniture in a runner). Any decent quality HDMI 1.4 or above cable from Monoprice (available in CA?) should be fine. At 1080p I haven't had any connection or signal quality issues. However, I don't have any 4k gear. I have no idea if the extra bandwidth is an issue over long cable runs with 4k.

 

[LikeLinus]

Respectfully, please do not listen to the person recommending 1.4 HDMI at 50 ft. HDMI 2.0 was released in 2013 and you'd be putting yourself in a hole to install 4 year old cable technology. I completely agree with the person suggesting you to install some PVC or other conduit that will allow you the ability to upgrade wiring in the future. I think I've seen the recommended max length of HDMI is 25ft (without extenders). I'm not completely positive though.

I'm a bit on the handy side, but you may not be. But what I would recommend is having the conduit installed and then buying and installing the non-electrical wiring yourself. Just make sure you purchase cable that can be installed in-wall (CL-3). Personally, I'd run all RF, HDMI, speaker and Ethernet cable myself. That's just me though.

 

[Kartajan]

Respectfully, please do not listen to the person recommending 1.4 HDMI at 50 ft. HDMI 2.0 was released in 2013 and you'd be putting yourself in a hole to install 4 year old cable technology. I completely agree with the person suggesting you to install some PVC or other conduit that will allow you the ability to upgrade wiring in the future. I think I've seen the recommended max length of HDMI is 25ft (without extenders). I'm not completely positive though.

I'm a bit on the handy side, but you may not be. But what I would recommend is having the conduit installed and then buying and installing the non-electrical wiring yourself. Just make sure you purchase cable that can be installed in-wall (CL-3). Personally, I'd run all RF, HDMI, speaker and Ethernet cable myself. That's just me though.

All HDMI cables that carry the HDMI High Speed Logo do support the HDMI 2.0 Standard and can transmit ultra high resolutions with 2160p @ 24 Hz (=4k).. The much older standards for 1.0-1.2 were different from that in 1.4 and later. The difference between 1.4 and 2.0 lie in the electronics not the cables. I will, however, second the recommendation of using an installation method that facilitates later upgrades/ changes.

"Passive" cables can be up to 10m(32') and still have "in specification" signal levels, active cables can be longer...

**HDMI 2.1 specs will include a new higher cable spec for 8k HDR (48Gbps cables) The HDMI 2.1 Compliance Test Specification (CTS) will be published in Q2-Q3 2017.

 

[LikeLinus]

All HDMI cables that carry the HDMI High Speed Logo do support the HDMI 2.0 Standard and can transmit ultra high resolutions with 2160p @ 24 Hz (=4k).. The much older standards for 1.0-1.2 were different from that in 1.4 and later. The difference between 1.4 and 2.0 lie in the electronics not the cables. I will, however, second the recommendation of using an installation method that facilitates later upgrades/ changes.

"Passive" cables can be up to 10m(32') and still have "in specification" signal levels, active cables can be longer...

**HDMI 2.1 specs will include a new higher cable spec for 8k HDR (48Gbps cables) The HDMI 2.1 Compliance Test Specification (CTS) will be published in Q2-Q3 2017.

That's not completely true. I would never tell anyone to save a few dollars and install old cables in a technology that changes (fairly) rapidly. HDMI 2.0 also adds Rec. 2020 color space, 32 channels of audio, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling. HDMI 2.0 also carries 4K resolution at 60 frames per second (fps). None of those were developed for 1.4. Doesn't matter if you use it now or not, if it's a possibility in the future, don't waste your money using an old standard.

2160p IS NOT 4k. It is UHD. Media companies are being a bit deceptive (surprise!) that 4k blu-rays are in fact 4k. But the issue is that UHD is not 4k. 4k is higher resolution than UHD and it's a bit silly.

You made a point yourself that it's all about "electronics" and not the cable. HDMI 2.0 cables allow for higher bandwidth than 1.4 cables and cover you for the higher resolution, audio cannels and color space. It's like telling someone they should install Cat 5 vs Cat 6. There is no reason (especially now) for someone to save a few dollars for lower end cables. Install HDMI 2.0 and be done with it. Don't cut corners. Believe I know because I have a dedicated home theater and it changes so often. 4-5 years from now you'll be kicking yourself in the butt for installing inferior cable.

Also, as you pointed out, HDMI 1.4 only allows for 32' length. This person is asking for 50'. Another reason why not to use a lower speed/low bandwidth cable.

 

[Kartajan]

That's not completely true. I would never tell anyone to save a few dollars and install old cables in a technology that changes (fairly) rapidly. HDMI 2.0 also adds Rec. 2020 color space, 32 channels of audio, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling. HDMI 2.0 also carries 4K resolution at 60 frames per second (fps). None of those were developed for 1.4. Doesn't matter if you use it now or not, if it's a possibility in the future, don't waste your money using an old standard.

2160p IS NOT 4k. It is UHD. Media companies are being a bit deceptive (surprise!) that 4k blu-rays are in fact 4k. But the issue is that UHD is not 4k. 4k is higher resolution than UHD and it's a bit silly.

You made a point yourself that it's all about "electronics" and not the cable. HDMI 2.0 cables allow for higher bandwidth than 1.4 cables and cover you for the higher resolution, audio cannels and color space. It's like telling someone they should install Cat 5 vs Cat 6. There is no reason (especially now) for someone to save a few dollars for lower end cables. Install HDMI 2.0 and be done with it. Don't cut corners. Believe I know because I have a dedicated home theater and it changes so often. 4-5 years from now you'll be kicking yourself in the butt for installing inferior cable.

Also, as you pointed out, HDMI 1.4 only allows for 32' length. This person is asking for 50'. Another reason why not to use a lower speed/low bandwidth cable.

HDMI 2.0 > HDMI 1.4; this we agree on
HDMI 2.0 "High Speed" cables are the exact same cable as HDMI 1.4 "High Speed" cables. This did not change in the specification; the devices and what signalling they are sending over said cables is what changed. When the HDMI 2.1 spec cables come out, THOSE will be physically different in order to handle the much higher bandwidth required.
FWIW, any 50' passive HDMI cable is running out of specification and individual mileage will vary- you need an "active" cable for in spec operation at 50'.

FWIW- my information is from the HDMI licencing body proper...

(And for gigabit networks, Cat5e performs identically to Cat6- You don't see the benefit until you get to 10Gb network speeds)

 

[Kartajan]

The term “4K” originally derives from the Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI), a consortium of motion picture studios that standardized a spec for the production and digital projection of 4K content. In this case, 4K is 4,096 by 2,160, and is exactly four times the previous standard for digital editing and projection (2K, or 2,048 by 1,080). 4K refers to the fact that the horizontal pixel count (4,096) is roughly four thousand. The 4K standard is not just a resolution, either: It also defines how 4K content is encoded. A DCI 4K stream is compressed using JPEG2000, can have a bitrate of up to 250Mbps, and employs 12-bit 4:4:4 color depth.

 

[Bardock]

Why make this difficult, just use dlna like Serviio.

 

[Kartajan]

Why make this difficult, just use dlna like Serviio.

I don't see how dlna would work for the gaming part....

 

[Kartajan]

(If it was me, I would jump on the "Amazon Prime day" deal for an NVidia Shield; run Plex (The free functionality) on the PC.. The Shield can stream many (most? YMMV) games from the PC since you have an NVidia GPU in the PC, and Plex can handle the distribution of the A/V stuff to the Shield....)

Officially supported titles for "gamestreaming": https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/shield/games/#library

 

[Bardock]

Sorry didn't read the whole thing. Gaming is a problem wish it could be done on dlna as I have same issue. Apologies.

 

[sdifox]

Put in two cat 6 feed and HDMI cable, make sure they are in wall rated. Cable cost difference is negligible compared to labour. Probably need a booster at 50'. There are also HDMI over ethernet extenders though I am not certain about their latency.

HDBaseT is the logical solution but I am not certain about the adoption rate.

What kind of gaming are we talking about?

 

[Fallen Kell]

Yes, HDMI through the walls is the best solution. You are pushing the limit on the range though, and may be best to go with fiber optic based HDMI cable. It will cost you $250 or so for a 50 foot cable, but they are certified to actually work 4k 60Hz 4:4:4 chroma up to 1000 feet. Being fiber based, they do have bend radius issues, and if you kink it, you can destroy it, but given it is in-wall, those problems are just install issues.

 

[sdifox]

Yes, HDMI through the walls is the best solution. You are pushing the limit on the range though, and may be best to go with fiber optic based HDMI cable. It will cost you $250 or so for a 50 foot cable, but they are certified to actually work 4k 60Hz 4:4:4 chroma up to 1000 feet. Being fiber based, they do have bend radius issues, and if you kink it, you can destroy it, but given it is in-wall, those problems are just install issues.

Or just use ethernet HDMI extender.

Or go HDBaseT. This is the receiver, you also need a transmitter.

https://www.amazon.com/Atlona-Technologies-AT-HDRX-Receiver-Category/dp/B00LOVR69W

 

[Fallen Kell]

Or just use ethernet HDMI extender.

Or go HDBaseT. This is the receiver, you also need a transmitter.

https://www.amazon.com/Atlona-Technologies-AT-HDRX-Receiver-Category/dp/B00LOVR69W

Ethernet HDMI extenders are only good up to 10Gbps, which is not enough data to meet the 18Gbps required for 4k 60hz 4:4:4. If you don't have 4k or don't plan on it in the next 10 years that you will be using something like this in the wall, then the ethernet HDMI options work.

 

[sdifox]

Ethernet HDMI extenders are only good up to 10Gbps, which is not enough data to meet the 18Gbps required for 4k 60hz 4:4:4. If you don't have 4k or don't plan on it in the next 10 years that you will be using something like this in the wall, then the ethernet HDMI options work.

Lulz 4K 60Hz 10bit 4:4:4 is a long way off. I understand 4k60 4:2:2 8bit is close to 18gb, but is there any content up to that rate?

Also, he is talking about his PC connection, is he actually going to have the video card capable of pushing that data rate?


This HDBaseT product employs DSC compression to fit 4K60 4:4:4 into the pipe.

https://atlona.com/product/at-cent-301-cea/

 

[snoopy7548]

The walls are probably all buttoned up by now.

If not, I still say he should install conduit.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Lulz 4K 60Hz 10bit 4:4:4 is a long way off. I understand 4k60 4:2:2 8bit is close to 18gb, but is there any content up to that rate?

Also, he is talking about his PC connection, is he actually going to have the video card capable of pushing that data rate?


This HDBaseT product employs DSC compression to fit 4K60 4:4:4 into the pipe.

https://atlona.com/product/at-cent-301-cea/

Again, my point is that for something going into the wall, and will be around for a while, you go with the technology that has the longest shelf-life/support. You are much more likely to see something that needs 18Gbps in the future than not. HDBaseT was a recommended approach a few years ago, but it has reached its bandwidth limit.

And that HDBaseT product that you are point to has a MSRP of $1,500, when for $250 he can get fiber and not have to deal with yet another layer of compression on the video/audio... There is a reason they don't list the price and instead have a "request a quote" button on that site, the product is simply outclassed by a cheaper alternative. The only real use for this is existing ethernet based installs that want to upgrade and don't or can't replace the existing wires.

 

[sdifox]

Again, my point is that for something going into the wall, and will be around for a while, you go with the technology that has the longest shelf-life/support. You are much more likely to see something that needs 18Gbps in the future than not. HDBaseT was a recommended approach a few years ago, but it has reached its bandwidth limit.

And that HDBaseT product that you are point to has a MSRP of $1,500, when for $250 he can get fiber and not have to deal with yet another layer of compression on the video/audio... There is a reason they don't list the price and instead have a "request a quote" button on that site, the product is simply outclassed by a cheaper alternative. The only real use for this is existing ethernet based installs that want to upgrade and don't or can't replace the existing wires.

Op should just add a counter near the tv :awe: