HDMI over Cat5/6 extenders...Can't use with a receiver? HDbaseT ($$$) required?

[seepy83]

I just recently re-modeled a room in my house, and I had purchased some HDMI over Cat5 wall plates from Monoprice (http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=1042501&p_id=8008&seq=1&format=2#description) so that I could have the TV mounted on the wall and my rack of A/V equipment at another side of the room with the cables run in the wall. I ran Cat6a STP patch cables in the wall (as recommended by monoprice). Last night I got the TV mounted on the wall, connected HDMI cables from the receiver to the wall plate and the 2nd wall plate to the TV but got no video signal on the TV.

I talked to monoprice tech support, and they asked me to connect a source device directly to the wall plate with no receiver in between. I do that, and it works. They go on to tell me that these HDMI over Cat5 extenders are only supposed to be used for connecting a source device directly to the TV. They say you cannot have an HDMI switching device (like a receiver) in between. My blood is boiling now because that's not mentioned anywhere in the product description or specifications. He goes on to tell me that my only option is to get an HDbaseT extender kit ($250 from monoprice...many more hundreds of dollars from other places) if I need to use the receiver. And, in addition to the expense, the HDbaseT extender uses a double-gang wall plate and requires a power adapter on both the sending and receiving ends. If I had known any of this ahead of time, I would have run an HDMI cable through the studs when I didn't have sheetrock up (and taped, and primed, and painted).

Is there anything else I can do to make this work with what I have today? I'm a fool for not running my A/V cabling in conduit/PVC so that I could easily pull something else in the future...but I really thought that having Cat6 there would be sufficient for me since I plan to sell this house and move in about 5 years anyway.

 

[Number1]

Wow, that's a SIGNIFICANT restriction and it should be documented on the Monoprice site. Not much you can do except maybe try to get them to give you a discount on something else.

They have 60' Redmere HDMI cables. Would that work for you?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10255&cs_id=1025507&p_id=9173&seq=1&format=2

I know, it will be a pain to run it through the wall.

 

[seepy83]

Wow, that's a SIGNIFICANT restriction and it should be documented on the Monoprice site. Not much you can do except maybe try to get them to give you a discount on something else.

They have 60' Redmere HDMI cables. Would that work for you?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10255&cs_id=1025507&p_id=9173&seq=1&format=2

I know, it will be a pain to run it through the wall.

I fear that my wife will murder me if I start punching holes in our brand new walls to run new cabling.

Considering the cost of a quality HDMI cable (like the one you linked) and time that it will take me to cut holes in the walls, run another cable, patch up the walls, and paint again...I makes the HDbaseT product more appealing, even with the high cost.

 

[seepy83]

I got in touch with TrippLite to find out if a similar HDMI to Cat5/6 product from them would work with an A/V receiver. They said the same thing that Monoprice told me...not compatible with a receiver. They also don't tell you about that restriction on the features/specs page of their website, or in the owner/installation manual. These manufacturers really NEED to make that information available before people purchase.

Looks like my only option is to get an HDbaseT product or run HDMI cable through the wall. And the more I read about HDBaseT, the more I'm hearing that it's very new/immature technology and not necessarily reliable.

This sucks.

 

[JAG87]

I fear that my wife will murder me if I start punching holes in our brand new walls to run new cabling.

Considering the cost of a quality HDMI cable (like the one you linked) and time that it will take me to cut holes in the walls, run another cable, patch up the walls, and paint again...I makes the HDbaseT product more appealing, even with the high cost.

Use a wire guide, inconspicuously.

 

[Number1]

Use a wire guide, inconspicuously.

He might also be able to attach the HDMI cable to the existing cat5 cable and pull the HDMI cable through with the cat5 cable depending on how small the holes he drilled in the studs are. It`s risky, he could easily damage both cables and end up having to take the sheetrock off and dealing with a pissed off lady.

Meh, never mind......LOL

 

[Chapbass]

While I don't do any inwall stuff, and hence don't have wall plates for anything, I DO use an HDMI over cat6 extender with my projector and receiver and it works just fine. The only issue I have is when theres any power fluctuation (such as turning off multiple lights at the same time in the kitchen), it has to re-do a handshake, but its not much of a big deal.

I use this: http://www.amazon.com/Generic-HDMI-E...ernet+extender

I would think you could do the same, then have your wall plates be cat6 plates and not hdmi plates. You'd just need 2 of them.

Some of the nicer ones from Gefen are only a single HDMI and are supposed to work better, but they're also much more expensive.