Please help me know what cables to route

[Caveman]

Building a new rig that will be primarily for flight simulation and some HT use. The rig will be in a large media room closet with other HT components: Rx, BD Player, etc...

There is a PJ in the media room (the room with the "closet") that I'd like to be able to connect to the PC.

I've got to hang out in a blazingly hot, dangerous attic to make it happen, so I want to be sure I do it right the first time.

What are all the cables I need to run from the PC to the Rx to make sure it's future proof?

Min Assumption is:

1) TOSlink Cable to go from a soundcard or mobo to the Rx
2) 1 HDMI Cable

Do I really need anything else?

 

[giantpandaman2]

There's really no way to make it future proof with any current cables. HDMI is in the midst of a change right now and with 4k coming etc. there's always something that's going to come around the corner. Cat6 cable with signal converters on both ends are likely the best bet, but that's still a pain in the butt.

I'd put in some fat smurf tubes so that you can just change cables as needed. As you remove an obsolete cable just string the new one to it and pull it through. That way all new cables won't require crawling through the basement.

 

[Caveman]

Those are good tips, thanks.

Is a "smurf cable" just a dummy cable of sorts?

I take it the new HDMI cables are not avail yet? What kind of cable is needed for 4k?

Also, for sound, should I not have a TOSlink cable?

 

[giantpandaman2]

Cat6, HDMI, and TOSlink are about all I'd do. The nice thing about Cat6 is there's a way to jimmy just about any signal through it. Newer HDMI can carry an ethernet signal too, but I think Cat6 has the highest transfer rates and the lowest signal loss. I could be wrong on that, though.

Just google smurf tube. They're hollow, flexible conduit. Almost any big box home improvement store will have it. The people at the store will likely know the best ways to install it. Personally I just put a long rope in it, installed the tubing, then used the rope to pull all the wires through. As for wires, I'd suggest picking them up through monoprice.

 

[DesiPower]

Coax?

Just run a couple of extra ropes...

 

[giantpandaman2]

One rope can pull multiple cables. Pulling out a cable can pull multiple cables as well depending on the thickness and the curves. Just be careful when routing the smurf tubes in the first place to avoid problems at turns.

 

[Raincity]

Just install conduit if you can in the wall.Its worth it to me to rip the sheet rock down to install conduit and rebuild the wall again. Don't worry about future proofing the cables. You can use the existing cable to pull the new cables when the time comes for upgrading.

 

[MongGrel]

Coax?

Just run a couple of extra ropes...

If your doing a TOSlink and a HDMI why would you need Coax ?

 

[DesiPower]

If your doing a TOSlink and a HDMI why would you need Coax ?

ota perhaps...

 

[Drako]

If your doing a TOSlink and a HDMI why would you need Coax ?

A better question would be, why run TOSlink? Even Toshiba does not support it anymore. :biggrin:

 

[Caveman]

So... What Sound Cable should I be running from this new PC to an Rx?

 

[giantpandaman2]

So... What Sound Cable should I be running from this new PC to an Rx?

HDMI carries audio. HDMI -->Receiver-->HDMI-->TV is a typical hookup. Just make sure you have a decent cable for the length of your run.

 

[Caveman]

So... this may sound like a dumb question. But... Which HDMI cable carries the sound? I understand today's video cards have HDMI ports but do they carry sound too? Or, will a modern MoBo with good sound capability have an HDMI port for that?

And while on the subject... What benefits are to be gained with a dedicated sound card... I do really appreciate good sound.