I told the salesman when he asked how big of a tv I was looking for, I want to still be able to watch tv when all the grandkids are standing in front of the screen. I got a 65 inch that fits in a room 10x12, with the suround sound speakers and my recliner theres no room for the grandkids to stand in fron of the tv
There is room for one of them to sit on the subwoofer, untill the explosion catapults the poor kid into the ceiling. :evil:

I pimped my house out nicely and it was a good amount of work and testing to get right, but soo worth it.

The office has my computer/server. The living room has a TV and the basement has a TV. HDMI runs from my server to the basement where my amp/splitter is (input slot). Output 1 hdmi runs to the TV downstairs. Output 2 hdmi runs back upstairs for tv in living room. The computer can now display its image on the tv in the basement and the tv in the living room at the same time. Movies/shows/tv streams/sports streams/video games/web surfing/picture sharing. This was all done in the walls using a fish, no insulation or piping or anything. But you need to be able to control the computer from where you are in the house....

Usb2Cat5 adapter 1 goes into usb of computer, cat5 down to basement and sits by the tv with a bluetooth adapter in the usb end of it. Usb2cat5 adapter 2 goes into usb of computer, cat5 down to basement, cat5 back up to living room (easier/neater to go down/up), and sits by the tv with a bluetooth adapter in the usb end of it. Now I have bluetooth coverage in the whole house for a bluetooth wireless keyboard.


Recommended hdmi cables for running wires long distances and through walls. I used a 50 ft cable with no signal loss in one of my first testing runs. You do have to make the holes rather big when running them through studs or your electrical box.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dap...

Recommended hdmi amp/splitter if you need something like this.
http://www.amazon.com/HD-104-Powered-Splitter-Support-Output...

I used this for cat5 to usb - They break kind of easily so I ordered 3 sets.
http://www.amazon.com/SANOXY%C2%AE-over-Extension-Cable-Adap...

Keyboard/Mouse combo I use when in front of a TV.
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Built-In-Mu...

Xbox 360 Wireless adapter for computer - I leave this at the computer end and my controllers work throughout the house - Awesome!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E0OB7MW/ref=ox_sc_sfl_ti...

Universal Remote - Cheap, and I can control the TV/Cable Box/Sound Reciever/Xbox
http://www.amazon.com/URC-Universal-Control-Components-Favor...

Right now I just have a 2.1 system for my sound, nothing behind the couch/back of living room. I don't want to think about how much of a pain it will be to run speaker wires back there and remain hidden.

Annnd no I don't work for amazon... Haha.

Some things I learned: Using 50' hdmi and a adapter/extender to another 30' hdmi to finish the run. It looked like it was all fine and dandy. If I went to play a bluray the sound would move up and down in volume. I had to get that amp/splitter that I listed above. For HDMI the video signal is usually there or not, but the audio is where you can really tell if you have degradation of the signal.

I agree with big kid. Run what you need for now and just leave some kind of flex pipe in the for the future. This way you can run another cable at any point through the tube in the wall.

[delete]

Microwaves can also cause an issue with cables that aren't well insulated/protected. The piping will probably help protect from that too. That was an interesting one. Why does the screen go black for 2-3 minutes everytime my gf goes up stairs to make popcorn??

Honestly I would run the extra hdmi cable and av cables now, just so you don't have to worry about getting back in there to do it. There might be decorations or other unforseeables that get in the way over time that would make it a pain to get back in there. I would not want to have to re-run anything with my setup, I like the peace of mind of everything is done and I won't have to mess with this again! Except for when everything moves to a new hdmi version or displayport? /facepalm

Thanks for all the advice. Its being installed as I type and I'm running all cables for future proofing purposes. CAn't wait to watch TV tonight!!

when I mount my tv i cut a big enough channel in the wall to put some pvc tubing in (cant remember the diameter but pretty thick) and also put a long piece of string through it. this give me the advantage of adding whatever cables I like when I like or even change the tv

^^ Thats a good way to do it ctb.