[mythtv-users] HDMI-to-CAT5 Converter

[jedi at mishnet.org]

> Michael T. Dean wrote:
>> On 02/04/2008 03:52 PM, Brian Wood wrote:
>>> Michael T. Dean wrote:
>>>> Also, do these really carry the signal in IP or is it "unswitchable."
>>>> I
>>>> got the impression it required a direct cabling approach between the
>>>> two
>>>> converters and that it couldn't really hook into the existing runs in
>>>> "the high number of homes pre-wired with category cabling" (which
>>>> almost
>>>> definitely are run from a central hub/switch.
>>> Good point. The only thing these systems have in common with IP systems
>>> is the cable. For the run lengths likely to be encountered in home
>>> systems the cost of the adapters would vastly exceed any savings on
>>> cable costs.
>>
>> If so, it's really annoying that their press release makes such a big
>> deal about existing category cabling.  I guess they want you to put your
>> HDMI-enabled STB in the closet with the hub/switch, and don't want you
>> to realize that running new RG-6/RG-59 to that closet may be harder than
>> running a new cat 5/6 cable from your STB to the TV/projector/...
>
> As usual, marketing not engineering.
>
> Unfortunately with most homes "pre-wired with Cat cable" just means they
> gave the electrician a roll of Cat5 to put in the walls with no thought
> to network topology.
>
> Then, the electrician's assistant will make sure there are enough kinks
> and tight bends to degrade the performance to about that of 10-base-T
> anyway.

    This is one reason that when given the chance I opted for some
relatively unwieldy structured cabling. I figured that there was
"strength in numbers". I saw what the electricians were doing with
the cat5 they were running for phones. I thought that perhaps 5 cables
bound together would be a bit harder for them to manhandle.

>
> I once TDRed cable installed by "data experts" and could only shake my
> head at the result.