Home Entertainment Systems for new build

[amallon]

I'm getting near to starting my first fix electrical and was wondering about TV's and streaming and thought I'd throw out some ideas and see what the experts on here think. 

Windows Media Centre to hold music and videos which could be streamed to TV's throughout the house.  What device would I need at each TV to convert the stream so it can be played on the TV.  Should I run Cat6 cable to each TV point back to my patch panel?

Surround sound – Can I run generic cable and connect my speakers?  What about embedding the speakers in the ceilings or walls so they aren't taking up space?

Internet Access – Is there any device which allow me to browse the web from my tv

TV channels – Is there a freeview type package where I can get RTE and TG4 in the North.  I don't know that I'd get the value out of any Sky package.

Future proofing??  If it was your house what would you be putting in?

That should be enough to get you started...

[downredblack]

Don't know anythig about home entertainment systems but if you are at the first fix stage make sure you throw in plenty of sockets . A couple of years down the road you never know what way you will change rooms around so put the sockets in now .

[lfdown2]

not much use til ye only that i cant see you getting rte etc on any freeview, once digital comes in in 2012 (?) us nordies will have to pay to recieve rte etc through sky or the likes, afaik

[Hardy]

I don't think it's a good idea to embed speakers in the wall - you'd lose all the output power that goes out the back of the box. (But your neighbours might great a great bass sound as the whole wall becomes a huge diaphragm, like those speaker cars that you hear going around).

For future proofing, I'd put in twice the insulation you were thinking of and then a bit more.

[5 Sams]

Have you priced these boys Aidan.....they are based in Dundalk..

http://www.smarthomes.ie/

[Donagh]

Windows Media Centre to hold music and videos which could be streamed to TV's throughout the house.  What device would I need at each TV to convert the stream so it can be played on the TV.  Should I run Cat6 cable to each TV point back to my patch panel?

Kind of depends on the type of control you want from the 'satellite' TVs. Do you want to be able to select and play stuff or just view? If it's the former then you probably want to plan for putting a computer in each room which can access your central media server with the Cat6 cable, if the latter then you could run HDMI cable from the machine acting as your media server directly to your 'satellite' TV's. I have a PC acting as my media server stored away behind my main telly so it can be accessed with a wireless keyboard (only good for a few meters though). This means that it can only be controlled from downstairs but the feed can be accessed anywhere around the house.   

Surround sound – Can I run generic cable and connect my speakers?  What about embedding the speakers in the ceilings or walls so they aren't taking up space?

You could track the walls to run the cable around but as Hardy says don't embed them.

Internet Access – Is there any device which allow me to browse the web from my tv

If you have your media server PC connected to the TV then all you need is a wireless keyboard to access the Internet, play music, DVDs etc...

Future proofing??  If it was your house what would you be putting in?

Kind of what I have already:

PC media server, satellite, record player, playstation etc and any other device connected to an AV receiver (tuner built in).
AV receiver then goes out to the TVs, sub and speakers.

In terms of future proofing, I concentrated on getting a good telly and receiver (both are made by Sony so both controlled by same remote) and a PC which could handle everything I want to play back (capable of playing 1080p, HDMI connections, optical audio on the sound card, lots of space with scope of adding, fast wireless card etc...)

[Shrek]

what media server are you using donagh?

[Donagh]

what media server are you using donagh?

I have Media Portal http://www.team-mediaportal.com/ but mostly as I mostly watch downloaded HD stuff now I tend to just use MPC and VLC for playing video and Windows Media Player to catalog and play music.

[Billys Boots]

Future proofing??  If it was your house what would you be putting in?

If it was me I'd be making sure that my water-heating and space-heating systems were flexible enough to change when renewable energy technologies become reliable and affordable.

[Gnevin]

I'm getting near to starting my first fix electrical and was wondering about TV's and streaming and thought I'd throw out some ideas and see what the experts on here think. 

Windows Media Centre to hold music and videos which could be streamed to TV's throughout the house.  What device would I need at each TV to convert the stream so it can be played on the TV.  Should I run Cat6 cable to each TV point back to my patch panel?

Surround sound – Can I run generic cable and connect my speakers?  What about embedding the speakers in the ceilings or walls so they aren't taking up space?

Internet Access – Is there any device which allow me to browse the web from my tv

TV channels – Is there a freeview type package where I can get RTE and TG4 in the North.  I don't know that I'd get the value out of any Sky package.

Future proofing??  If it was your house what would you be putting in?

That should be enough to get you started...

Good cable will make the difference to your sound , don't buy shit cable and then spend big on a Amp etc. embeded speaker can suffer from lack of air flow . I wouldn't go with it.

For the price the xbox is the best steam device on the market.
Their are web TV devices but the web doesn't look great on the web. ps3/wii both offer this and the steaming  functionality.
Not that i am aware of for RTE at the moment.

Future proofing would be wiring for at least 7.1 and maybe higher. Black out room for a projector. Cat 6 to where your equipment is going to be.

[Gnevin]

what media server are you using donagh?

I have Media Portal http://www.team-mediaportal.com/ but mostly as I mostly watch downloaded HD stuff now I tend to just use MPC and VLC for playing video and Windows Media Player to catalog and play music.

How HD is this stuff? All the HD stuff i've seen hasn't have 5.1 let alone 7.1 and the picture while good is not true HD.

[Donagh]

How HD is this stuff? All the HD stuff i've seen hasn't have 5.1 let alone 7.1 and the picture while good is not true HD.

Probably because there is no "true HD" standard. Depends on the download but for movies I'd typically go for files with 1080p video (for telly I'd download lesser quality). As far as audio goes, most movies still aren't mixed at any more than 5.1 but some files will be better than others and come in a range of different formats. That's why I prefer to have the PC as my playback system - I can play back any file with all options and am not restricted to the hardware of a proprietary playback system  e.g. HD DVD (Xbox) players tend to convert DTS and Dolby to PCM audio with only two channels so if you are using one of those you may not be getting the 5.1 you might get BluRay (Playstation). A good spec PC and receiver bypasses these kind of issues.  

[johnneycool]

Cat 6 to where your equipment is going to be.

Cat6E x2 to wherever your HD TV source wil be coming in then use a GigE hub/switch and you can pump it throughout the house via Cat6e, in fact I've a cat6e cable going to every televison port plus to a few others smattered around the house as I'm not a fan of wireless broadband, unless it's the neighbours of course 

[Main Street]

I don't think it's a good idea to embed speakers in the wall - you'd lose all the output power that goes out the back of the box. (But your neighbours might great a great bass sound as the whole wall becomes a huge diaphragm, like those speaker cars that you hear going around).

For future proofing, I'd put in twice the insulation you were thinking of and then a bit more.

It's a frequent mis conconception that adding insulation is a practical approach to increasing sound insulation.
A regular 4" or 6" layer already installed  will reduce vibration travel/ resonance but sound of course still gets through.

For extra sound insulation a  15cm layer of plasterboard or 18cm chipboard or  is your man, creating a double layer on one side of the wall and on interior walls a double layer on the other side of the wall will bring the sound deadening up to modern 5 ***** hotel standard.

Then after that I could go on for hours about fine tuning the sound insolation effect to reduce the db level heard in the next room even further.

[Hardy]

Sorry - I was talking about thermal insulation but there's no way you could get that from the way I wrote it!  I didn't make it clear I was answering two separate questions. Just saying that with uncertainty about fuel reserves and future price trends, it makes sense to make your house as thermally efficient as possible, especially when you have the chance to do it at construction stage.