HDMI over Cat5e?

[ellal]

I've read conflicting reports over whether this is possible or whether Cat6 is required for a decent signal.

Problem is a trailing lead from TV source to projector.

Both sides of the room are Cat5e wired to a patch panel/switching box on the floor above via a main conduit.

I've estimated that the run each way is a bit over 20m which puts the total 45m-ish run at about the limit of use according to some online info I've seen.

Is this a reasonable proposition, and if so what sort of HDMI to Cat5e connectors should I be looking for?
(I did look at the WHD200 wireless for my Optoma projector, but very variable reports as to whether it works consistently)

Any advice appreciated.

 

[rsgaz]

I've read conflicting reports over whether this is possible or whether Cat6 is required for a decent signal.

I use HDMI over Cat5e UTP. It works fine over my 10m-ish run. I doubt changing to Cat6a would make much difference, what's much more important is considering buying shielded/screened cable. The interference those adapters create is staggering!

When I first installed it, the Cat5e cable was in a PVC conduit up to the loft, right next to another PVC conduit which had the SkyHD RF2 output cable (WF100). Even though not in the same conduit, it ruined the TV signal for all other TVs in the house. They were literally unwatchable, not just a bit fuzzy. I have since moved it to another conduit, two feet away, and spent ages in the loft keeping that cable away from all others. If I had just paid for some screened cable in the first place, I would have avoided all that grief.

If you can run a new cable and keep it as short as possible, you'll avoid many potential problems!

SF/FTP being the best available...

 

[Iamchamps]

I have done the same previously to view the NVR in a garage in living room TV. Quality was fine and no issues.

 

[Lucid]

I've read conflicting reports over whether this is possible or whether Cat6 is required for a decent signal.

Problem is a trailing lead from TV source to projector.

Both sides of the room are Cat5e wired to a patch panel/switching box on the floor above via a main conduit.

I've estimated that the run each way is a bit over 20m which puts the total 45m-ish run at about the limit of use according to some online info I've seen.

Is this a reasonable proposition, and if so what sort of HDMI to Cat5e connectors should I be looking for?
(I did look at the WHD200 wireless for my Optoma projector, but very variable reports as to whether it works consistently)

Any advice appreciated.

There are differing qualities of HDMI balun, so whether the signal can travel via regular single Cat5e and withstand the additional noise from the breaks and junctions along the signal path does rather depend on the baluns hanging off the end.

For the most robust type of signal, you're looking at baluns using HDBaseT technology. It's designed to handle uncompressed video at higher than 1080p resolution via a single Cat5e cable at up to 100m depending on the version of HDBaseT balun used. It's more expensive, but pretty-much guaranteed to work.

Lower price baluns need either a single run of Cat6 or two runs of Cat5e, and they could use signal compression which then changes the quality of the signal, and may be limited on distance too.

No balun signal should be put through a router or network switch that's also carrying IP traffic from networked computers or a router.


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[ellal]

No balun signal should be put through a router or network switch that's also carrying IP traffic from networked computers or a router.

So I guess that rules out the setup that I have?
Which is network sockets all over the house leading to a patch panel and individual 'fly leads' to a TP-Link fast ethernet switch (TP-SF 1024)
A cable modem is connected to one of the channels.

 

[Lucid]

So I guess that rules out the setup that I have?
Which is network sockets all over the house leading to a patch panel and individual 'fly leads' to a TP-Link fast ethernet switch (TP-SF 1024)
A cable modem is connected to one of the channels.

If you're trying to put the balun signal through the network switch, then yes, it rules you out. But you don't have to.

You could keep it contained in the patch with a simple cross link between two ports.

For example, say that blue 9 and blue 11 were wired to the sockets in your room, and let's further presume that there's nothing else networky connected to the in-room sockets. If that were the case then a simple link between ports 9 and 11 on the patch panel would give a continuous signal path from one side of the room to the other. Bada-bing, bada-boom. It's just then a question of finding a balun kit that's happy with a 40m run of Cat5e including the cable joints.

If this or any other reply was helpful to you, then do the decent thing and click the T-H-A-N-K-S button. It appears when you hover the mouse pointer near the Quote Multi-quote buttons. This is the proper way to show your thanks for the time and help someone gave you.

 

[ellal]

If you're trying to put the balun signal through the network switch, then yes, it rules you out. But you don't have to.

You could keep it contained in the patch with a simple cross link between two ports.

For example, say that blue 9 and blue 11 were wired to the sockets in your room, and let's further presume that there's nothing else networky connected to the in-room sockets. If that were the case then a simple link between ports 9 and 11 on the patch panel would give a continuous signal path from one side of the room to the other. Bada-bing, bada-boom. It's just then a question of finding a balun kit that's happy with a 40m run of Cat5e including the cable joints.

Although I can cross link the ports, the double network socket on one side of the room has a smart TV connected in one of them.
The cables are physically seperate, but would the close proximity in the socket (and the cable run) be a problem?

 

[Lucid]

The whole idea of balanced connections in data, telecoms and professional audio is that any noise picked up in the line is cancelled at the receiver end by phase inverting one of the two of each pair of signal lines.

Balun use the same principles. Therefore, any crosstalk between the data and balun lines should be cancelled out so long as the balun pair are properly designed and made. You'll only find this out though once you test the system.


If this or any other reply was helpful to you, then do the decent thing and click the T-H-A-N-K-S button. It appears when you hover the mouse pointer near the Quote Multi-quote buttons. This is the proper way to show your thanks for the time and help someone gave you.

 

[ellal]

The whole idea of balanced connections in data, telecoms and professional audio is that any noise picked up in the line is cancelled at the receiver end by phase inverting one of the two of each pair of signal lines.

Balun use the same principles. Therefore, any crosstalk between the data and balun lines should be cancelled out so long as the balun pair are properly designed and made. You'll only find this out though once you test the system.

Do you have any recommendations as to Balun pairs for that type of distance?

As usual with these things there are plenty out there that claim to do what I want!

 

[Lucid]

Before mentioning some brands, I should say that I am an installer, so my priorities are having something as bullet-proof as possible so I don't get service calls. For that reason, I tend to stick with known brands that I can trust to work. Bluestream, Octava, Kramer, CYP.

Given that a lot of people are going to 4K UHD, it might be worth looking on Ebay and at the classifieds section of AVForums to see if there's some used gear.

If this or any other reply was helpful to you, then do the decent thing and click the T-H-A-N-K-S button. It appears when you hover the mouse pointer near the Quote Multi-quote buttons. This is the proper way to show your thanks for the time and help someone gave you.