IR Extenders / HDMI Extenders with IR

[topman870]

Hello,

I am having some works done in my house and am planning of removing all my AV Kit (Amp / Blue-ray/ Sky box) from the under cabinet and have it placed into a storage cupboard which is 5 meters away from the TV itself.

What are my best options here as some of the IR extenders I've seen use 3.5 audio jack but are not very long and are mainly used or under cabinets. You can get longer 3.5 leads but not seen many good reviews on these.

I have seen HDMI extenders over CAT 6 but will require a few for each item.

At first i was thinking of running a few HDMI leads and using the IR extenders....

Please let me know your thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Lucid]

Buy decent quality IR Extender kits and you'll find that they work reliably. Cheaper versions can be hit or miss. Have a look at what Keene Electronics has to offer.

In the jobs where I have used them, I have always extended the cable for the IR receiver. Up to 10-12 metres hasn't been a problem. I leave the emitter cables as they are unless fitting the eyes inside bits of gear.

The HDMI piggyback kits work okay, but I've tended to use them on very simple systems where the HDMI cable length is 3-4 metres and its controlling something like Virgin box or Freeview PVR rather than several bits of gear.

The other thing I use a lot is fully system remote controls (Pronto, Nevo, RTI). These support wireless repeaters. They're much more sophisticated systems. Used Prontos and Nevos are good value and extremely flexible. The learning curve for programming can be a challenge though for novices, which is where I pick up quite a bit of business.

Harmony makes a dumbed-down version of a system remote with wireless IR. You haven't got as much scope to tailor the functionality, but if your needs are more basic then it might work for you.


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[topman870]

thanks for the advice!

Many thanks