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Video and Surround Sound

Digital Video

The home theatre, family room, and four bedrooms are prewired with HDMI 1.3 wiring originating in the home theatre wiring cabinet. This wiring allows distribution of HDTV 1020p-level quality digital video. To match that level of video quality, each of these rooms has surround sound speakers (60W/channel) installed in the walls or ceiling (25 preinstalled speakers total). In the family room and the bedrooms, these speakers are connected to 5.1 speaker wallplates.

  • The Home Theatre has HDMI 1.3 and component video cables running from the wiring cabinet to the ceiling for an overhead front projector. The surface-mount Harmon/Kardon HKTS-18 speaker system provides 7.1 surround sound with the speakers wired directly to the receiver (70 Watts/channel). The receiver has been calibrated for optimal movie sound from these speakers in this acoustic environment.
  • The Family Room has a HDMI 1.3 cable from the home theatre cabinet to a wallplate in the east wall. There are three in-wall speakers in this wall and two in the ceiling to the west for 5.1 surround sound. The 5.1 speaker wallplate is centered in the east wall and the subwoofer plate is in the southeast corner.
  • The Main Floor Master Bedroom (#1) has a HDMI 1.3 cable from the home theatre wiring cabinet to the south wall. The front left, right, and center speakers are mounted in this wall, while the rear left and right are in the ceiling soffit on the north. The 5.1 speaker wallplate is on the north wall and the subwoofer wallplate is in the northeast corner.
  • The Upstairs Master Bedroom (#4) has two Cat6 cables from the home theatre wiring cabinet to above the fireplace. This run was too long for HDMI 1.3 wiring, so two Cat6 wires with baluns could be used. The front left, right, and center speakers are mounted in the soffit above the fireplace, while the rear left and right are in the ceiling soffit on the south. The 5.1 speaker wallplate is centered on the south wall and the subwoofer wallplate is in the northwest corner.
  • The Upstairs Southeast Bedroom (#2) has an HDMI 1.3 cable from the home theatre wiring cabinet to the west wall. The front center speaker is centered on the west wall, the front left and right speakers are mounted in the ceiling near this wall, while the rear left and right are in the ceiling on the east. The 5.1 speaker wallplate is on the east wall and the subwoofer wallplate is in the northeast corner.
  • The Upstairs Southwest Bedroom (#3) has an HDMI 1.3 cable from the home theatre wiring cabinet to the south wall. The front center speaker is centered on the south wall, the front left and right speakers are mounted in the ceiling near this wall, and the rear left and right speakers are mounted in the ceiling near the north wall. The 5.1 speaker wallplate is on the north wall and the subwoofer wallplate is in the southeast corner.

Distribution: When the building was being finished (Spring 2009), digital HDTV (1020p) matrix switches were not yet available. The building was wired for future video distribution. Anticipated sources include

  • HDTV antennae or satellite receivers in the attic connecting to a set-top box via two RG6 Quad wires
  • BluRay players and changers in the home theater wiring cabinet
  • game consoles
  • cable service
  • Internet HDTV services like video on demand (VOD) or IPTV over DSL or cable
  • HDTV digital video recorders like TiVo
When digital HDTV matrix switches are available, the digital video can be distributed using the HDMI cabling. Digital audio can be distributed through the RG6 Quad wiring to the coax connector in the low voltage wall plates. The digital audio would be converted to analog in a local receiver and sent to the in-ceiling speakers through the 5.1 wall plates.

Analog Video

The house is wired for analog video distribution to all the low voltage wallplates with RG6 Quad cabling. The W.H.E.N. system could be used to distribute analog video.

Cable TV: Cable TV is available at the pull box beside Suzanne Culley's driveway. Underground conduit and a pull rope have been installed to pull cable to the house with a terminal west of the garage near the electric meter. An RG6 Quad cable runs in the crawlspace from here to the wiring cabinet in the home theater.