IR Emitter - Extending IR Channel Changing Range To Other Rooms

[Stargazer]

I have some IR emitters/extenders that came with some SONY and HUGHES DirecTv manuals/remotes. They have one end that looks like a connector like you see that plugs into a headphone jack and the other end looks like it is receivers or emits the IR to the receiver. Can I cut the wire in between the emitter and the plug in jack end to extend it 100-200 feet or can I not run the wire that far?

I could use this in conjunction with the UHF upgrade kit or RCA cones for IR remotes to plug the jack into right? That is what I was planning on doing, just make the wire longer so I can control it in other rooms or a building next to the house that is out of range for the cones or UHF remote.

 

[jrfuda]

You can do it. You can run the cord on IR emitters for several hundred feet with very little degredation.

See my site here:
http://fudaserve.net/news/blog/going_hard-wired_for_ir.php
here:
http://fudaserve.net/news/blog/refining_my_modulator_setup.php
here:
http://fudaserve.net/news/blog/adding_a_modulator.php
and here:
http://fudaserve.net/news/blog/new_ir_equipment.php

as to how I have IR remote control of all of my components from every room in the house using a hard-wired system. My system actually has the IR signals "riding" along with my RF modulated channels on the same run of coax.

 

[Stargazer]

WOW, this is EXACTLY what I have been looking for. This is more along the lines as to what I am going to be doing. It seems complex but once you mess with it long enough it will not be too bad. I did end up getting the UHF PRO to work. I am not sure if it was because I tried a different splitter or if it was the amplifier connected to it that helped. It could not get the range from all the other rooms though. I was messing around and found a wire going close to the room that I needed to get the remote changing functionality at and it worked without an antenna or amplifier! I do not know how I managed that. Not only did it work without the antenna or amplifier but it worked with a longer range. I do not know if me connecting the UHF antenna for my other two receivers at a splitter on the receiver end caused some sort of reaction or what it is. I am not sure if the legacy UHF remote would work this well like the UHF PRO does.

Now that I have that accomplished I need to get the modulation done on all these televisions. I suppose you cannot use composite on long distant runs can you? Is there any good reliable wireless A/V hardware available that has good range and excellent picture quality at extended range? I could use this for video cameras that I want to put on modulated channels along with the ability to have each tuner available on a different modulated channel. I am guessing that modulators are pretty expensive but I think the distributor has them available at which I can get them wholesale.

 

[jrfuda]

I think you can use composite long distance, but having to run independent cables for video and audio (3 total for stereo, 2 for mono) is more work... you did mean composite and not component, right... which would be 3 for video and 2 for stereo or 1 for mono or digital over coax. Both composite and component can be done, but you start getting more and more $$$ as you increase signal quality.
- Modulated over NTSC channels is the cheapest - you TV is the switcher (diff channel per source)
- Independant composite AV is more costly and will require a composite AV matrix switcher (so you can send source A to TV 1 & 3, and source B to TV 2 and source C to TV 4 & 5, or any combo you can think of). Matrix switchers are VERy flexible, but expensive.
- Independant component AV is even more costly. You'll still need a matrix swticher, and component matric switchers are REALLY expensive.
- A combination of composite and component - You can have TV1 on a component matrix swticher and TV1&TV2 on a composite matrix switcher. This way you can watch TV1 or TV2 on any set in the house with the option of feeding component to sets that can handle HD.

All of the matrix switching setups get even more expensive, in that you have to figure out a way to control & track all of this, and man will you have a lot of wires running through your walls (though for even more $$$ you can purchase some baluns that will let you run these signals over a few runs of CAT5)!

Unless you sets in your remote rooms are over 40", I don't think you're going to see ANY difference in a modulated NTSC signal vs a composite signal, and you'll be really challenged to see any difference in a modulated NTSC signal vs a component signal at normal viewing distances... especially if the TVs are CRTs or plasmas... Now if they're LCD/DLP/LCoS based, and/or over 40", and/or you sit really close to the screen, then you may see a difference.

The parts express modulators I use are rather inexpensive. I think $99 for a 3-channel mono modulator. You can get nicer, stereo modulators that also do the IR injection/coupling for you for a lot more ($300+) with the same capabilities.

Unless you have to have stereo on the remote sets, it's cheaper to by the cheap 3-channel mod and seperate IR injectors/couplers, than it is to by the all-in-one unit. However, if you want stereo, then get the all-in-one. I think Parts Express sells all types.

 

[Stargazer]

Do some/all of the HD projectors have coax in? How about a connection for the computer/laptop?

 

[jrfuda]

I'm not a projector owner, so I cannot help you there. However, for clarification, do you mean coax for a TV signal, or coax for RF digital audio?

If you mean for a TV signal, then - even if available - I would not feed that to a projector. An NTSC signal is not going to look so good blown-up that big, over 40" you can really start to see the limitations of an NTSC signal.

If you mean for RF digital audio, are you not planning on feeding the audio signal to a receiver? I know some projectors have built-in speakers, but those are little fellas meant for things like PowerPoint presentations.

Are do you mean something else all together?

 

[Stargazer]

Coax for a tv signal. Was hoping I could get a tv feed to it from another room from where the satellite receivers are at. I put all of my satellite receivers in the same room and use UHF Pro remotes to change the channels.

 

[jrfuda]

Ahh, I understand.. you're going to feed a regular TV feed to your projector in addition to whatever high-qulity signal's you're going to feed it, right?

I'm still not sure if any projectors have a TV tuner in them, but all you have to do is buy the cheapest VCR you can find, hook it to you projector via composite AV, and let it do the TV tuning for you. I've seen technique mentioned at the AVS forums for getting a TV signal into a component that doesnot have a TV tuner.

 

[Stargazer]

I figured there would be someway of accomplishing this one way or another.