Browse Forums Home Theatre & Automation 1 Mar 12, 2010 1:09 pm Hi Guys, We are in the process of finalising our electricals and would like to have the movie room prewired. We got quote $635.00 for a 5.1 surround sound - this includes all cables (not sure what type), plates (with banana clip) mounted on the wall behind where each of the speakers and subwoofer are to be placed and a main connection plate on wall behind Amplifier. Is this reasonable? Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 2Mar 12, 2010 1:29 pm For a 5.1 surround sound system, I think it's reasonable. You didn't mention video - if you are going to have a projector or even if you plan to wall-mount a plasma or LCD TV you should also give some thought to your video cables (from the AV Receiver (or whatever) to where your projector or TV is going to be)... Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 3Mar 12, 2010 2:14 pm We haven't really decided on the video aspect of it - undecided between projector or wall mounted plasma / lcd / led. Not sure exactly what the ideal visual is for room 5M X 3.6M. Please see attached. we do not want anything fancy but of course we want decent set-up to make use of the dedicated movie room. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ any suggestions welcome. Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 4Mar 12, 2010 3:17 pm projector = power needed in that spot = do before gyprock goes up and chucka HMDI cable or 50mm conduit going to where your gear is then decide later.. Kodiak Data Cabling onFaceBook Consult*, Design and Installation Data, TV, Home Theatre/ AV Cabling, Multi Room Audio, IP CCTV and Door Intercoms Ask for a Quote. *DIY DATA Cabling Is Ilegal Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 5Mar 12, 2010 4:00 pm for a room that size if you are having one row I would think 120" minimum and maybe a bit bigger if you like it big.. Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 7Mar 12, 2010 4:45 pm Eoh what's the ideal distance between projector & screen? with most LCD projectors this day it doesn't really matter with the huge zoom ranges that they have.. Probably around 4m for yours I would suggest. Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 8Mar 14, 2010 7:42 am wakeboardandy with most LCD projectors this day it doesn't really matter with the huge zoom ranges that they have.. Sorry, but this is still not quite the case yet (you'd think that by now we still wouldn't be so restricted to such limited ranges of projection distance - ie. lenses with much more zoom range than we currently have, but alas...). For example, I installed a BenQ W6000 yesterday which needed to be around 5m (in fact I think it was even a bit more than that) back from the 120" screen I used. At 4m back the W6000 would not have been able to spread it's picture enough to fill that screen to the edges. It's true that LCD projectors have (generally) shorted 'throw' distances and more zoom range, but you still need to do your homework to make sure they will fit. As example here I installed a Mitsubishi HC6500 (yeah, this has now been superceded more than once...) a while ago in a room that was just under 4m deep. Being concerned with the distance (and a couple of other factors) I recommended and installed a 96" screen (still 16:9 of course) and even with the projector as hard up against the back wall as I could get it it barely (barely!) was able to spread the picture enough to fill that screen... Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 9Mar 09, 2011 1:48 pm To date we still have not decided on the projector / screen. I am getting a HDMI cable pre-installed this coming Friday before all the gyprock goes up. I am not exactly sure what HDMI to buy and the safest / ideal length to buy. From projector to the lower part of the front wall. Would a 20ft / 6m enough? I got a quote for $149 from Quality Hifi in the Sydney, is this reasonable? Details: KD-HDR20NF Red Iguana Series™ VW1 Rated HDMI Cables - 20 Ft. (6 m) Premium Super Sonic Speed 21 Gbps VW1 Rated HDMI Cables featuring gold-plated 24 Gauge conductors and precision internal windings to deliver exceptional digital video performance. HDMI® Features: 3D - Capability to pass 3D stereoscopic signal formats 4K - 4096x2160/24 video resolution support for commercial applications such as Digital Movie Theaters, CAD, Post Production, Graphics and etc. HDMI Ethernet Channel - Allows 100 Mb/s Ethernet between two HDMI connecting devices Audio Return Channel - Allows audio to be returned from display back to HDMI source for amplification and display Key Features: Supports all SD, HD, and VESA (VGA, SVGA, XGA, WXGA, SXGA, UXGA) resolutions up to 1080p (60Hz & 50Hz) SD & HD: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p VESA / DVI:From 640x480p up to 1920x1200p Features: HDMI® with HDCP 21 Gbps Super Sonic Speed 12-bit Deep Color 120 Hz Refresh Rate Full support of lossless digital audio formats: Dolby® TrueHD Dolby® Digital Plus and DTS™-HD Master Audio Gold-Plated 24 Gauge Conductors VW-1 UL Rated Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 10Mar 09, 2011 2:53 pm In my experience 6m will definitely not be enough. Here's how I quickly work it out (given a typical setup where the gear will sit in some sort of cabinet at the bottom of the front wall): 2.5 ~ 3m for height of front wall (I always just round up to 3m) + 4~5m for distance from front wall to (roughly) where projector will need to be mounted (this distance varies obviously depending on the projector, as perviously discussed...) + 1m extra slack at projector end + 1m extra slack at gear end So you're looking at more like 9m minimum... Check out the HDMI cables at Selby Acoustics - good value. Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 11Mar 09, 2011 3:07 pm Thanks Rod. Is this the Selby Acoustic one? http://www.selbyacoustics.com.au/storef ... =254874073 Do they have stockist in Sydney? I need this by this coming Friday. Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 12Mar 11, 2011 7:45 am Hi mate. Sorry, was occupied all day yesterday. Yes that is the cable, but I don't know about on-the-shelf availability in Sydney. Perhaps you could call them and ask them that question? Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 14Mar 13, 2011 3:03 pm You can get an excellent quality projector + screen, and excellent quality and real performance sound system (AV Receiver, 5 speakers + subwoofer), consisting of proper industry leading quality brands, and still get change out of $10K. It's only when trying to do that for less than say the $6~7K mark that some real compromises need to be made... Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 15Mar 15, 2011 3:24 pm Ensure your speaker cable runs are a minimum of 12 Gauge. Let me sat that again, A MINIMUM OF 12 GAUGE. IMHO, If you ask your installer this and he significantly changes his price, he was probably going to use "speaker wire" for the job. This means either he doesn't know what he is doing (get someone who does), or he was trying to rip you off, in which case, get someone who knows what he is doing and won't rip you off. Consider you may need co-ax to your sub-woofer and not "regular" stranded wire. HTH, P_D . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 16Mar 16, 2011 11:37 am Pepsi_Drinker Ensure your speaker cable runs are a minimum of 12 Gauge. If you have high performance speakers (typically accompanied by a high price tag) and a high performance amplifier, and the speaker and amplifier terminals can comfortably accommodate 12 gauge/12AWG speaker wire then sure - it shouldn't be that much more expensive anyway. However, not everyone's components fit these criteria. If your sound system is more of a 'modest' one then a speaker wire size more like 16AWG is fine, and if the terminals at either end aren't big enough (as often happens with the lower end stuff - equipped with little 'springy flap' type terminals) to comfortably insert the thicker 12AWG wire those terminals will very likely end up weakened and start losing their grip - basically if the wire is too thick it will likely end up wrecking the terminals. Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 17Mar 16, 2011 12:13 pm Ummm........... Ok, We'll agree to disagree on this !! As you pointed out, the (additional) cost really isn't too much of an issue, and for high-end gear it's a necessity. But as we're talking pre-wiring here, it is safe to assume that the OP will be in the house for a number of years, his tastes and budget may (will ??) change, and if not now (we are not told if he already has high-end gear) then some time in the future he may like to upgrade to a better system. Given that he has a "Movie room" and knows enough to ask about 5.1 sound and specifically mentions a sub-woofer, I figured that he might have some good gear already. I made my post suggestion regarding 12Ga cable as the OP also specifically said... "this includes all cables (not sure what type)," and I thought that he should know what sort of cables he is getting ......... Your point is taken that really cheap gear may not be physically be able to accommodate 12Ga wire, no problem, just thin out 50% of the strands at the last inch to connect into the terminals. That way he will still have the low resistance of the cable for 99.9% of the run, and assuming that the wires are not stretched to 110% of maximum capacity (I always leave 6 - 12 inches in the cavity for "Ron" ) at any time in the future he wants to upgrade all the hard work is already done for no additional cost. My thoughts, and for the minor cost savings, I know what I would do !! P_D (Opinions are like bums, everyone's got one ) . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 18Mar 16, 2011 12:30 pm Eoh ......What can I achieve (complete set up) on a very conservative budget of up to 10k? Rodda .......real performance sound system (AV Receiver, 5 speakers + subwoofer), consisting of proper industry leading quality brands, and still get change out of $10K....... Thinking some more, He's looking to spend 10 Big-Ones, we're agreed that he can get some decent stuff for that.................. "That's my final answer.....Lock in 12Ga Eddie" P_D EDIT: Checked out Selbys page (good call there, that's where I buy mine from ) they appear to be out of stock of 100m / 12 Ga, but on their 50m RETAIL price ("Installers, Ask about our bulk wholesale rates") the difference for their 16Ga Vs 12Ga is $40 / 50m. 50m wouldn't likely be enough, say he uses a full 100m, AT RETAIL PRICES, the cost is just $80 more for materials, and $0.00 more for labour. . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 19Mar 17, 2011 7:28 am Fair enough that Eoh has indicated a budget that will certainly allow for a decent system. However, my opinion is based on my vast experience installing many, many different systems, and there have been as many 'cheap' ones as there have been more substantial ones (I often do installations using people's existing gear - just because people are aware of 5.1 and subwoofers does not mean they still don't go and spend less than $1000 on the entire audio system...). My disagreement was with the overall genaralisation of a minimum 12AWG wire size, and making the point that this is not wise for everyone. P.S. thinning out the strands at the end can still add an element of danger - you may not have heard of it before (I've seen it before) but it only takes one careless frayed copper wire - no matter how thin - to touch the opposite speaker terminal (+ -) and depending on the circuit protection in the amp can actually blow a channel up! Re: PRE WIRING - MOVIE ROOM 20Mar 17, 2011 8:19 am Rodda ......just because people are aware of 5.1 and subwoofers does not mean they still don't go and spend less than $1000 on the entire audio system...)......... P_D . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 We've had the offer of a short term tenant whilst waiting for CDC/DA home approval and demolition for our knock down rebuild. It would achieve a pretty low rent as it's… 0 13690 The fastest thing a builder will do is bank your cheque, those systems work perfectly with lightning speed, everything else is slow burn. Just the way it is. 1 8678 Just to makea point about this, an approach that some people have found sucessful in negotiating these rises down, Is to provide some workings to the builder, specifying… 4 81558 |