Browse Forums Home Theatre & Automation 1 Sep 09, 2011 11:39 pm Guys, please help out. Haven't very much idea about what I am being offered and what I need. We are building a double story house with JG King. 4 beds and study. We dont currently have pay tv (but will want when we retire!). We have a dvd player/recorder. We would probably have tv in 2 bedrooms. I do a lot of work from home. So currently we run 2 pcs in the study (for self and hubby) and 2 daughters each have laptops working wirelessly from their bedrooms. We have a panasonic phone with 3 handsets which we thought we would use in study, kitchen and upstairs. JG King have offer the HPM Harmony Advanced Kit 28 for $3684 which includes 6tv, 6 pay tv, 6 date and 2 phone. Alternatively a larger kit which includes 14cat 5 points and 14 tv points for $4130 I requested an HPM Quad entertainment plate to family room which they charge $275 for and for 4 additional tv points incl 8 m of oaxial cable to roof space ($280)of course, dont need it if I took the Harmony system. Do I need the Harmony system or not? I was just thinking of 'future proofing' in case we want to sell - maybe 15 years down the track if we want to downsize. Extra info - i can't see us bothering with alarm system or a camera at the front door! We dont have fancy phones or ipads. We will have automated garage. As for music, I have a thingo I stick my ipod into and it plays through speakers and if I want music outside, I'll just take the unit outside. We wont have a theatre room. Please tell me if I should bother with the Harmony thingy or just take the individual stuff. If anyone needs a brochure on the harmony thingo, let me know as they have sent it to me as a pdf and then I will try and figure out how to get it onto here!! Thanks in advance. Tracey Re: What is this and what do I really need 2Sep 13, 2011 1:48 pm Hi, The Harmony system is HPM's equivalent of Clipsal's StarServe. There are a few threads here about that system. In my opinion, data cabling is a very good idea in a new house - even if you are a total technophobe, a future purchaser may not be; and the cost of installing data cabling at construction should be less than after. You should plan to have at least two data outlets in every bedroom, 4 in a study and at least two at every TV point. Although many devices can use a wireless network, some can't (such as Foxtel's new HD set top box) or perform better over a direct wired connection (e.g. many new flat screens have network connections for streaming video from a PC). The other advantage of a system like this is that any data outlet can become a phone point just by connecting a wire at the central cabinet. Systems like Harmony are really designed around a previous generation of technology. The data/telephony cabling side of things is fine (if expensive) and the enhanced stuff like audio/video distribution has mostly been superseded by the use of network technology - e.g. With Harmony you can have a centralised audio system which you can distribute to speakers around your house - for most people it is easier for them to plug their iPhone into some speakers in their room or use network devices like Apple Airport or Sonos. The same with video - The Harmony/Starserve systems don't handle High-Definition video through their antenna systems - you just distribute it using the data cable. About the only positive I see for these systems is that they present a neat white cupboard door that hides everything, which can be useful if you need to install it somewhere like a walk-in robe. If you can install in a garage or other utility space then I think a normal computer 'rack' is more flexible and cheaper. So, to answer your question more succinctly if the builder can give you an option for data cabling without the Harmony system then you may find you get more "bang for your buck" - You can also check whether your builder will allow a 3rd party cabler to do the work before the plaster goes up (many don't) or will allow you to install conduit in the walls so that you can easily get cable installed after hand-over. If the Harmony is the only option and you can fit it in the budget it will probably still be cheaper and easier than doing it later. One other point on pay-tv cabling is to check whether you are in a cable or satellite area (have a look at your neighbour's roofs - if they have dishes you are satellite). If you are in a satellite area then you need to coaxial cables to each point where you want to have pay-tv in addition to a normal TV antenna point (so 3 in total) - this is because the new recorder set top boxes need two connections to the dish. Paul do not pay until you are satisfied with workmanship windows require flashing over the head archithrave and up under weatherboards 3 28281 Thank you so much for the effort. We will use it to talk with builder. We also had idea of building duplex instead and seeking suggest ions. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=106744 11 13832 Hello It is good to have a planned bathroom reno to suit your budget and design, living for 10 years I think you need a bathtub 4 10371 |