Replastering living room and wall mounted plasma

whiskywhisky

Hi All

We are about to have our living room replastered, the walls are hollow (stud type) and would appreciate some help regarding the wall mounted plasma we would like to put up. I am happy with the mounting part of it, but I guess not sure about the cables and how to safeguard myself for the future:

1) We do not want to put the other end of the cables (i.e. Virgin Media boc, DVD player) directly underneath the TV. Any tips on how to get the cables across to the other side of the room? fyi I have a solid concrete floor.

2) If I was to put the Virgin Media and DVD players across the room, how can I do about using the remote control afterwards? anyone ever used IR extenders = if yes is this something I need to channel into the walls before plastering etc.

3) On a general DIY note this is the first time we are replastering and problem the last due to the cost. IS there anything else we should note or do?

Thanks

ormus

it would be far easier to put all the equipment on the same side or at least on an adjacent wall.
if you really must place them on tother side then going over the ceiling is the only answer. (if you have a solid floor).
i hope your joists are running the right way for you?

whiskywhisky

Good questions about the joists - the answer is I also am also desperate to know but don't. As was thinking of putting spot lights in (also having ceiling plastered).

Yooj_2

whiskywhisky wrote: »

Hi All

We are about to have our living room replastered, the walls are hollow (stud type) and would appreciate some help regarding the wall mounted plasma we would like to put up. I am happy with the mounting part of it, but I guess not sure about the cables and how to safeguard myself for the future:

1) We do not want to put the other end of the cables (i.e. Virgin Media boc, DVD player) directly underneath the TV. Any tips on how to get the cables across to the other side of the room? fyi I have a solid concrete floor.

Run A/V and power cabling in the cavity, and across the ceiling/upstairs floor void...Bit of faffing around, dependent upon orientation of floor joists etc, but don't go digging up your concrete floor. If in doubt, get a sparky in to do the donkey work.

whiskywhisky wrote: »

2) If I was to put the Virgin Media and DVD players across the room, how can I do about using the remote control afterwards? anyone ever used IR extenders = if yes is this something I need to channel into the walls before plastering etc.

As above, run all A/V extenders etc in wall/floor voids...You probably want to segregate the AV and power cables from each other to reduce interference noise.

whiskywhisky wrote: »

3) On a general DIY note this is the first time we are replastering and problem the last due to the cost. IS there anything else we should note or do?

Take a look at the back of your TV, and see how many ports you have, i.e. HDMi, SCART, etc, etc, and make sure that you have a cable run for each of these. You could then terminate at each end with something like: http://www.nexxia.co.uk/product.asp?product_code=NX-WP-803R&category=Multimedia%20Wall%20Plates%20Brushed&section=Audio%20Wall%20Plates

Finally, connect up everything first, prior to sealing it all in to the walls to make sure that it all works first.

Yooj

wallbash

I finished my room last month. Have a virgin box plus DVd player. Treated myself to 50 inch plasma ( yes , sad I know )

Had the same sort of problem, how to hide the cables.My floor is concrete.
But I did have a disused chimney breast, so the cables go into the wall behind the tv. Down to a removable box which is set flush to the wall. This contains Virgin/dvd.
So on the wall , plasma and recessed box.
Electric comes in from the other room, straight to recessed box.

I think having the virgin box too far from tv might be a problem , how long can you get a HMDI cable. Also you would need to point the remote for the virgin in one dirction while the tv in another.

Yooj_2

wallbash wrote: »

....

I think having the virgin box too far from tv might be a problem , how long can you get a HMDI cable.

You can now get 20 - 30m HDMi cables, though I would certainly go for quality cable for this type of distance.

wallbash wrote: »

....
Also you would need to point the remote for the virgin in one dirction while the tv in another.

The IR extender should cater for this, in that it essentially puts a remote receiver at the same location as the TV, and then sends this signal to the virgin box.

Yooj

wallbash

Thanks Yooj , was slowly typing my first reply when you posted.Still seems a lot of effort
( also expense) to move the boxes away from the TV. Perhaps the OP could enlighten us why the 'wish' to be different?

whiskywhisky

Our living room is not that big, therefore would like the media (virgin, dvd players) out of the way.

Thanks for the replies Yooj + Wallbash = just to add to the complication, I am unable to take the floor up upstairs either. There are not the convention floor boards, they are very big (about 3 ft by 3 ft) and have many, many, many nails. Basically to take them off involves breaking them off - which I obviously dont want to do. Strange type of house really as we also have hot air system, as opposed to wet system (combi boiler + rads etc).

Anyway as I am having all walls/ceiling plastered I can to a limited sense just try things out, maybe I should try to feed cables right along the bottom behind where the skirting will be. I will probably have to cut bits out of the wooden struts (what wall plaster boards is screwed onto).

Have anyone any experience of remote control infrared extenders, are they a bit of a gimmick or really reliable?

Thanks

wallbash

Strange type of house really as we also have hot air system,

Why are you calling my house strange ?:eek:
We have the warm air system :rotfl:

Looking like a duct to be created behind the skirting boards.
remote control infrared extenders,?? do we know the cost?

ormus

you can buy skirting board with trunking built in. but you still have a problem at door ways.

whiskywhisky

Yep thanks Onus.

But not really a fan of spending 2 or 3 times the cost pf skirting to have the trunking built in. Probably will "cut" into behind the skirting = well will try anyway.