Audio Video Distribution Questions

I am planning to use a Russound CAV6.6 to distribute different sources (audio and video) to different rooms in a house. We are planning to run

2 Cat5e and 1 RG6 to each room. Do I need to have to purchase separate RF modulators for each zone to convert the rca jacks coming out of the CAV6.6 to coax or is there a better way? (The homeowner does not want to place in-wall speakers in every room and wants to use the TV's built-in speakers). What brand of RF modulator would you recommend?
Reply to
vnegri
Loading thread data ...

I know there's a way to convert an a-bus signal into line-level rca for audio. I could probably do that to get audio to the TV. Now my question is with video. I would have to hook the coax to the back of the TV to get the cable feed and then use some form of converter to change the rca outputs from the CAV6.6 into coax or ethernet to be sent to the room and then convert it back again... right? Then in order to switch between live TV and the CAV6.6, I would have to use the input selector on the TV. What converter should I use?

My other option is to convert A-Bus to rca audio in the distribution closet and then push those signals with the video out from the CAV6.6 into an RF Modulator (if this is the correct way). I could take the output from the RF Modulator and use a combiner with the cable feed to send a signal over RG6 to each room. But this way, I would have to purchase a separate RF Modulator for each zone.

What is the best design to get live cable and a signal from the CAV6.6 to each room if I don't want to have in-wall speakers? Please detail the different converters I would need to use to utilize the RG6 and Cat5e runs to each room (I think that's where I'm stuck).

Reply to
vnegri

If the TVs take video and audio inputs then just run that from the CAV66. Bearing in mind that you'll need to lower the speaker level signals to line level, russound sells units to do that. The only tricky part would be volume control, the keypad would have to be left at a given volume level into order to have the live level converter pick it up and feed it to the TV. Not a big deal though, the homeowner would just have to get used to it.

You'd still need the line level converters with an RF modulator. The only time you'd need to use an RF modulator would be for a TV that doesn't have video inputs.

One other trick to consider if you've got more than one video device is to use multiple channels over RF. I feed a DirecTV Tivo, DVD player and a VCR into RF channels and the pass that around the house. All the TVs get the RF (in addition to the CAV66 on video) so I can easily watch whatever's on the other devices independently of CAV66 control. This makes it easy to listen to the radio over the in-ceiling speakers while also watching the TV, or flip between Tivo video via CAV66 and RF over-the-air stations. But then most folks probably won't want to bother with this much flexibility as it /can/ get a little confusing to go flipping around TV stations and the video inputs.

So if you've got TVs that take video and l/r audio directly then you don't need a modulator at all.

-Bill Kearney

Reply to
wkearney99

There's a tech-tip Russound put out that details how to get a fixed-level line output from a zone a-bus port on a CAV6.6. It involves

4 resistors, a cat5e cable, an RJ45 jack, and RCA ends. I'd link to it but I don't know where it's stored on thier website. If you want I can email you the PDF.
Reply to
vnegri

Oh, again, thanks for the response.

Reply to
vnegri

If you're using RG6 to send just a composite video signal (not modulated audio/video), then all you need to do is crimp RCA connectors to it instead of Coax, or get some screw-on Coax/RCA adaptors. IE, turn the RG6 into a RCA cable, connect one ende to the vid out of the CAV6.6, the other end to the Vid IN of the TV. You'd then connect normal modulated cable signal to the coax in of the TV. Your AV input would be the CAV, your cable input would be cable tv.

Reply to
E. Lee Dickinson

Only if your TV can't take video input. The CAV distributes video, not RF. Plug the cable RF into the TV like usual. Then plug the CAV signals into the TV's video and l/r audio jacks. Assuming, of course, that you're using a line-level adapter on the audio.

There's no A-Bus involved here. That's a whole other thing.

Then when you want to jump between RF cable and the CAV signal you just change the 'input' source on the TV. Most TVs do this with a "TV/Video" button on the remote.

No converters involved.

And if you've got digital cable then you'd, of course, have to attach the cable box to the incoming digital cable signal and then into the TV. Either via RF or feed the video from the CAV into the digital cable box and use it's input mode switcher.

Again, where's A-Bus here? That's not how the CAV66 sends things around. There are 4 A-bus slave ports but they're not how the main 6 zones handle things.

I already explained this. What might not be clear is you have TWO sets of coax going into the room. One is for the cable's own signal and the other is for the CAV66 video. What might be confusing to you is the CAV's video signal is a regular video signal, not an RF modulated one. You need the right wall plate connections of course.

-Bill Kearney

Reply to
wkearney99

Cabling-Design.com Forums website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.