My walls are open...anything I should consider doing?

[tonyandpals]

Adding on w/ a Family(TV) room, office (extra bedroom) and master bedroom, partially finished basement.  Just wondering if there is anything else I should consider doing while the walls are open.
 
I've got the following (very basic items) planned. Was wondering if anyone had some ideas I could consider:
 
Central Air - figured now is as good a time as ever...
 
Family Room:
TV mounted
HDMI run back to closet from TV
IR repeater run to closet from TV
Coax run to closet and to back of TV (if we ever need to run it directly to a the TV for whatever reason)
Cat5 run to closet 
7.1 setup - In wall speakers in for the front. In ceiling speakers for the rears/surrounds
 
Office
Coax for cable/internet
2 Cat5 as I work from home and preferred to be hard wired
1 ceiling speaker for house sound on the 2nd zone
 
Master Bedroom
TV mounted
HDMI run back to closet from TV
IR repeater run to closet from TV
Coax run to closet
 

 

[AlNipper49]

I did *exactly* the same thing when my basement ceiling was replaced last year. In addition to the in-wall speaker no-brainer I ran all of the video stuff through the walls.  
 
I've had a shitload of problems with interference on my HDMI cables - I think that I bought ones that were either too long or shitty or something.  
 
With regards to IR repeaters I think that most people run it over CAT5/CAT6 and just chuck a balun or whatever on the end.  
 
If you're running these never, ever forget two pull cables.

 

[Tony C]

stereo speakers in the ceilings connected to a controller into which you can input your tv/stereo/i tunes, etc is awesome.

 

[MuzzyField]

I don't know If you have any use for a second coax pull for an OTA antenna.  I use OTA to rain fade proof my DirecTV and provide an additional source of broadcast sports content to extra TV's for home tailgating parties.  Also, don't be afraid to pull some string along with your current cabling plan just in case you feel the need to add any wiring (or eventually upgrade) from your central closet to any of your to your end points. 
 
http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102 is a good place to not pay the 'monster tax" on HDMI or any other cable needs you may have.  I've replaced most of my HDMI with ultra-thin cables, but I'm not going through the walls or using long runs for HDMI.  As Nip pointed out, you'll want cables thicker AWG cables with more shielding to avoid interference on long pulls through walls. 

 

[Blacken]

If you can run trays rather than just wires, I'd recommend it. Helped a friend install them and it makes extensibility helpful. HDMI is not a long-term technology and you'll eventually have to run the replacement.

 

[Harry Hooper]

I'd toss in a few more CAT5 or CAT6 runs since the walls are open now.

 

[tonyandpals]

I do have a 2nd zone setup that will run back to a switch where I can turn on/off the different speakers in the house.
 
I'm a big fan of monoprice. The HDMIs I bought were pretty thick.
 
Blacken - What do you mean by trays?  I was thinking of running a pipe/conduit from the TV back to the closet with a string in it. Like you said, HDMI will be a thing of the past at some point. There is a 90 degree turn on the run and that could get tricky with a string in there alone.
 
Muzzy - Good call on the 2nd coax. The electrician already ran one from downstairs (where the cable comes in) to the back of the TV, not knowing I was putting the cable box in a closet. So I have one there. The OTA came in handy for me a few years ago when my cable went out and I had a bunch of people over for a Pats/Indy playoff game.  They were amazed when I just plugged in the OTA and had an HD signal.  They thought it was magical...HD...over the air???
 
Great tips. Keep them coming!
 
edit: just did some googling on trays, ended up at snake trays.  They look cool , but my runs cross cross under some HVAC ducts. I guess I could 'tray' up to those, but it may be overkill for me.

 

[MuzzyField]

If you can run trays rather than just wires, I'd recommend it. Helped a friend install them and it makes extensibility helpful. HDMI is not a long-term technology and you'll eventually have to run the replacement.

One of the reason I resisted centralizing components with the core wiring was HDMI and potential "handshake" issues.  This issue, influenced by longer runs, just about always requires the longer walk to the closet.
 
I don't know how you're setup for wireless, but my closet is metal,  and not centrally located so I had extra CA5e (5 years ago CAT6 was pricy) pulled to my entertainment area in the center of the house.  I connect my cable modem in the closet to an outlet and feed it back to the closet to gigabyte switches that feed the entire house.  This gives me plenty of wireless for phone, tablets and laptops, and everything else gets hardwired. 

 

[AlNipper49]

Honestly if you're worried about future proofing the runs then just chuck like 4 extra CAT6s in there.  They're cheap and chances are something will be made to carry signal over them.
 
 
Other things that I ran
- optical for audio
- USB to TV for easy camera, etc.
- I also ran some speaker shit outside. 
- 1xRCA audio -- for direct PC/iPhone (I have it all through my receiver as well - this is my "wife proof" solution)

 

[Blacken]

edit: just did some googling on trays, ended up at snake trays.  They look cool , but my runs cross cross under some HVAC ducts. I guess I could 'tray' up to those, but it may be overkill for me.

That'd be harder, yeah. Maybe not worth it in that case. But you'll probably have to open stuff up again in the future when HDMI inevitably gets deprecated, unless it's something that can go over Ethernet (seriously, run as many CAT-6 cables as you can fit, it's worth it).

 

[tonyandpals]

So I just orded Cat6 as all I had laying around was Cat5.  I'll pull that through instead, and add a few extra runs back to the closet.  
 
Good call on the Optical for audio and USB.  I mean, I could just plug directly into the TV when a device calls for that connection, but I want to contain it all in the closet (which isn't far from the seating area).
 
I have a stereo/RCA hookup for the receiver as a wife proof audio solution as well.

 

[Blacken]

Use powered USB repeaters over about twenty feet if you're going to run USB.

 

[AlNipper49]

Most are but maybe just confirm the HDMI cables can support ARC

 

[YTF]

If you've got the space and are so inclined, this would be the best time to add a Whirlpool/Jacuzzi to that master bath. Added a formal dining room, master bedroom and bath to our house 17 years ago. It was a thing of beauty having that tub slid into place before the exterior wall on that side was built. You'd never get that baby in there now without taking a wall out.

 

[AlNipper49]

If you've got the space and are so inclined, this would be the best time to add a Whirlpool/Jacuzzi to that master bath. Added a formal dining room, master bedroom and bath to our house 17 years ago. It was a thing of beauty having that tub slid into place before the exterior wall on that side was built. You'd never get that baby in there now without taking a wall out.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe that tonyandpals is Italian

 

[tonyandpals]

If you've got the space and are so inclined, this would be the best time to add a Whirlpool/Jacuzzi to that master bath. Added a formal dining room, master bedroom and bath to our house 17 years ago. It was a thing of beauty having that tub slid into place before the exterior wall on that side was built. You'd never get that baby in there now without taking a wall out.

 
I'll be honest, we skimped on the master bath. Wasn't in the budget this time around. Very basic finishes that we will live w/ for 5+ years and not feel bad about when we gut it when the money comes up down the road.
 

 
 
Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe that tonyandpals is Italian 

 
Grandfather's nickname is Sal...but I am a few generation off the boat.

 

[tonyandpals]

So I struggling w/ the layout of my in ceiling speakers for the TV viewing area. It's a 7.1 setup. The fronts and center are easy. In the wall under the TV at seated ear height.
 
I wanted the rears even w/ the front, behind the seating area.  But there are two cans evenly spaced to light the "walking path" into the room.  Each can w/ 3 bays between it.
 
For my rears to be even w/ the fronts, they would land in the bays below marked w/ B.  That would look strange to have one of them even w/ a can, and the other offset.
 
So I am thinking scenario A, where they are each offset from the can by one to the left.  In that scenario the left rear is outside the front left...but I think it's okay (as the seating area shifts that way a bit w/ the sectional.
 
Any thoughts on the layout? Leaning either way or a proposed one?
 

 

[AlNipper49]

I struggled with the same thing but making them centered around some windows.  I have a Denon receiver that does a sound check which is supposed to help fix slight layout issues but honestly even without running it I cannot hear much difference.  I think that most living rooms are going to have a number of other acoustic issues which make it a relative non-issue as long as it's close enough.

 

[tonyandpals]

I struggled with the same thing but making them centered around some windows.  I have a Denon receiver that does a sound check which is supposed to help fix slight layout issues but honestly even without running it I cannot hear much difference.  I think that most living rooms are going to have a number of other acoustic issues which make it a relative non-issue as long as it's close enough.

Yeah, that's why I am leaning towards A, to keep it ascetically pleasing on the ceiling. So you don't walk into the room and see a jumbled mess.

 

[SumnerH]

If you're going in-ceiling, you're trading off optimal placement for looks/convenience already (which is fair enough, I'm not criticizing)--moving them a foot one way or another isn't worth worrying about at that point. If you're going higher than optimal with the rears, generally you also want them further back as well, so the A positioning may actually be acoustically better from that POV.

(Also you meant "aesthetically"; "ascetically" means something different).