Newbie Needs Help

CONDUIT!

CONDUIT!

CONDUIT!

If you install conduit (lots of it) for your non-power wiring (telephone, ethernet, speaker wire, antenna cables, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, it'll be there in the future when you want to do something that you didn't originally think of or that won't exist until the future, and you won't have to rip out and replace any sheet rock.

Get your contractor to tell you about "smurf pipe", otherwise known as ENT, electrical non-metallic tubing. It's sort of corrugated looking, and the Carlon brand of it is a blue that gives it its nickname. It's more flexible and easier to run than the gray plastic (Schedule 40) conduit usually used for electrical power wiring when non-metal conduit is used.

If you're doing the non-power wiring yourself, you can probably install ENT yourself. If you want more info, PM or email me.

 

It answers the question you didn't know you needed to ask.

I'm still researching the answers to your other questions.

 

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Get three or so TiVos. Put them in a central location* and use HDMI splitters to allow each TV a dedicated connection to each TiVo (or you can use component). Use IR extenders to allow you to control the TiVos from your TV rooms. Set up the TiVos to respond to different remote addresses (1 - 9). Each TV should have at least 3 HDMI inputs (unless you choose component for some or all).

*central location should be well ventilated to prevent overheating.

 

I know nothing on controlling HDMI splitters, but for controlling the tivos themselves, you can use an ipod touch with your wireless network to control each of the units without IR extenders.

 

I assume HDMI switches, not splitters, is what is meant here, and they are certainly available with remote control, though if you have more than one I don't know if any are separately addressable. The TiVos support up to three remote addresses.

 

Are you sure?
I thought there were ten.
You can set the remote address to 0 (universal) or 1 - 9 discreet (i.e. if you have four remotes, you can control 8 Tivos in the same room.).
Or am I wrong with that assumption?

I have four Tivos, but not in the same room. The two Tivos in the living room are set to adresses 1 & 2, and the other two Tivos in the bedroom are set to addresses 3 & 4.
I would assume that if I put them in the same room, I would be able to control them individually. Is that not the case?

Check this thread to see if Cox is listed for your area.
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=451107

A lot of cable companies have everything blocked except for OTA locals.

 

I agree, 1-9 individual addresses 0 is global.
I have three tivos in the same room. Control each individually.

 

Why assume that? Both should work. (Maybe using switches will end up being cheaper?) For each source TiVo, split the signal to go into an HDMI input for each of the TVs in the three rooms. Most TVs these days seem to have three or more HDMI inputs anyway. If you have a TV with less than 3 HDMI inputs (or multiple TVs in any room), you could go with splitters in the AV closet and switches in the rooms, for that matter.

BTW TiVo supports up to 9 individual addresses. And you can do it with one remote, if you want to put up with changing addresses - for the remote only - on the fly (takes maybe 10 seconds to do).

 

I guess I was remembering the Sony TiVos that had 3.

 

The Sonys do those 3 as 1,2,3, not 0,1,2. Apparently 1 on the Sony corresponds to 0 on the Philips and its descendents.

 

Just a warning about systems depending on extensive use of HDMI and TiVo:
Some combinations of TiVo and TV do not support reliable HDMI operation and the result frequently is TiVo lockups and reboots. This puts the kabosh on long video runs from TiVo to TV, unless you like running 5 RCA cables per TV.

 

Hence my recommendation for conduit. You can change out or add cables in the future if necessary, and the consumer electronics biz is all about making you "upgrade" whenever they can.