# Need help with setup



## jdogi70 (Jun 3, 2008)

hello i need help i recently did a job with 6 tvs the owner asked for a dvd player to be mirrored to all tvs so all the tvs can display the video now i ran 3 100ft hdmi and 3 50ft hdmi. now 2 of the 6 tvs get picture but 4 do not i am using a 1x8 hdmi splitter. the 100footers have built in equalizers but still no pic and 1 50 ft that i had to use a coupler to extend it with a 25ft so it would reach has no pic. can anyone help me out thanks.


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## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

You didn't mention the brand and model of the splitter used. I'm assuming that it is an amplifier/splitter. The 100 foot length of the HDMI cables you used may well be beyond practical limits. The Altona 1x8 distribution amplifier at $549 MSRP claims full quality 1080p at 50 feet. They don't mention 100 feet. I'd certainly want to use the very best quality high speed HDMI cables for such an installation, but would never guarantee good results.
http://www.atlona.com/Atlona-1x8-HDMI-Distribution-Amplifier-HDMI-with-3D-Support.html


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jdogi70 said:


> hello i need help i recently did a job with 6 tvs the owner asked for a dvd player to be mirrored to all tvs so all the tvs can display the video now i ran 3 100ft hdmi and 3 50ft hdmi. now 2 of the 6 tvs get picture but 4 do not i am using a 1x8 hdmi splitter. the 100footers have built in equalizers but still no pic and 1 50 ft that i had to use a coupler to extend it with a 25ft so it would reach has no pic. can anyone help me out thanks.


I'll agree with *Cholly*, that's an awfully long run for HDMI. If that splitter doesn't have a power supply, I doubt if it will work. What kind of barrel (that's the proper name for the couplers) did you use? Could you see blue plastic on the ends of the barrel/s?

Rich


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## jdogi70 (Jun 3, 2008)

you know Rich i don't remember but im going back to see if maybe the hdmi are bad and maybe the splitter is not a good one. but i was told that the HDMI were too long but my question is why do they make a 100ft HDMI if it wont work.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jdogi70 said:


> you know Rich i don't remember but im going back to see if maybe the hdmi are bad and maybe the splitter is not a good one. but i was told that the HDMI were too long but my question is why do they make a 100ft HDMI if it wont work.


Have you tried calling the manufacturer of the HDMI cable and asking that question? I would. I have no idea how long the HDMI cables can be and still work, but 100 feet seems a bit much. You do have a point, tho.

If that splitter/switch is not powered, it will not work correctly. You'd think that your customer would have just bought a couple more DVD players, wouldn't you?

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jdogi70 said:


> you know Rich i don't remember but im going back to see if maybe the hdmi are bad and maybe the splitter is not a good one. but i was told that the HDMI were too long but my question is why do they make a 100ft HDMI if it wont work.


Have you tried just running the 100 foot HDMI cable straight from the DVD to a TV? I'd start eliminating what works and what doesn't. If the 100 foot cable works check the others out in the same fashion and if they all work, put them on the splitter/switch and see what happens.

Rich


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## John Williams (Oct 5, 2011)

Not to sound like an a$$ but.... Why do they make a 100ft. HDMI? Well, you bought it didn't you!

If you read the HDMI spec, there is nothing that indicates there is a set length. BUT! it has been proven/tested by DPL labs, reputable manufactures, etc... You are not going to get an HDMI cable over 50ft., that will pass 1080p 'every single time' reliably.
Most real custom installers, reputable manufactures, etc... will not advice trying to use HDMI cables for high speed (1080p w/3d, 4K, etc...) over 10 meters (33ft.). Many much less than that.

At the distance you are trying to run, you should be using baluns. Period.

Any HDMI splitter, switcher, etc... that is not powered; should be thrown in the trash.


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## jdogi70 (Jun 3, 2008)

Hey John no your not not sounding like an a$4 lol your riht but the sad thing is i didnt buy anything i do work through a directv dealer who oly does commercial accounts and this custome asked for this and i told them, they bought the stuff and i just installed it. now theyre putting it all on me that its my fault nothing worked when i told them ive never had the chance to do this type of setup yet as a business as i am still new to this side of the business. but thanks for the input i do appreciate it you make a good point i did tell the dealer about hdmi over cat5 though.


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## jdogi70 (Jun 3, 2008)

Rich said:


> Have you tried just running the 100 foot HDMI cable straight from the DVD to a TV? I'd start eliminating what works and what doesn't. If the 100 foot cable works check the others out in the same fashion and if they all work, put them on the splitter/switch and see what happens.
> 
> Rich


im going back tomorrow to start troubleshooting the issue and im going to start the process of elimination thanks brother i appreciate all your input.


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## John Williams (Oct 5, 2011)

I understand the situation and the events that lead to this.

Customers very rarely understand what they are doing. For some unknown reason in this current society, most everyone do seem to think they know what they're doing when it comes to electronics. I can't explain it, these same people won't take the engine in thier car apart to fix it, won't put a new roof on their house themselves, won't defend themselves in court without a lawyer, won't do surgery on themselves, but hook up a complicated whole house A/V system.... no problem :lol:

A couple of things that might help you in the future:
1) The customer is NEVER to dictate what equipment is installed. If they have a shopping list of stuff they bought, best to leave them to themselves. You already have an example you're dealing with as to why. Many more reasons than that however. If (big if), 'all' the equipment is stuff you are already familiar with and use; then you could make the decision to do the work. But it should only be done as T&M (Time and Materials).
2) Own the job. You will get blamed and expected to support anything you touch. If there is something already installed that could cause problems with the system you're doing, give the customer a price and replace it - other wise you can't warranty the 'system'.
3) Know what your doing. This should seem like common sense but when work is slow, companies seem to try and do all kind of things they shouldn't. It kind of sounds like this was one of those cases. You need training and experience on anything you try to do in life. If there is a job that is paying for a professional and it's outside of what you know, you need to either pass it on to someone else. Or get the training and support from somewhere to tackle it, then you can go from there.

[edit]: forgot to add. If you drop the system down to 480p, disable all HDMI CEC stuff (control), and disable bitstreaming on audio (PCM only). You should get video to work over the 100ft runs.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jdogi70 said:


> im going back tomorrow to start troubleshooting the issue and im going to start the process of elimination thanks brother i appreciate all your input.


Try to involve the owner in your troubleshooting. That way he will understand the problems and not give you a hard time if something doesn't work. I'd start with the longest run from DVD player to TV and work backwards towards the shortest run.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jdogi70 said:


> im going back tomorrow to start troubleshooting the issue and im going to start the process of elimination thanks brother i appreciate all your input.


Can you supply us with a link to that splitter/switch? I've had more than my share of problems with HDMI switches and I have some idea what will work. I think the capability of the components you're using will be stretched, but with some idea of what those components are, we might be able to suggest something that might help. Got any idea what size that 100' run of HDMI cable is? Should be written on the cable itself.

Rich


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## jdogi70 (Jun 3, 2008)

@John your absolutely right i do need more training this was my first time with this type of setup and distance. i found out what i did wrong one not use my own products but the biggest mistake was because of being pressured to get it done in one day the 100 ft HDMI cables have repeaters and i didn't see the input output label and installed them backwards yeah i know dumb ass......also i got another 100 footer and hooked it up to the dvd player and took it to the furthest tv and wa la it worked just fine and i also did scale the res down. thanks guys i really learned alot from this experience one never to do hdmi over 50ft and to get more training on hdmi and the switches involved. i will get the splitter info and the hdmis are made by perfect10 a supplier of directv installation materials again thanks guys.much love.


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## jdogi70 (Jun 3, 2008)

Ok guys i finally got picture on my tvs now the only problem is i get pixelating on my 100 footers i tried to adjust the repeater but no luck here is the link you guys were askig for the HDMI splitter is a CE Labs HA8-3
http://www.celabs.net/productmanuals/HA8-3_Manual.pdf


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jdogi70 said:


> Ok guys i finally got picture on my tvs now the only problem is i get pixelating on my 100 footers i tried to adjust the repeater but no luck here is the link you guys were askig for the HDMI splitter is a CE Labs HA8-3
> http://www.celabs.net/productmanuals/HA8-3_Manual.pdf


OK, I think I've got what you need. Try this *link*.

The link will take you to an HDMI to Cat 5 Ethernet adapter that will allow you to make the 100' runs. That link you posted is good for only ~30 foot runs.

The guy I talked to said to ignore the price on their website. You can find it cheaper on retailer's websites. I'd follow that link and talk to one of their techs.

Rich


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## neomaine (Feb 3, 2003)

The HDMI over CAT5/6 was what I was going to recommend too. That price does seem pretty steep and hopefully they can do MUCH better. Here are some similar option at Monoprice:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=hdmi+cat5

I tend to go there first when looking for connectivity options.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

neomaine said:


> The HDMI over CAT5/6 was what I was going to recommend too. That price does seem pretty steep and hopefully they can do MUCH better. Here are some similar option at Monoprice:
> 
> http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=hdmi+cat5
> 
> I tend to go there first when looking for connectivity options.


I'd go back to the link I supplied and find a seller of those. I didn't see the one I linked to on Monoprice's site. The guy I talked to wanted to give me a list of where to go to find them cheaper, but I figured the guy installing the equipment should call and get that info.

Rich


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## jdogi70 (Jun 3, 2008)

neomaine said:


> The HDMI over CAT5/6 was what I was going to recommend too. That price does seem pretty steep and hopefully they can do MUCH better. Here are some similar option at Monoprice:
> 
> http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=hdmi+cat5
> 
> I tend to go there first when looking for connectivity options.


Thanks but i tried monoprice and to be honest i dont like their product method of will call or quality if im providing the product i like to make sure it works and asaves me time on returns but thanks anways i appreciate all the input.


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## jdogi70 (Jun 3, 2008)

Rich said:


> OK, I think I've got what you need. Try this *link*.
> 
> The link will take you to an HDMI to Cat 5 Ethernet adapter that will allow you to make the 100' runs. That link you posted is good for only ~30 foot runs.
> 
> ...


thanks Rich you know

]until last night i just found the site for the splitter i used and found out about the distance. fortunately it actually worked the 100 ft runs werent really 100ft there was a lot of slack left behind but when i left it was working on all 6 tvs. check it out


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jdogi70 said:


> Thanks but i tried monoprice and to be honest i dont like their product method of will call or quality if im providing the product i like to make sure it works and asaves me time on returns but thanks anways i appreciate all the input.


I wasn't gonna comment about my problems with Monoprice, but I have them too. I used to buy stuff from them but stopped after having problems with an HDMI switch (coincidence, huh?) that didn't work and when I called to return it the CSR told me that they had been having problems with D* and that particular model switch. No disclaimer. Lost two 20-700s because of that switch.

In that link you posted there is a phone number for the company that makes the HDMI amp. Call them, they seemed quite knowledgeable. I was surprised when the tech told me that I could get them cheaper on other sites, as low as $160. You should give them a call.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jdogi70 said:


> thanks Rich you know
> 
> ]until last night i just found the site for the splitter i used and found out about the distance. fortunately it actually worked the 100 ft runs werent really 100ft there was a lot of slack left behind but when i left it was working on all 6 tvs. check it out
> View attachment 28646
> ...


It's a BAR! I couldn't figure out what the customer was asking you to do, understood your post, but just couldn't figure out why someone would want to do that.

Rich


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## jdogi70 (Jun 3, 2008)

Rich said:


> It's a BAR! I couldn't figure out what the customer was asking you to do, understood your post, but just couldn't figure out why someone would want to do that.
> 
> Rich


Yeah man go figure this guy is one strange puppy playing boring as euro winnie music while showing an aerosmith concert lol


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## jdogi70 (Jun 3, 2008)

Rich said:


> I wasn't gonna comment about my problems with Monoprice, but I have them too. I used to buy stuff from them but stopped after having problems with an HDMI switch (coincidence, huh?) that didn't work and when I called to return it the CSR told me that they had been having problems with D* and that particular model switch. No disclaimer. Lost two 20-700s because of that switch.
> 
> In that link you posted there is a phone number for the company that makes the HDMI amp. Call them, they seemed quite knowledgeable. I was surprised when the tech told me that I could get them cheaper on other sites, as low as $160. You should give them a call.
> 
> Rich


cool thanks man i will call them most definitely.


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