HDMI cable from front to bedroom

[TNGW1500SE]

I need to run a HDMI cable from the TV area (above the dash) to the TV in the bedroom. I'm thinking about going through the overhead A/C duct work. The duct work (from the A/C unit) goes up the drivers side towards the front of the RV but the duct work to the rear goes back the passenger side. I guess I'll have to take the roof cover off the A/C unit to get the cable from one sides duct work to the other. Correct? Is there a better way to run the cable?

[msmith1199]

If you do this, make sure you get a long enough cable. My motorhome is 35 feet and it's a little shorter than that from the front amp box to the rear TV. I used a 40 foot cable and that was the exact perfect length. You'll have the zig zag when you go through the AC unit and switch sides so make sure to account for that too.

[SCVJeff]

Technology marches on at the speed of light. As with Ethernet cables, there is a better understanding of how to twist them internally to reduce cross talk, upgrade the gauge, and better termination to reduce crosstalk that also reduces apparent losses. The end result are things that wouldn’t work, now do. ~4 years ago I built several control rooms each with five 65” Samsung monitors fed by 25’ HDMI cables that were flaky enough that we had to go to Plan-B. Today all of those rooms are being fed with 50’ HDMI direct from the rack with no issues. I don't think the official spec has changed, but the technology is not the same as when it was written. Just don’t buy Cr@p..

[GordonThree]

Its not really bad info. I think the official spec is 10 meters, roughly 30 feet. You can go longer at the cost of bandwidth. Not that you'll need the full spec bandwidth. Just running a cable / sat box over a 50 ft cable is fine. I have computers at work connected via 50ft of hdmi to projectors.

However, try to send high bitrate blu-ray content and uncompressed multi-channel audio, you might end up with artifacts in the picture, it looks like snow or random colored pixels.

[jorbill2or]

SCVJeff wrote:

jorbill2or wrote:
Keep in mind as I was told HDMI cable will not work past 30 feet or so . I haven't tried but was assured that and told to use cat 6 cable for longer runs

If it didnt work they wouldn't build them. Mine is 50' and the pictures are rock solid.

Good to Know, the calibrater on my old theater set up told me that a few years ago. I'll file it as bad info 🙂

Site with Food for Thought though

[msmith1199]

jorbill2or wrote:
Keep in mind as I was told HDMI cable will not work past 30 feet or so . I haven't tried but was assured that and told to use cat 6 cable for longer runs

I used a 40 foot HDMI cable and it works fine. But I did put an amplified switch box on it too, which you need if you want to send different signals back to the rear TV. My switch box has two inputs and four outputs. So I have the DVD and the Satellite going in, and so far I have two outputs to the front and back TV. I am thinking about getting one of the wireless HDMI transmitters and it can go in one of the other outputs, and I'll use it for an external TV. With wireless the outdoor TV can be set up anyplace in the campsite and all you need is power for it.

[SCVJeff]

jorbill2or wrote:
Keep in mind as I was told HDMI cable will not work past 30 feet or so . I haven't tried but was assured that and told to use cat 6 cable for longer runs

If it didnt work they wouldn't build them. Mine is 50' and the pictures are rock solid.

[jorbill2or]

Keep in mind as I was told HDMI cable will not work past 30 feet or so . I haven't tried but was assured that and told to use cat 6 cable for longer runs

[msmith1199]

TNGW1500SE wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:
I ran an HDMI cable through my duct work and it works just fine. I have a duct running the length of the coach on both sides however. I would assume you could cross over at the A/C unit if you need to.

Just got to take a look at it again. I took off the A/C return duct and I can just run the cables from one side to the other side of the duct work. I will have to bring the cable out of the ceiling back by the bathroom but I think I can just cover it with wood trim. I have some matching panels.

I don't know what your set up looks like, but what I found with mine is that even though the last vent on both the front and the back was a few feet from the cabinets, the ducts themselves actually went all the way to the end of the roof. So I was able to drill a hole from inside cabinets in both ends and feed the cable through it so the cable is completely hidden.

Before somebody on here gave me the idea to use the AC ducts, I had planned on buying a beige colored cable cover. I was just going to screw it to the roof and run the cable through it. I didn't completely like that idea, but between ac ducts and roof vents and ac intakes, there is so much stuff on the roof I figured it wouldn't stand out that bad. So that's another option. I also looked at the wireless transmitters and I was only going to do that as a last resort.

[TNGW1500SE]

GordonThree wrote:
Consider this option:

HDMI to Cat6 converter

Adapter box that converts hdmi to inexpensive network cable, and then back again. Uses two pieces of cable, which you can get at best buy super cheap. At nearly 200 ft it should cover anything in an RV 🙂

I've seen those. Looks like a good idea if the cat6 was already there. I see you know about monoprice. They've got great deals. That's where my HDMI cable is coming from.

[TNGW1500SE]

GordonThree wrote:
I just re-read OP, source is a laptop - check to see if it already has "Intel Wireless Display" aka "WiDi" aka "Miracast" built in. That's 1/2 of your wireless hdmi solution, the other half being a WiDi receiver.

WiDi will not interfere with your other outputs, it can clone the main display or create its own display... pretty cool stuff actually.

It's an older laptop so it doesn't have it.

[TNGW1500SE]

SCVJeff wrote:
I ran mine from the TV cabinet down in the wall, dropped into the storage bay to the front of the coach, out for several feet around the front generator and suspension, back in and up a side pillar. Sounds easy doesn't it?

Easy 10 minute job.

[TNGW1500SE]

outofplace wrote:
http://www.iogear.com/product/GW3DHDKIT/

They're proud of that.

[TNGW1500SE]

msmith1199 wrote:
I ran an HDMI cable through my duct work and it works just fine. I have a duct running the length of the coach on both sides however. I would assume you could cross over at the A/C unit if you need to.

Just got to take a look at it again. I took off the A/C return duct and I can just run the cables from one side to the other side of the duct work. I will have to bring the cable out of the ceiling back by the bathroom but I think I can just cover it with wood trim. I have some matching panels.

[outofplace]

http://www.iogear.com/product/GW3DHDKIT/