Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Help choosing an in-wall component rack/shelf.

Not to be a thread jacker but on the topic of equipment cabinets I wanted to get some input from everyone. I'm trying to decide what to do about mine. I could possibly build something similar to Cam's with it being flush mounted on the back wall. I understand routing IR with repeaters but I'm just curious how everyone feels about not being able to view the displays of their equipment (primarily AVR). Especially when the AVR doesn't have an on (TV) screen display. I'm worried about being able to easily check what the volume level is set to as well as sound modes being used, etc.

Upgrade the avr for one with OSD, problem solved I beleive most everyone that has the avr not in the line of sight has OSD on their systems.

I was worried that would be the answer. Before I switched to HDTV I did have the OSD from my HK on the TV but didn't like it so I disabled it. Personally I find it annoying to see the volume display pop up on the TV when I want to make small adjustments while watching TV. I'd rather just look over at the display on the AVR, but oh ya I want to mount it behind me.

Yes I want to eat my cake too.

Hey guys, this in-wall cabinet has been an ongoing project for too long, so my parents came over today to hook some more stuff up, and I've run into a problem- no video! This is extremely frustrating!

Here's the deal-

Because I had to run the cables a distance of 35 feet, I opted to run HDMI over Cat 6. I purchased a pair of these HDMI to Cat 6 wall plates , and two of these shielded Cat 6a cables .

The light on both wall plates illuminates when the HDMI cable is connected, but on my TV it says "check signal cable's, check connected devices power and source selection". I've done this, and everything is connected properly. The TV is recognizing a signal because when we unplug the HDMI, the message on the TV changes to "check signal/or no signal (I can't remember exactly, but it's something to that extent).

I've also tried taking my receiver right out of the equation and connected my DVD player directly to the HDMI output wall plate, but there's still no signal.

Any ideas on what is possibly happening? Has anyone else used this configuration? I'm assuming I have it hooked up correctly, as I have the HDMI input wall plate behind my TV (HDMI runs from TV into it), and the HDMI output in my component cabinet (HDMI runs from my receiver into it)?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much,
Cam

Sounds like there's a missing wire on one end or the other.

We haven't checked the connection to the wall plate on the TV end because time didn't allow for it, as we'd have to take the TV off the wall again.

That definitely is one thing to try out, Ken; thanks.

After doing a little bit of research online, I'm wondering if the wall plate connectors are cheaply made. I came across someone recommending this, which is a lot more expensive.

Could just be a poorly done crimp in the cat6->plate.

I looked through the reviews for the wall plate that I purchased (the one I linked to), and the very last review states- "Had trouble gettting this extender pair to work with my own network cables. Make sure that if you make your own cables that they are the same length and that each wire reaches the tip of the connector. Crimp tightly!".

The network cables simply plug into the back of the wall plate, so there's no crimping involved. Unless, when you say crimping, Ken, you mean plugged in securely?

Thanks for the help.

Hmm. Could be that the network cable itself is not crimped correctly.

FWIW, and for reference, crimping a Cat6 cable.