HDMI over Cat6; my experience

[brant]

Just wanted to share my experience with this product. (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10425&cs_id=1042501&p_id=5403&seq=1&format=2)


It allows you to send HDMI signal over cat5e or cat6 cable w/o the use of any additional amplifiers/repeaters.

I bought two for $18.59 each @ monoprice.

The first run was 60' of Cat6. It worked flawlessly. The second was 90' of Cat6 (these are actual cable lengths, tip-to-tip); The picture was grainy on a 47" Sharp LCD. An identical television was connected with a 12' HDMI cable and the picture was perfect. The instructions mentioned using shielded Cat6 on longer runs to improve performance. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. The source for all three were identical Directv HD receivers.

I was impressed with the quality for what they cost. Each has an LED indicator letting you know if they are receiving an input signal.

[dave29]

Thanks for sharing.

Have you tried putting new ends on the 90' run to see if that clears up the picture?

[Drew2k]

This sounds great and I could easily see a use for it in my home... My problem is I suck at running custom lengths of CAT5/6, as I have a hell of a time getting all the individual pairs inserted into the RJ45 plug and usually have to waste 4 plugs for each new wire I run.

[harsh]

My problem is I suck at running custom lengths of CAT5/6, as I have a hell of a time getting all the individual pairs inserted into the RJ45 plug and usually have to waste 4 plugs for each new wire I run.Give yourself some credit.

The connectors only cost a few cents each and they're not impossible to do right the first time if you exercise some patience and make sure you see copper in the end of the plug before you crimp. They also make some plugs where the wire literally threads through the end of the plug so you can verify colors before you crimp.

In the long run this could save you dozens of dollars if it works right.

[brant]

Have you tried putting new ends on the 90' run to see if that clears up the picture?

No.

That crossed my mind; I'm confident in my connections though.



This sounds great and I could easily see a use for it in my home... My problem is I suck at running custom lengths of CAT5/6, as I have a hell of a time getting all the individual pairs inserted into the RJ45 plug and usually have to waste 4 plugs for each new wire I run.

many Cat6 RJ45 connectors have some type of sled used for correcting your pairs before terminating.

Just make sure you get all your conductors as straight as possible before inserting and it should be a breeze.

[xmguy]

I did a similar thing to extend an S-Video cable. I spliced an phone line cable with the S-Video cable. It worked perfectly! That product is just a cleaner way to do a similar thing.