[netdog]

We are getting ready to redo all the wiring in a flat in London before moving in and are considering different architectural models for distributing shared audio and video, Internet and satellite television (or IP provided TV) around the house.
 
We'd like to have it setup for a mixture or high end sound, embedded sound in rooms like the kitchen (i.e. speakers in the ceiling or walls).
 
So with a few months to go before the builders go in, we're looking to you guys for help in considering different solutions and what we'd need to support those.
 
A shared iTunes library makes the most sense to us since we already have lots of ALAC files and some iTunes video content.  We also think that the time has come to rip all of our video optical discs but compressing them as iTunes assets probably isn't the idea solution.  In fact, we might just put Minis on the TVs instead of AppleTVs to access a library of ripped uncompressed discs housed on the network.
 
AirPlay is an obvious solution but it would limit us to 44.1/16 which I am not sure is a wise idea moving forward.  Given that, how would you host, send, and receive digital audio and where would your amplification and DA conversion be in the chain.  I know that Linn makes a system.  I am not too impressed with Sonos but I know that make systems that also hook into iTunes audio libraries.  Any other solutions?
 
I'd like to be shipping data around by TCPIP I think, but I am open to hearing any and all solutions.  What I want to avoid is getting locked into a proprietary system that would create huge headaches in transition down the road or render my libraries obsolete.
 
Ideas?  I really look forward to hearing how you guys would tackle this.

 

[brunk]

Ok, theres quite a few things you'll need.

1) Wireless/Wired connectivity throughout the house
a) Get an Apple Airport Extreme as your main base station, then get an Apple airport express to put in the entertainment room. This should allow for total wireless coverage, and printer/hard drive connectivity via USB to share with the entire house hold.
2) Storage for all your media, with redundancy for disk failure protection and works with MAC and Windows
a) Get a Drobo 5 bay NAS. This is future-proof, fully compatible, grows with you, backs up your computers and protects your media/data.
b) Purchase a few 2TB Hard drives to get started.
3) A centralized and synced database across all machines for your media.
a) This is tricky, as it needs to be easy to use, maintain itself and work with PC, Mac, and Smart devices like TVs and Bluray players. Most importantly, one single library to rule them all.
b) I recommend JRiver as your media Center, and installing JRemote onto your smartphone for 21st century access.
c) Purchase a Mac Mini device for the entertainment room and install JRiver on it and have it access your media library on your base station.
d) Install Jriver on the rest of your machines for seamless library integration and full high fidelity streaming and playback.
4) Seamless integration of speakers in the walls and ceiling, with room correction and EQ.
a) I would consult with a dealer who specializes in this, but you will definitely want something that has an EQ capable of correcting speakers that are in the ceiling, varying sizes, and different sitting/standing positions for the best possible sound.
b) This is where the Sherwood R-972 receiver with Trinnov optimizer comes into play with its EQ and multi-room audio (using your JRemote and a second listening channel on JRiver). On sale here
c) Purchase a Logitech Harmony Touch remote with an IR extender system to control it all.

Cheers!

 

[KiruDub]

If you're going to be running Cat5e cable to different rooms, home-run an extra cable or two not matter what, or at the very least have some pull lines in conduit for future installs.
 
I say an extra run because there's a relatively new tech called HDBaseT that allows you to pass data up to 100 meters or 330 feet without any loss of quality over a standard Cat5e or Cat6 cable:
 
- Uncompressed High Definition Video including 3D and 4K resolution (up to 10.2 Gbps)
- Standard HD audio formats
- 100Mb Ethernet
- Power over Cable (up to 100 watts)
- Various control signals including IR, RS232 and CEC
 
Some large tech companies are behind it (Sony, LG, Samsung), so it wouldn't be surprising to see HDBaseT jacks in future TVs, receivers, etc.
 
More info here:
 
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1384980/the-unoffical-source-for-everything-hdbaset
 
And a link to a sub forum from the above site that's all about A/V distribution (it might come in handy):
 
http://www.avsforum.com/f/36/home-a-v-distribution
 
I really do see HD video (and HD Ultra, or whatever it's called) and HD audio becoming more mainstream in 5 years or so, so it makes sense to future-proof if you have the opportunity. It will also add value to your flat if /when you decide to sell.
 
I'm definitely going to run a few extra Cat5e runs when I wire up my house... I might not need it now, but if you have your walls open, why screw around?