Re: Hidden IR remote control

["biggles299" <charles@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

--- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, "Keith Doxey" <ukha@d...> wrote:
>
Thanks for the reply Keith
I had to take the back out the cabinet to accomodate the AV amp Also
base has been opened out so airflow is in through bottom of unit and
out of the back (using natural convection).
Switch on the doors seems a great idea if I hit problems

> Hi Charles,
>
> > Well we have finally taken the plunge into the world of
flatscreen
> > (LCD)
> > SWMBO wants everything hidden away. I already have a repro
cabinet
> > which the Hifi lives in so with a bit of squeezing I can get the
Tivo
> > freeview box and DVD in there
>
> Dont squeeze too much. Tivo and Freeview generate heat 24/7 and need
> adequate ventilation to ensure reliable operation.
>
>
> > Burr walnut veneer doors are not known for their Infra red
transmission
> > qualities.
> > So I need to get the signal into the cabinet some how.
> >
> > Requirements:
> > To control
> > Sony AV amp
> > Sony DVD player
> > Phillips freeview box?
> > Tivo
> >
> > The Tivo currently uses an IR emmitter to switch the freeview
box, the
> > latency on this sytem can be frustrating especially when SWMBO
starts
> > high speed channel swapping. Therefore it is imperative that what
ever
> > sysystem we choose it should not add any delay compared to a
direct
> > signal.
>
> You wont add delay. The reason for the existing delay stems from
two thing.
>
> 1. Tivo needs to know what channel you want before it can send IR
therefore
> the channel change doesnt occur until about 1 second after the last
IR
> signal is received. It then takes a second or so to send the IR
command to
> Freeview etc.
>
> 2. You dont see the channel change happen until a couple of seconds
AFTER it
> actually occurs as all output from TiVo is via the hard drive so it
had
> already been encoed, recorded, read back and decoded. This also
adds a few
> seconds.
>
> > What happens if the doors are open and the unit sees both signals
i.e.
> > from the remote and from the retransmitter.
> >
>
> At worst it just wont work. Easiest way to avoid the problems are...
>
> 1. Keep the doors close :-)
> 2. Fit a small microswitch to the cabinet so that you cut power to
the IR
> system when the doors are open.
>
> > I have read reports on both Firm and xantech. I am not looking
for a
> > multiple room distributed solution just get through the wooden
doors.
> > Any recommendations or other things I should be looking at.
> >
>
> Xantech or FirM will work fine and will not introduce any extra
delay.
>
> BTW, you could relocate your Tivo and Freeview box to Node0 and use
KAT5 to
> carry the signal to your TV which would also give you IR control of
the
> boxes :-)
>
> Hope that helps
>
> Keith
> www.kat5.tv
>