distribution of HTPC's VIDEO + AUDIO

[Marky <itsjust@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Your advice please.
I would like to distribute VIDEO (preferably VGA) + AUDIO + a spare
3-wire signal (#see footnote) over CAT5e and/or COAX.

I'm using a home-theatre pc (HTPC) as my entertainment hub in the
living-room for freeview/music/DVDs/games.  The VGA-port on my videocard
simultaneously outputs a very crisp 856x480px image to my Loewe TV; and
the DVI-port outputs 1024x768px to my projector.

However, I'd now like to add a 17" TFT-monitor to the bedroom, and
watch, listen & remote-control whatever is being displayed on the HTPC
downstairs.

My house is CAT-5e pre-wired (including patch-panel), so I think it's
best to utilise this infrastructure to distribute the necessary signals
to the bedroom TFT, rather than use wireless technology.
There is 1x CAT5e wall-plate free in each room, and 1x COAX cable wall
plate (quality unknown) free in each room.

 From what I can see I have three options:

1) VGA distribution:
    * Use a VGA-splitter (because I still need the VGA signal locally),
then distribute the duplicate VGA-signal using a 'VGA over CAT5e
distribution' box solution.
    * Disadvantage:
       Still need someway of controlling the HTPC remotely, as all wires
in the CAT5e cable would have been used for video+audio transmission.

2) Modulation:
    * Use a VGA-splitter and a VGA-modulator in the Living-Room to
encode the VIDEO+AUDIO into a single-channel that will then be fed
through to the Bedroom and connected to the TFT TV (rather than a
monitor).  In terms of control, I can send serial signals (#see
footnote) over the free CAT5e to the Living-Room HTPC.
    * Disadvantages:
       I've heard modulators are costly,
       Requires the use of both two cables,
       Perhaps the signal-quality of the 856x480px VGA signal will not
modulate well (?)

3) S-video disbribution:
    * Use a VGA-splitter and a VGA>S-video convertor connected to one of
the many all-in-one 'AV CAT5e distribution + IR control' box solutions
I've seen on the net.  S-video routed to TFT MONITOR in bedroom.
    * Disadvantages:
       Picture quality of s-video is not as crisp as the original VGA
signal which is a shame because of the quality potential the bedroom
TFT-monitor could offer.
       Perhaps I will be limited to standard TV S-video resolutions?
(640x480, 800x600)
       I may have problems utilising the bundled IR-control distribution
method with my existing IR-control hardware (#see footnote)
    * Subject to further tests, I *may* be able to output s-video from
my video-card (ATI Radeon 9600XT) simultaneously as the VGA+DVI signals
(?) and therefore avoid the whole VGA-splitter & VGA>S-video conversion.


#footnote:
I have an IRtrans USB device inside my HTPC that allows me to receive
IR-signals from any remote and act on it accordingly (software).  I also
have a extender-module that can be located remotely and used to send
IR-signals from the bedroom back to the main-module in the living room.
Distribution of the signal requires 3 seperate wires.


Any advice will be much appreciated,

Mark.