Need help with hiding and sharing cabling

[web1]

I have a media niche that has a power port, phone jack (for a DBS receiver) and two cable jacks installed by the builder. Presumably one for cable and one for satellite. Due to the location of the niche and the fact that it has a "bar top" as opposed to being connected to a wall that goes up to the attic, it would probably extremely difficult or impossible to run any additional cables to the location of the existing 2 cables.

Based on these photos, do you think there is any feasible way to fish 2 additional RG6 wires down in to that media niche?

I have a dual tuner DirecTivo that requires 2 cables as well as a cable hookup for basic economy cable I signed up for to get a discount on the high speed internet. Occasionally I watch the cable to see community access channels or to watch a third live program while both tuners are recording.





I am going to get rid of that big CRT and get a 37 inch plasma that will go into the niche on a wall mount arm with the audio and video components on the floor of the niche. That will get rid of the clutter and open up space for more seating. Plus, the room is rectangular and we will be able to sit further back from the screen if we use the niche. That love seat is now only about 4 feet from the 36" CRT and it would be at least 8 feet away from the new plasma that's going into the niche if the seating were against the window and facing the niche instead of facing that wall.





2 additional cables were fished through the wall for the DirecTivo on another wall behind the tv in the photo and it looks really ugly since there is no place to hide the DirecTV cables running back to the niche and I'd like to get rid of that cable run without giving up either DirecTV or the basic cable. Even if the cables were run under the carpet, they would have to come back up somewhere to get into the media niche.

I currently use one of builders 2 cable connections in the niche for cable tv to the tv set and the other to feed the signal from the tv set back to a bedroom to use as a "mirror" for the DVR. The cable line to the bedroom TV also is shared with a cable modem.

When the plasma goes into the niche, we will need access to 2 DirecTV cable inputs plus a line for the cable tv, plus a line mirroring the output of the TV to the bedroom all within the niche.

Is it possible to make 4 cables out of the 2 ports in the media niche (via a diplexer or something) so I can get all the functionality I need without running new cabling?

What will be the neatest way to get speaker wire near the window for a subwoofer and the rear channel speakers?

[Chris D]

Heya, welcome to the Guide! No, no way to add more functionality via your existing cabling that I know of. But you should be able to come up with a solution to run more cables.

The best solution to me would be to drill INSIDE the cubby wall, down through the floorboard into your crawl space under your house, then under your house to the correct wall for whatever you need. You can then drill INSIDE that wall, UP through the floorboards to a new wall cutout, and put in a new wallplate. In this way, you can run RG6 coax, speaker wire, video cables, or whatever else you want to do. Real clean installation. I've done this in lots of places in my house.

[web1]

This is a newer house on a concrete slab foundation. I do not think there is any "crawl space" under it to run cabling or else it might be a massive job costing thousands.

Since there are two cable connectors already in the cubby, couldn't a separate diplexer be used on each cable to feed to the dual tuner DVR and then also use the same two cables, one for the mirror feed back to the bedroom and the other for the basic cable feed to the tv?

Otherwise, maybe there can be a neat way to run flat coaxial cable under the carpet from the 2 DirecTV jacks (currently on the wall behind the 36" TV) back to the cubby. I just can't see a good-looking way to get the cable up from the floor into the cubby. Cables hanging over the cubby "curb" will look ugly.

I think the ideal solution would be to find a way to have two more cables run to the cubby allong the same route the existing cables were originally run.
I just have no idea how they were run or if this is really possible at this point since I'm sure the cables were originally installed when there were no walls built yet.
It seems like it would be implossible to fish cables around whatever curves it would take to get from the attic into that cubby since I don't have blueprints and, as the picture shows, their is no wall giving direct access into that cubby from the attic.
I can make a guess that the 2 existing coax cables may be running down the wall that forms the gas fireplace's chimney and then turn into the cubby near the floor, but that would only be a guess.
Even if that is true, I can't see a way that new cables could be dropped from the attic through the wall and then make that sharp turn to get into the media cubby.

[dyazdani]

If you run it under the carpet, you'd probably have to remove the baseboard around the cubby, cut a hole and run your cable under the cubby. Cut a hole in the "floor" of the cubby and run the cable back up. After you're done, just reinstall the baseboard and it should hide it pretty well.

You need to find something to put in there - a beer fridge maybe!

[ThomasW]

The attic is your easiest access to tap into the existing RG6 feed, and run a new lines down the wall behind the new TV

[Lex]

Yeah, if your on a slab, you gotta go overhead and drill down, or do the famous around the baseboards trick, which is not pretty. Be careful if you do the attic work. You may wish to hire a professional.

[Audiophiliac]

If you have an attic, you should be good to go. And yes you can diplex a cable signal onto one of your satellite feeds if you wish. Good luck.

[web1]

Using 2 diplexers on a dual tuner DVR (HDVR2)

If you have an attic, you should be good to go. And yes you can diplex a cable signal onto one of your satellite feeds if you wish. Good luck.

Yes, there is an attic, but the cubby is not directly connected to the attic by any wall. See pics. The cubby is where the replacement tv will be going.

Why only one of the satellite feeds?
Why can't I put a diplexer on each of the two cable feeds so the diplexer on the first tuner of the DVR can also push the basic cable signal out to an antenna input of a VCR or DVD recorder and the diplexer connected to the second DVR tuner send the outgoing signal from the coax output of the VCR back the other way on the second cable so I can view the content of the video output in a second room and change channels via an RF remote)?

I'd rather not have to install another DVR in the bedroom and have two sets of recordings to deal with plus pay an additional receiver fee every month.

Would using the diplexer interfere with the cable modem connected on the line?
Would another diplexer need to be connected to the cable outlet in the bedroom where the cable modem and tv to receive the "mirrored" signal are located?

[Audiophiliac]

It shouldnt interfere and should work. I have seen some pretty "creative" ways of wiring things up with RF signals. If you have the attic, and a distribution panel somewhere where all the satellite and cable feeds come from, just drop all new lines to the location you want them and leave the ones in the cubby alone. Is this an option?

And yes you will need a diplexor in each end of the line you are "piggybacking" the cable signal on. I assume you have a direct line between the cubby and the bedroom?

[web1]

It shouldnt interfere and should work. I have seen some pretty "creative" ways of wiring things up with RF signals. If you have the attic, and a distribution panel somewhere where all the satellite and cable feeds come from, just drop all new lines to the location you want them and leave the ones in the cubby alone. Is this an option?

And yes you will need a diplexor in each end of the line you are "piggybacking" the cable signal on. I assume you have a direct line between the cubby and the bedroom?

There is not anywhere else that I want to drop new cables if everything can work via diplexers with just the 2 cables in the cubby. What I want to do is cut the current 4 cable runs down to two and keep it all confined to the cubby.
The only wires that may need to come out of the cubby should be the wires that have to run to the rear channel speaker and subwoofer. I plan to get flat speaker cables for those and run those cables behind the baseboard of the cubby then under the carpet to the rear wall by the window in the photo.
Yes, there is distribution panel in the bedroom closet and it is set up so one of the cable connections in the cubby feeds back to the bedroom.
Three years ago, two new lines were dropped behind that 36 inch Sony in the picture for the sole purpose of connecting to my then new HDVR2. At the time I did not know about diplexers.
Now I want to get rid of the 36 inch Sony and the cable connections that were added to that wall, put a 37 inch plasma in the cubby and have everything continue to work with just the two cable runs already installed in the cubby.


It is a confusing setup so I am going to lay out the current setup and what I want to change to below:


Currently, there are two cable connections in the cubby.
The first cable gets a signal from the cable company of just Economy Basic channels that I use only ocassionally and it runs to the antenna input on the DVD recorder.
The second cable in the cubby receives the RF tv-out from the DVR (I also use the S-video output from the DVR to connect to the DVD recorder which in turn connects to the tv via component video cables) and the coax output sends that signal back through the wall to the bedroom so I can watch whatever is playing on the DVR from the bedroom tv, saving needing another box and another monthly fee.

I want those two cables to continue working the way they are now, plus also send the satellite dish programming that are now on the two additional cables that were run behind the tv in the photo above.

The goal is to get rid of both that big CRT and the cables behind by the current tv by connecting the DirecTV dish to both cable feeds in the cubby via diplexers without losing the ability to also use the local cable company feed, cable modem, and the coaxial output of the DVR that goes back to the bedroom.

So, in the attic, a separate diplexer would be connected to each of the satellite dish's outputs to the DVR's tuners and then separately connected to each of the two cables that feed down to the cubby.
In the cubby, the two cables would be split again via the diplexer. One cable to each of the 2 tuners in the DirecTV DVR. One cable (the one carrying the local able feed) to the antenna input of the DVD recorder and one cable connected to the coaxial output of the Tivo and U-turning back to the wall, sending that signal back to the bedroom without messing up the cable modem.

Would this work? If so, which specific diplexers would be recommended and would I need to replace the diplexers if I ever switched from the HDVR2 to DirecTVs new High Definition DVR that is supposed to come out later this year?

[Audiophiliac]

OK!! I didnt realize you were going to use the cubby for the new TV and gear location. Makes sense now.

So do your satellite feeds come straight from the dish to the current location or do they go to the panel and distribute from there?

You need 4 diplexors in all. One will combine one satellite feed and the cable feed. It will split back out into one of the tuners on the DVR, and your cable input on your DVD recorder. The second one will combine the second satellite feed and the run to the master bedroom, and split out to the second DVR tuner and the output from your DVR. The only issue I can see is if everything isn't home run to that panel in your closet. As long as its all in the panel, its just a matter of hooking it up right.

As far as what brand of diplexors? We use channelvision SAT-D2-MINI without problems. Any of them should do the job. And no you should not have to replace them with the new system (crosses fingers).

[Audiophiliac]

Also, you could do as suggested and just bring the cables behind the TV out below the baseboard and run them underneath the baseboard or carpet and bring them up underneath the baseboard at the niche. You may need to cut a box in the floor of the back of the niche to get them inside cleanly. But this would be a last resort.

But for the speaker wire, this would be the way to do it. I have had to do similar things in a basement with a concrete slab. Just see if the wires you need to run will fit in the gap under the baseboard. If not, just cut a path in the carpet pad around the room to where they need to go. Preferrably around the edges where there is little or no foot traffic.

Good luck and post pics of the new setup.

[web1]

OK!! I didnt realize you were going to use the cubby for the new TV and gear location. Makes sense now.

So do your satellite feeds come straight from the dish to the current location or do they go to the panel and distribute from there?

You need 4 diplexors in all. One will combine one satellite feed and the cable feed. It will split back out into one of the tuners on the DVR, and your cable input on your DVD recorder. The second one will combine the second satellite feed and the run to the master bedroom, and split out to the second DVR tuner and the output from your DVR. The only issue I can see is if everything isn't home run to that panel in your closet. As long as its all in the panel, its just a matter of hooking it up right.

As far as what brand of diplexors? We use channelvision SAT-D2-MINI without problems. Any of them should do the job. And no you should not have to replace them with the new system (crosses fingers).

The existing satellite feeds (behind the current tv) were new runs installed by the DirecTV installer when I switched from a single tuner Dish Network PVR to the dual tuner DirecTV DVR and go directly to the new wall jack from the dish. Those are the ones I no longer want to use once I get the new plasma tv that will go into the cubby.
All the cables in the cubby came with the house and go through the panel in the closet.
There is also one cable that came with the house (installed by the builder) that goes from the dish mount area on the roof to the panel since I used it before I had the need for dual tuners. I guess the other satellite cable for the second tuner from the dish will need to tap into the second cable in the cubby somehow.

[Audiophiliac]

Yep you got it. Hopefully there is room enough in your attic to let you tap into the new satellite lines and extend them and drop them into the panel. This would be ideal. You will find a way to do it.

[web1]

DirecTV came out and installed the diplexers and everything works. The diplexers are behind the wall plate so now 2 lines have become 4.
I can use both DirecTV tuners and the cable feed and mirror it back to the bedroom with all those wires confined to the cubby.
Too bad I still have to run the rear channel and subwoofer channels somehow.
I have powerline adapter bridges for my ethernet lan, too bad there are no powerline bridges for speakers, so I could use the house wiring for the speakers instead of running those cables under the carpet or something.

Now I have to sell the 36 inch Sony CRT and then get a plasma so I can start using the cubby.

[Chris D]

Yay! :T

[Clive]

To get wires to the back can you remove those base boards and tuck the wires through there? Of course you'll have to pull out the fire place insert and run a conduit behind there but that should be easy!

[web1]

It's almost finished now. I just need to find a awy to manage all the wiring in the cubby.

[Chris D]

Lookin' good, man, lookin' good!

[brac]

Hey,
I didn't read all the post so if the info is useless, oh well, The question is have you opened the covers on the outlets on your niche??? Since it seems everything is in the slab there would have to be a conduit. Find out where the other end is and your in business... You then have a place to start. Anyway open a few boxes and see if there are pipes... will make all the difference in the world....


Brac