How to hook computer to my HDTV and stereo.?

Question

My Computer is about 25' from my tv and stereo. I would like to hook them together so i can stream video to my tv. Mainly video fom netflix. Wireless would be ideal but not mandatory. i looked into wireless transmitters and recievers but they are not in hd. Which i would be willing to sacrafice if i knew it would be a good picture in regular definition.Somebody told me to use s-video but sombody else told me that would not look good. Another person told me to use HDMI cables but i have been told that the distants is too great. Also i don't want a cable running down my hall so i would like to run it thru attic/wall and that would only increase the distace. If i have to go with cables it would be nice to have wall jacks that i could just plug both up to. Also i would like to hook my stereo up to the computer and wanted to know what cables to use for that.

Answer 1

I don't think there is much you can do without a cable. If you have a good video card in your computer you can run a cable from there. My video card has a DVI output on the back of it. I ran a 16' DVI to HDMI cable to my HDTV and it looks awesome. You'll just need to come up with a creative way to hide the cable. As far as hooking your computer up to the stereo you'll also need a cable. A good sound card will have a digital audio output jack on it. Or you can run RCA cables. Your receiver needs to support those types of inputs.

Answer 2

Three approaches are possible, all variations on getting a signal to a media streamer. Lots of media streamers exist, some DO support HDMI out up to 1080p. I like the netgear stuff, which is pretty reasonable and fairly dependable.Specifically, look at the EVA800. It supports HDMI and other standard outputs (your hdtv may too), so connection to a stereo receiver with standard RCA interconnects should be easy.  if you can throw down for it, the Slingbox Pro is better for a number of reasons (like a really slick remote access interface).

Regardless, the media streamer needs to talk to your computer, and that's where your choices come in. Best in my book, run an ethernet cable (cat 6 ideally) through the attic/crawlspace. This is the cheapest and most dependable way to go, but as usual involves the most work. Second, WiFi- 802.11(g or "pre-n" if your KNOW there won't be compatibility problems- still dicey) from a wireless router at your computer- most common, but also most prone to interferance and the potential for a loss of picture quality. Third- if your house isn't really huge, you can use powerline ethernet adaptors- this is pretty expensive, and generally only done when there's no acceptable way to install an ethernet run. Again, netgear's a decent example- google HDX101; you'll need two (one at the computer, one at the media interface). Their transmission rate is listed as 200 mb/s- half that would support what you need to do. Your friends are totally right about the hdmi distance and s-video quality issues. One more thought: You CAN install wall plates for network ports- Belkin and a bunch of other folks make them, but ideally use BASEBOARD mount jobs, which are about a fifth the work of a wallmount ports (think: hole saw, mollies, level, maybe hit a stud, plumbing, electrical wiring, etc). With a baseboard port, you can also cut and pull the wire, seal the little holes for the wire and screws, and nobody will ever even know it was there- wallmounts leave BIG holes.

Who knows what you'll need ten years out?