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HELP!! My in-wall HDMI cables are showing lots of snow!

#1
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9/19/09 at 6:42pm
  • Joined: May 2002
  • Post Count: 75
Hello.  I have recently finished my basement home theater.  Before the drywall went up, I ran TONS of HDMI cables throughout the basement in an attempt to split signals or direct certain signals from my A/V closet to different points in the basement and upstairs as well.  I had tested the lines without problems before the drywall was installed, but tonight when I tried, all the lines to my main tv in the basement came through with a lot of what I call "snow" in the picture.  Now all my HDMI cables are CL2 rated and are VERY thick.  They do cross with the electrical lines but it's a perpendicular cross at only one point and they never run parallel with them.  I'm going to sleep on it and come back tomorrow and hook up some things again to test, but what could it be that's screwing things up?  I was told that as long as I had heavily shielded cables and only went perpendicularly to the electrical lines I'd be ok.  Any ideas on what my issue might be?  Thanks!
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#2
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9/19/09 at 8:58pm
  • Joined: August 2000
  • Location: Southaven, MS
  • Post Count: 4,540
My drywallers nicked an RG-6 cable and 2 cables on my alarm.  They don't care as long as they hang wall board as fast as possible.

As for snow, are you sure it isn't sparkles? 
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#3
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9/20/09 at 4:48pm
  • Joined: May 2002
  • Post Count: 75
Ok, so I worked out the problem I noted above, but I now have another issue that hopefully someone can help me with.  I have 8 HDMI runs throughout my basement and house.  I tested all of them today, and could get them all to work EXCEPT for my longest HDMI run.  For some reason, when I plug my tv into the longest run, it just either displays nothing or a snowy screen.  7 or my 8 cables in the wall are 25 feet or less, but the longest run is 50 feet.  Any reason why this one might be giving my tv problems?  If so, is there anything I can do about it?  I'd love some advice!  Thanks!
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#4
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9/20/09 at 6:07pm
  • Joined: December 1969
  • Post Count: 7,219
At 50 feet you are right up against the recommended maximum length for an HDMI run.  (And don't forget A run from room A to room B 50 ft away is actually longer than 50 feet because any twists and turns along the way, plus the distance from the equipment to the floor or ceiling, have to be added in.)  This is almost certainly your problem, especially if your HDMI cables use relatively thin copper wire.  Heavier wire is more resistant to signal degradation at longer distances.  (This is the only area where heavier, more expensive HDMI cables - by which I mean premium cables from Blue Jeans Cable or Monoprice, not overpriced stuff like Monster cable - are worth the investment.  In more typical HMDI run lengths there simply isn't a difference.) 

This article might give you some ideas on what to do about it. 

Regards,

Joe
My Home Theater

My DVD Collection

My niece, "Miss Goofy Face"
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#5
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9/21/09 at 7:04am
  • Joined: May 2002
  • Post Count: 75
Yeah, all my wires are from monoprice, so at least I'm covered there.  I just can't figure it out.  I actually had a HDMI extender/equalizer/repeater that I had purchased from monoprice to use on another cable that ended up being 3 feet too short of my A/V closet.  I tried using that at the end of the run just before the cable plugged into my monitor to see if it would help and no go.  I'm baffled right now.  Could it be a problem with the fact that I'm using an HDCP monitor that has a DVI connection that I'm converting to HDMI with a converter plugged directly into the back of the monitor?  Like I said above, I can plug it into any of the other HDMI runs in my basement and it works fine.  This one is just the problem, and of course this one is the one I am planning on hanging it on.  DOH!
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