Home Theatre on abudget....So I got the quote from the installer...not in my budget

[srtibb]

Background:
I have a Samsung 50 inch Plasma mounted above my fireplace. The HD cable box, Sony DVD player, Pioneer Surround Sound and XBOX is hooked up to it, but is just sitting on the floor. I called in an Audio Installer company to give me a quote to re-wire so that all these items will be hidden in an armoire in the adjacent room. They suggested that they will run the wire, down my unfinished basement, and then up to the adjacent room. Total quote $4,000


Couple questions:
1. I have a HD cable box, hooked up to my Plasma, however, the installer company gave me a quote that included "2 Tributaries High Definition 10M Component Cable" for $440 each. He said right now my Plasma is not showing the best HD picture, so I need these cables. One running to my cable box, and the other to the DVD player. Does that make sense? I can see the difference between my HD vs non-HD channels.

2. My TV is mounted above my fireplace, the cable box, XBOX, and DVD player will be wired in the adjacent room in an armoire. The installer company suggest a "RTI2 Unified Remote Controller" This remote cost $700, plus to program and have some control module, an additional $800. Total $1500. With this remote I can change the channel without pointing at the cable box. My question is what other option do I have if the cable box and DVD player is in an adjacent room? I do not want to keep getting up going to the next room each time I need to change the channel.

[DEVO]

1. Those are very high end cable, he should have some options for you, like building some or less expensive versions. I wouldn't spend more than about 10% of your system cost. If you don't think the picture looked bad before, then don't fall for his story!

2. Universal Remote has a bunch of RF remotes that range in price from $120-$1000 plus the RF kit which sells for about $100-$250. I like the MX850, can get for about $300.00. http://www.universalremote.com/produ...hp?model=38and the RF kit is 199.99 the MRF300.http://www.universalremote.com/produ...l.php?model=42

3. Labor: now hard to say without seeing...

4. Seems like I would at least get a 2nd opinion...cause that 1st guy was alittle steap on everything. His programming rate is a little high...

[Tarheel_]

if you have a basement, then it should be fairly easy to run the cables yourself. I helped a friend do something similar....we drilled a hole in the floor (close to your fireplace) and ran the cables to the basement, then ran them under the floor. Went to the other room and drilled a hole through the floor and used a flashlight to lite the spot so we could see it from the basement. Pushed the cables through (back to) the first floor and connected everything in his closet.
For your situation, i'd figure out the easiest way to exit the house from the fireplace (vent?) or running the cable down to the floor and then doing the above. If you have a gas fireplace, then drill a hole through the wall and reach under the siding and work your cables to the basement and run into a vent or drill another hole. You don't need a large hole and you can fill the spot with foam insulation (in a can from Home Depot). This will seal the hole.
I'd check monoprice.com for cables that are good quality and great prices. Next, for the RF remote, i'd look around this site and ask questions or visit remotecontrol.com. Plenty of options for "out of sight" RF options.
Ask a buddy to help and pay him in beer...you will learn alot and the saved money can be used elsewhere.

[basite]

He's ripping you of on the cables, the remote and the cable installing.
the cable should be good, but please, don't waste so much money on cable, at least, not in one cable
then the remote, think about it, $1500 only so you don't have to point at your cable box anymore? doesn't that seem to be a little bit 'weird'?

then,
you can do the cables yourself if you want: drill a hole just big enough for the speakercables, put speakercables through hole, drill another hole, put speakercable through again and connect to speakers, and tape/attach/glue/... speakercable to basement ceiling when you want to... not that hard, just don't hit other cables when drilling the hole, but you should know where they are, you live in your house, the shop's installer doesn't.

Think about it...

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[westcott]

Background:
I have a Samsung 50 inch Plasma mounted above my fireplace. The HD cable box, Sony DVD player, Pioneer Surround Sound and XBOX is hooked up to it, but is just sitting on the floor. I called in an Audio Installer company to give me a quote to re-wire so that all these items will be hidden in an armoire in the adjacent room. They suggested that they will run the wire, down my unfinished basement, and then up to the adjacent room. Total quote $4,000


Couple questions:
1. I have a HD cable box, hooked up to my Plasma, however, the installer company gave me a quote that included "2 Tributaries High Definition 10M Component Cable" for $440 each. He said right now my Plasma is not showing the best HD picture, so I need these cables. One running to my cable box, and the other to the DVD player. Does that make sense? I can see the difference between my HD vs non-HD channels.

2. My TV is mounted above my fireplace, the cable box, XBOX, and DVD player will be wired in the adjacent room in an armoire. The installer company suggest a "RTI2 Unified Remote Controller" This remote cost $700, plus to program and have some control module, an additional $800. Total $1500. With this remote I can change the channel without pointing at the cable box. My question is what other option do I have if the cable box and DVD player is in an adjacent room? I do not want to keep getting up going to the next room each time I need to change the channel.

I agree with the others. The margins for profit are in the little things like cables\wires and remotes. Big rip off. You can buy broadcast quality cables yourself. I use BlueJean cables and a Harmony remote. They make them with RF capabilities for $250 to $300.

I would get a quote for running cables from your local sat\cable provider\contractor or your local TV repair shop. I ran mine myself and did the sheet rock repairs myself. Most ran behind the baseboards to minimize work.

[nightflier]

Well, I don't want to go against everybody here, but we should keep a few things in mind:

- Running component cables from the basement could be very expensive. Maybe not as much as quoted, but that may be a fair distance in your home.

- The remote is probably the model that the installers have standardized on. They have tested it, know how to configure it, and have taken the time to know what it works with. For that price, you are also paying for that expertise.

That said, I also think you should consider doing much of this yourself. In my home I've done quite a bit myself, but I'm still a klutz when it comes to repairing drywall/sheetrock; I can do it, but it does not look very clean (matching paint shades, leveling the surface, etc.). I'd say, do everything yourself, and then get someone who specializes in interior repairs to finish it all off nicely.

Aside from the savings, the other advantage to doing it yourself is that you'll know how it all works so that if it stops working, you won't have to call the contractor back and pay his hourly rates.

[AVMASTER]

as a customer installer that quote is a bit high, however you don't tell us what kind of fireplace you're working with, i.e. stone, brick, gas, wood burning, etc.? That alone would make a huge difference in my fee! If the plasma power cable is exposed we would create an outlet behind it or run an extension in the walls; thats' another cost. Tributaries are good cables but if your receiver handles component video why do you need two runs? I would also consider using CAT5 baluns, this will save you some money in cabling and installation costs. RF remotes are fine but we seldom use them; instead we create an IR repeater system so that the original remotes can still be used along with a universal remote for one button commands. Doing it youself can be a challenge for some, a fun learning experience for other, but if you want it done right the first time get yourself another quote from a custom installer. If he's any good you'll see no cables at all, video will be at its' highest possible rez, remote will work flawlessly, and it won't cost you 4k

[PeruvianSkies]

Well, I don't want to go against everybody here, but we should keep a few things in mind:

- Running component cables from the basement could be very expensive. Maybe not as much as quoted, but that may be a fair distance in your home.

- The remote is probably the model that the installers have standardized on. They have tested it, know how to configure it, and have taken the time to know what it works with. For that price, you are also paying for that expertise.

That said, I also think you should consider doing much of this yourself. In my home I've done quite a bit myself, but I'm still a klutz when it comes to repairing drywall/sheetrock; I can do it, but it does not look very clean (matching paint shades, leveling the surface, etc.). I'd say, do everything yourself, and then get someone who specializes in interior repairs to finish it all off nicely.

Aside from the savings, the other advantage to doing it yourself is that you'll know how it all works so that if it stops working, you won't have to call the contractor back and pay his hourly rates.

Anytime you are paying for someone to do something you are never going to get it for what price you could if you did it yourself. That's why it's called a 'service' and if they did it as cheap as you could do it yourself than they wouldn't be in business because they would be losing money and not making profits. You are also paying for a thing that's called "peace of mind" which is some cases can be worth all the money in the world because if it breaks, if they break something else, if it doesn't work, if if if...than it's THEIR responsibility and not yours. You are paying for their time, their effort, their labor, and also the fact that when it's all said and done that it will work, otherwise you get your money back or they fix it.

Those cables are very nice, I really like my Tributaries that I use for my component connections, they are 6 ft and were rather pricy and keep getting more expensive with longer runs. Hope something works out for you.

[pixelthis]

I hook up stuff for friends sometimes and cant beleive the price of "four grand"!
A grand rip is what it is.
Get some monsters and a drill and run this stuff yourself, the reason theres a lowes
or home depot on every corner in this country is that contractors charge limo prices
for chevy work. And they will tear up your house and then disapear for days and weeks.
Also RCA sells these neat pryamids for 30 bucks that transmit remote signals.
This is the kind of simple project that might have you cussing some, but you will learn a great deal, and theres no way you can do 4 grand worth of damage so you might as well try it.
I wish I had your problem, I'm facing painting a room, running surround wire, hanging
a LCD tv and reconfiguring an entire ht setup

[TV123]

Background:
I have a Samsung 50 inch Plasma mounted above my fireplace. The HD cable box, Sony DVD player, Pioneer Surround Sound and XBOX is hooked up to it, but is just sitting on the floor. I called in an Audio Installer company to give me a quote to re-wire so that all these items will be hidden in an armoire in the adjacent room. They suggested that they will run the wire, down my unfinished basement, and then up to the adjacent room. Total quote $4,000


Couple questions:
1. I have a HD cable box, hooked up to my Plasma, however, the installer company gave me a quote that included "2 Tributaries High Definition 10M Component Cable" for $440 each. He said right now my Plasma is not showing the best HD picture, so I need these cables. One running to my cable box, and the other to the DVD player. Does that make sense? I can see the difference between my HD vs non-HD channels.

Fireplaces are tough to work around. Tha installer is going to screw himself w/ his relationship to Tributaries. No HDMI...

2. My TV is mounted above my fireplace, the cable box, XBOX, and DVD player will be wired in the adjacent room in an armoire. The installer company suggest a "RTI2 Unified Remote Controller" This remote cost $700, plus to program and have some control module, an additional $800. Total $1500. With this remote I can change the channel without pointing at the cable box. My question is what other option do I have if the cable box and DVD player is in an adjacent room? I do not want to keep getting up going to the next room each time I need to change the channel.

IR extenders blow. Do not take that adivce. You want RF, just good RF. RTI charges a premium for good RF. URC has remotes that might be bale to do the job w/ some issues. That plasma is like a big RF interference sphere, so is your cable box.

I think you should ask for a discount and suck it up. Get it done for $3000 to $3500.
Otherwise, go buy the tools and try doing it yourself. When you are sitting above the spot you want to drill at and hoping there's no water pipes or electrical before you make a permanent hole in your home based onyou wanting to save a few $$$.

Just do it and forget it. You could shop his quote too. I really don't know how much you make or how much time you have, but this is all up to you.

If you are in NC, I can give you 2 different installers that have done great work for me.

Also, the RTI2 stinks. Get the RTI2C.

Good luck.

This is coming from someone who tried to do it all himself in the past, b/c I worked a year a long time ago at an AV store

[pixelthis]

WATER LINE?
You're joking right? I had my equipment in a bedroom next to the living room once, I used a RCA ir extender that cost 30 bucks and worked perfectly every time, just had to place it right
Theres an old saying, go to an orthodontist and you'll get braces, in other words this guys college fund for his kids depends on selling you stuff.
You know that nasa machines its fuel tanks practically by hand when off the shelf parts
will do fine? One of the major joys of this arcane hobby for me is running wires, piocking out cable ties in pretty neon colors, and coming up with something that looks pretty good
and sounds amazing, look at some of the pictures in the gallery on this site, a lot of these
home theaters are obviously amateur night, but I will bet the guys have more fun with it than a "professional " system. Peruvian has a neet new rack, so what if he got it at wallmart? I got my stand at wallmart, theres a pole in the back like a basketball goal
you mount your tv on, looks really cool , danged near killed me putting it together and I keep checking my tv to see if it has fallen down but its sure cool looking and this cheap chinese knockoff saved money over the original
And you're not too handy? Find someone who knows how to run wire, get some decent
video cable and have him run it, and fill in the gaps yourself.
If you know something about your system you wont fret so much when something breaks,
and you will have a lot more fun, thats why I built my last two computers, and ALL of my home theaters

[TV123]

WATER LINE?
You're joking right? I had my equipment in a bedroom next to the living room once, I used a RCA ir extender that cost 30 bucks and worked perfectly every time, just had to place it right
Theres an old saying, go to an orthodontist and you'll get braces, in other words this guys college fund for his kids depends on selling you stuff.
You know that nasa machines its fuel tanks practically by hand when off the shelf parts
will do fine? One of the major joys of this arcane hobby for me is running wires, piocking out cable ties in pretty neon colors, and coming up with something that looks pretty good
and sounds amazing, look at some of the pictures in the gallery on this site, a lot of these
home theaters are obviously amateur night, but I will bet the guys have more fun with it than a "professional " system. Peruvian has a neet new rack, so what if he got it at wallmart? I got my stand at wallmart, theres a pole in the back like a basketball goal
you mount your tv on, looks really cool , danged near killed me putting it together and I keep checking my tv to see if it has fallen down but its sure cool looking and this cheap chinese knockoff saved money over the original
And you're not too handy? Find someone who knows how to run wire, get some decent
video cable and have him run it, and fill in the gaps yourself.
If you know something about your system you wont fret so much when something breaks,
and you will have a lot more fun, thats why I built my last two computers, and ALL of my home theaters

The majority of people would never care for that level of micromanaging. Getting a b-ball pole from walmart and checking it everyday, get real.

Also, if you keep wanting the installer do little bits here and there. He's just going to end up charging you the same and making you sign a liability waiver.

Some things are more DIY than others. Some of us have jobs where we make more doing our job then we do spending our spare time inefficiently doing someone else's.

Good luck on the Home Theater.

[nightflier]

And you're not too handy? Find someone who knows how to run wire, get some decent video cable and have him run it, and fill in the gaps yourself. If you know something about your system you wont fret so much when something breaks, and you will have a lot more fun, thats why I built my last two computers, and ALL of my home theaters

I think Pixel does have a point. See if you can break down the project into 2 or 3 smaller projects and hire professionals to do those parts you really don't want or can't do.

TV123 also brings up a good point. How much is your time worth? What would you pay yourself for the work? If you had to add liability insurance, possible injuries, travel to & from the house, hiring sub-contractors, expenses for providing free estimates, and all your other costs, what would you want to be paid for the work?

Granted $4K seems steep, but from where we're reading this, it isn't clear enough how your house is laid out. Get some other quotes, ask for alternate brands, etc. Most contractors will be willing to work with you rather than loose the job to someone else. The cost-cutting negotiations, time line, materials, etc. is a normal part of the process in the contracting business.

One other suggestion that I've used in the past, especially for larger projects, is to hire a manager. You tell your manager what you want and how much you're willing to pay, and it's their job to hire the subcontractors, find the best parts, and make sure the job gets done on time. Managers who specialize in this typically know where to get the best deals, provide a buffer between your family and the subcontractors, and bacause they work for you will be more likely to take your side on issues that may come up. Think of it as hiring a broker. This costs a tad more, but it buys you a whole lot of peace-of-mind. And if you divided up the projects into sub-projects, you can delegate only those portions to your manager. If you have a demanding day-job, demanding children, or social life, that might be the best way to go.

[pixelthis]

I dont check my "b-ball" stand everyday but I did keep a close eye on it for a few days.
Working out great, btw.
And if you want to pay some dillweed four grand to drill a couple of holes be my guest.
And hire a "manager" to oversea the hole drilling!
GOD!
There are some who are totally inept at home improvement projects, all fine and good,
butuse a little common sense, okay? Any decent carpenter can drill a couple of holes and even run a few cables for you, paying four grand for such a simple task is rediculous.
I guess theres one born every minute