Ethernet cable for HDMI

[jcshutts]

I am running cable into walls. I've heard that people have started to use high speed ethernet cable as a cheaper alternative to HDMI. Any experience or views?

 

[mmg]

I've used this before and there are a lot of advantages:

- You can use it for much longer distances than HDMI

- It's much cheaper per meter than HDMI

- You can use it for another purpose later if you decide to rearrange your house (telephone, internet)

- It's (probably) more future-proof than HDMI

What distance are we talking about here? For short distances I would recommend a HDMI cable that can still be replaced if needed (behind a plasterboard wall or in a calbe tray). For longer distances you can use ethernet. I would use CAT7 cable.

 

[jcshutts]

Sorry for delay. Thanks for response. I have 7 metres to cover in behind walls and ceiling. I've used cat 6a shielded else where. Does this fit the bill? What about adapters that take it from ethernet to HDMI?

 

[mmg]

Sure, cat6a is more than enough for this purpose: most products even work over cat5. The reason I suggested cat7 is to be future-proof if you want to use it for 4K or 8K in the future.

The ones I used are these: http://www.marmitek.com/en/product-details/watch/av-over-cat5/megaview-80.php, but there are a lot of brands that make these products. Some also transmit IR back to the source, which can be useful if you want to use an IR remote control (eg http://www.hdconnectivity.com/extenders/hdmi-over-cat5-cat6-with-ir-extender.html).

Of course 7m isn't a very long distance: a good HDMI cable can easily do this distance. I also don't think over ethernet will be cheaper, if you count the cost of the adapters + the cat6 cable. You also make your installation more complex and add 2 potential points of failure. You will have to decide for yourself if the advantages are worth it...

 

[jcshutts]

really helpful thank you.