Wall mount tv, how to hide wires and box

[funkedelic2]

Hi guys, we are building a new house and are doing our electrical walk through next week. We are wanting to wall mount a tv on our tiled living room fire place and also wall mount a tv in our master. How can we hide the tv box and still be able to get a signal through without the box being visible? We have telus optik.

I know you can use tubing behind the wall and redirect the wires. Our old house had that and we had a box that was hidden in a cabinet. We had to have that cabinet open to use the tv box which was a pain in the ass. We would like to have the box tucked behind the tvs and have no visable wires or receivers for a nice clean look.

I looked online and heard about IR extenders which allow the infrared signal to travel through walls. I have heard that these do not work with Telus' hardware though? Just wondering if anyone can give me any advice? I'm not very electronic savvy but really need to make this work.

Thanks in advance

[spikerS]

First issue, the TV box uses IR signals, so there will have to be some sort of line of sight for the set top box.

Second, there are little conduit boxes you can get for putting a hole in the drywall behind the TV, and another at the electrical outlet height. This keeps the cables mostly out of sight.

IR extenders will not work through walls, as IR is light, not a signal. Some IR extenders may use a bluetooth signal between them, but I don't think that will work in this case.

[lamp_shade_2000]

You can use IR extenders or what I would do would be to get a Logitech Harmony Ultimate remote. It can control stuff through a cabinet or a wall. It also comes with an app to control everything from your phone but I'm not a huge fan of the app's interface.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/logitech-logitech-harmony-ultimate-home-black-915-000237/10320960.aspx?path=204cde7188d02314d10f6825ebc14331en02

[captain134]

These work well

http://www.monoprice.com/mobile/product/details/9964

[ercchry]

Get the builder to put 110v plugs behind where you want the tv's... then two options.

1. Have a central "rack" with all your equipment, have 2-cat6 ran to each tv

This is usually $$$$ to do it properly

2. Have co-ax ran beside the 110v, hid box behind tv, get stink on ir repeaters. They are dirt cheap and work on any box with ir since one end of the repeater sticks right over the ir receiver on the box, the other you stick within line of sight (usually on the tv, they are small and blend in well)

Option 1 also still requires sticking an ir extender in line of sight... the rack would have a repeater on the cable box, with the signal wired to an extender that would carry the ir and hdmi over he cat6

[kenny]

Originally posted by ercchry
Get the builder to put 110v plugs behind where you want the tv's... then two options.

1. Have a central "rack" with all your equipment, have 2-cat6 ran to each tv

This is usually $$$$ to do it properly

2. Have co-ax ran beside the 110v, hid box behind tv, get stink on ir repeaters. They are dirt cheap and work on any box with ir since one end of the repeater sticks right over the ir receiver on the box, the other you stick within line of sight (usually on the tv, they are small and blend in well)

Option 1 also still requires sticking an ir extender in line of sight... the rack would have a repeater on the cable box, with the signal wired to an extender that would carry the ir and hdmi over he cat6

My Optik TV box doesn't work with my IR system which is carried through my hdbaset system (monoprice) so don't get that one if you want to use an IR remote.

I use the app to control my Optik TV. It works way better than the actual remote.

[jwslam]

Pretty sure IR will travel through those dark glass doors (i.e. Ikea BESTA)?

[R!zz0]

Why can't you put the telus box behind the tv? I've had mine behind the tv for 3 years now and i haven't had any issues with it.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by spikerS
First issue, the TV box uses IR signals, so there will have to be some sort of line of sight for the set top box.

Second, there are little conduit boxes you can get for putting a hole in the drywall behind the TV, and another at the electrical outlet height. This keeps the cables mostly out of sight.

IR extenders will not work through walls, as IR is light, not a signal. Some IR extenders may use a bluetooth signal between them, but I don't think that will work in this case.

You don't actually need line of sight or IR extenders, you can get a RF harmony remote with the IR blasters that attach onto the components themselves.

[funkedelic2]

Originally posted by R!zz0
Why can't you put the telus box behind the tv? I've had mine behind the tv for 3 years now and i haven't had any issues with it.

I want to mount it behind the tv, it doesn't need to be behind a wall. In my post I said I wanted it mounted behind the tv but my remote won't work unless the box is in sight and I point at it.

[roopi]

Originally posted by funkedelic2


I want to mount it behind the tv, it doesn't need to be behind a wall. In my post I said I wanted it mounted behind the tv but my remote won't work unless the box is in sight and I point at it.

Shaw boxes have an IR in jack and IR receiver on a wire. So basically put the box behind the tv and the IR receiver on a wire is right below/beside and tv and can't be seen.

I really have no idea about the Telus setup but check if it has a IR jack. If so this would be very easy and cost you a few dollars.

[sdevils15]

My TV is mounted and I just have the shaw box resting on the mount, cant see any cables and never have any issues changing tv.

[goldfish168]

I just strap my Shaw Gateway portals to the back of the TV with zip ties. No problems with the IR from remote to set top box even though there is no line of sight. I thought I would need the IR extenders but decided to give it try without first and it just bounces signals off the walls.

I had electrical, coax and cat5 installed behind tv locations. When looking for TV wall mounts, it was tough finding the right one that provided enough clearance but didn't extrude too much for plugs as I found most were so slim that would require recessed outlets.

[ercchry]

^^^you can purchase power cords/hdmi with 90 degree ends on them if you go with one of the thinner mounts

[funkedelic2]

Originally posted by kenny


My Optik TV box doesn't work with my IR system which is carried through my hdbaset system (monoprice) so don't get that one if you want to use an IR remote.

I use the app to control my Optik TV. It works way better than the actual remote.

The app is pretty cool! Might be a last resort thing if I can't get anything else figured out

[eblend]

I just use a harmony remote. My Telus optik box is in the basement with tv mounted in the living room. Harmony I have uses Rf for remote to Ir beamer in the basement, so it travels through walls and terminates as Ir to the components. Been using this setup for last 7 years or so. Telus is all ir... So any ir should just work. The hdmi ones someone posted about are probably the easiest way to go.

[mobius]

I use HDBaseT Baluns for my TVs All you need is power and 1 Cat6e (do 2 to be on the safe side) behind each TV, with the Cat6 run to a central location where you want to place the Optik receivers. The Optik IR remote works as well.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00Z9OW6DQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[rage2]

Originally posted by funkedelic2
I know you can use tubing behind the wall and redirect the wires. Our old house had that and we had a box that was hidden in a cabinet. We had to have that cabinet open to use the tv box which was a pain in the ass. We would like to have the box tucked behind the tvs and have no visable wires or receivers for a nice clean look.
I have no idea on the Telus Optik TV IR compatibility, but trying to tuck boxes of stuff behind your TV will make your TV stand out far from the wall, and not really ideal if you're looking for the most flush mount.

Depending on the rooms in my house, I have things setup 2 different ways. In my basement, it's just a flat wall of TV and speakers, with tons of equipment hidden away:

http://i.imgur.com/bR9xiSc.jpg

I built an additional wall so that I can put all my components behind said wall. Description of the setup here: http://forums.beyond.ca/st2/post-your-home-theatre-setup/showthread.php?s=&postid=4317921#post4317921

In the bedrooms, again it's just a TV on the wall (no receiver or additional speakers). I run wires through the wall to the floor, where I have a HDBaseT CAT5 receiver box and an AppleTV. All my primary receivers and equipment sit in the mechanical room and is sent to each room via HDBaseT (single CAT5).

Each room is controlled using a Harmony Remote with RF receiver to hit the hidden equipment sitting behind the dresser/wall.

Once you go without exposed wires for a clean look in 1 room, it's game over. Any room with any wires will just piss you off. I ended up having to hire someone to add conduits in walls and run power extensions to all my other rooms to go wire free. Fucking OCD. :rofl:

One other note, originally, I had spec'd out power outlets behind where the TV mounts, but I never actually used them. I ran the power wire down the conduit (fitted power extension cord inside) to feed power to the floor. Reason was that every TV and network component in my house is behind a UPS sitting on the floor, so when there's a power outage, I have spec'd enough UPS power to keep TV's and receivers going for ~1 hour so I'm not bored.

[R!zz0]

^^Looking good Rage. Nice clean set up :thumbsup: