Hi,

Hope someone has experience in this.

I'd like to setup a HTPC in my lounge connected to my LCD TV. However I would like to send the picture/sound to my bedroom directly above the lounge. How can I do this? What are my options?

The HTPC would have HDMI out.

I guess an RF remote be the option for controlling it? But I'm not sure how I can split the HDMI signal and then get that to the bedroom?

I've looked at HDMI splitters, HDMI over ethernet but I'm not sure whats a best working route to take.

Thanks in advance.

Dan

You'd be better of using a media streamer for the bedroom.

A streamer will connect via your router using low cost Cat5e cable. That will be far cheaper, easier to install and also simultaneously solve the problems of control. The streamer simply reads the files from the HTPC shared folders.

A side benefit is that the HTPC itself can be used independently of the streamer.

All you need then do is choose a media streamer (A.K.A. network media player) with a network port, HDMI output, and support for the appropriate files you want to play.

Basic Media streamers start from as little as £40. Something more comprehensively spec'd such as the Western Digital TV Live are around the £130 mark. That's gotta be cheaper and less hassle that messing around HDMI splitters, long HDMI cables, Windows Media Centre remotes and RF remote relay systems.

The WD TV Live (which is what I have and is brilliant) is currently around £80.

The media streamer route is only feasible if the OP has a collection of media files, structured in a particular way, that he wants to play upstairs. If instead the HTPC has an internal TV tuner or the OP wants to use other programs on the HTPC upstairs then a media streamer will not necessarily be appropriate.

danzx2 - what exactly do you want to be able to do on the HTPC upstairs?

You could have a setup like I have:

Windows 7 Media centre PC in the living room, connected to HD TV via HDMI. This has 4 tuners cards (2 DVB-T and 2 DVB-T2).

I'm using the DVBLink software to provide the tuners to media centre.

In the bedroom I have a small ION computer (about £200 from Maplin when I bought it) running Windows 7 also, with the DVBLink software on it, so that both media centre machines can access any of the 4 tuners.

Both machines look to a shared folder for their Video, and the bedroom PC can also see the recorded TV folder of the livingroom PC, so I can therefore watch live HD/SD TV in the bedroom, watch recorded TV and other videos in the bedroom, and do same in the living room.

If you have Hauppauge receivers, you can use their WinTV7 and Extend software to broadcast on your LAN locally (or even over the Internet if you wish).

You might need to buy the WinTV7 CD, which isn't very expensive, and it has the HD codecs too. You use a browser such as Internet Exploder or Googlies Chrome on the remote, client PC. So no extra expensive client software is required. It then operates WinTV, allowing you to change channels.

For other files, simply share them and use something like GOM Player to access and play them.