RE: [KAT5]IR questions (Was New poll for kat5-users)

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Hi Keith,

I guess KAT 5 questions are like London busses - none for ages, then a
shedload at once ;)

>> Will this come WITH the units or we have to buy somewhere
separately?
>> Can we extend the leads if necessary?
>>
>
> The IR receiver will be supplied. Lead will be approx 5-600mm long
which
> should be long enough for most applications. If not, a 3.5mm Headphone
extension lead may work but it really needs to be screened cable.

A screened 3.5mm cable?  I thought those headphone jobbies _were_ screened
anyway - or do you mean a screen around the core+screen you already get?
I think I would need a few long ones due to space restrictions meaning not
everything can be as close as I'd like, plus some stuff being on a movable
trolley.....

> I dont forsee any problems with Xantech or other emitters if they are
just
> single emitters. The ones with dual emitters and/or visible blink
LED's
> may not work as they need a higher voltage to operate. This will be
confirmed at UKHA2004

If they turn out NOT to work (the dual ones), would there be something we
can do (as in buy/make) to get them to work?

This leads me on to.......
How exactly WILL they work?  I'm thinking here that I wish to control all
my sources from either the lounge or the master bedroom.
In the lounge, they are all switched via my AV amp, in the bedroom, they
are all switched via a little IR controlled switchbox thingy.

So I need an IR receiver in the lounge and the bedroom, fine.
At the other end, does this mean I need to go into a connector block and
out to all the kit for both the lounge AND bedroom runs - ie, end up with
two lots of emitters stuck on each bit of kit?

This further leads me to think about the switcher - in this scenario,
AIUI, it will be one emitter per bit of kit & 1 receiver per
controlling
location.
Fine.  Now, when I am in the lounge and I want to watch a DVD, will the
switcher be able to switch the AV-Amp selector to DVD too so I get my AC-3
sound?
If I am in the bedroom, will the switcher be smart enough to know that it
does NOT need to switch the Amp input to DVD - since someone might be
watching Tivo in glorious surround downstairs?

And even further still, will the switcher be smart enough so that, if I am
in the bedroom and switch to the DVD player/tivo/whatever, it will pop up
a message on screen saying this device is in use in another room?
This is a nice little feature of Linn Knekt, so you know that someone else
is using that device and you might p*ss them off if you change
channels/chapters/whatever.  You can still control the device, but it just
gives you a friendly warning about it......

> The IR Upgrade boards will effectively be obsolete but the circuitry
wont.
> Its used for the Mk2 units and the switcher. Also, considering how
many
> Mk1 units are in existance it will take a while to get them all
upgraded
> (assuming lots of people wish to do so).

I guess that depends on how soon the switcher is available ;)
As you said to an earlier post, IR not required, but pretty damned useful
for the switcher (or words to that effect).....

> The IR receiver modules I used are very tolerant of any other source
of IR
> and I havent had any problem with them being blinded.

But have you had sunlight shining on them?  Or do you not get any in Gt
Yarmouth? :)

> Range is excellent. I have a couple of cheapo DVD players that are
very
[...]
> With the IR repeater in use and an IR emitter stuck to the DVD player
I
> can point the remote alomost anywhere in the room and it works a
treat.

Excellent.

Thanks for answering all these questions m8.

(You still haven't told me "What's a drill" though :P

cheers,

Tony