Equipment: Structured Media Center

I have a dedicated home theater room and three additional surround sound systems in the living room, the master bedroom, and our second master bedroom. The home theater media closet also houses two structured media centers that feed audio and video sources through-out the entire house. For those that have never seen a Structured Media Center (SMC), it is a metal cabinet appearing very similar in size and shape to a circuit-breaker box. They are about 14" wide (to fit between studs for built-in look), and smallest is about 14" high. I use the 28" and 42" high versions which, when placed end to end almost go from floor to ceiling. The media centers provide a neat and sanitized method of routing and combining multiple sources of media and distributing it to multiple locations.

All incoming Satellite, Cable, Phone, and Video security go through the structured media centers. Also they are the primary distribution network for the Infra-red repeater system, whole house audio, internal computer network-including Wi-Fi. The system allows 4 seperate satellite receivers to be amplified and triplexed with standard cable, multiplexed DVD from home theater player (allowing any TV in the house to watch the movie playing) and home security video system--all of this is transmitted to 12 different television locations through-out the house.

There are terminations for over 24 seperate Cat6 locations for either data or phone/security. The whole house audio uses a second receiver from the Home theater room and can play music through-out the entire house from any source in the home theater stereo system. The signals are routed through Leviton Digital volume control interfaces (one for every room/hall--except bedrooms).The bedrooms are not included (since they have their own audio systems). All of the halls, kitchen, dinning areas, butler's pantry, living rooms, office, and front and back yards have their own individual Decora style built-in Leviton volume controls which can raise/lower and even turn off the music in that zone. The music and selection of source are controlled by the Kitchen Monster AVL 300 Remote control and Infra-red blasted through Decora style built-in Atlas infra-red repeaters up to the home theater equipment closet.

I originally viewed the Leviton SMCs at a home trade show and fell in love with the capabilities of the system. I was tired of always trying to figure out what cable or phone line went to where and with numerous upgrades to systems, phone and cable installers chopped up and re-routed most lines in my almost new home. The SMC allows me individual cables (expandable) to run to every location I want. With these cables terminated, to make changes, it is simply a matter of reattaching a patch cord (voice and data), or unscrewing and rescrewing an RG6 connector for satellite/cable.

I have had a few technical problems setting up this entire system and was slowly able to weed out the problems (biggest problem was space--I tried to jam to many things into one SMC). I have since added more space with an additional SMC. Since I am not a professional installer, I had to do quite a bit of research and trial and error. First I completely designed the entire system and then I started it in sections. I would no sooner get one part finished, when the wife would decide how she wanted it modified. Needless to say, I watched my single Leviton 280 media center get packed full with no space left. Then, I purchased the 420 model and packed it completely full as well.

Leviton Media Center components:
420 with Hinged door
280 with screwed door
Leviton 24 port voice and data distribution module
Leviton Cat5e Voice and data expansion board (4ea)
Leviton 4 port Internet Gateway (4ea)
Leviton digital volume control interface (4ea)
Leviton 3x8 splitter/amplifier/multiplexer (2ea)
Leviton 12v Universal power supply (9 port)
Leviton Video and stereo modulator
Leviton Speaker conection Module