HDMI cable length...how long is too long ?

If I didn't already mention, I'm using Redmere cables. They work fine.

In terms of the "holes" you use special wall plates. I'll send you some links so that you can get a better idea.

Saki,

Food for thought as I use two very long cable runs -- 25 feet for one and 98 feet for the other.

I use a BlueJeans Series 1 certified HDMI cable for the 25 foot run. It works great. It's HDMI 1.3 certified to 45 feet.

For my longer run, I use a powered HDMI balun that uses 2 Cat5 or 6 cables. It works great. So you can indeed do longer runs without too many major issues but here is what I recommend to you:

1) Run multiple cables and options. I suggest running the following: 2 HDMI cables and 4 Cat6 Cables if you can afford it. For the Cat6 cables, they MUST be the same length and not go through a patch panel or a wall plate and cannot be cut in any way. They won't work through a patch panel and you will have intermittent issues likely with a wall plate. They must be "home run" point to point. So your best bet is to get pre-terminated 25-foot cables. Get them in different colors to make pairing easy. For the HDMI cables, I suggest getting a Monoprice HDMI cable with Redmere. They are DIRECTIONAL, so be careful, but they are designed for longer runs and have a special amplifier built-in. The second HDMI cable I'd recommend is a BlueJeans Series 1. It's stiffer but it's a superb-build quality and certified.

2) I don't recommend going X feet with one cable then going to a plate and then plugging in a second HDMI cable that goes another Y feet. HDMI is truly a terrible connector. it's so fussy and it's a pain to work with; however, it is what it is. So save yourself potential headaches and do not, I repeat, do not try two different cables. Home run the connection point to point.

3) If you have no choice but to split the HDMI cables, then the BALUN may be your best bet. However, I'd also try the same configuration with quality HDMI cables.

So this is what I would do in my ideal world. I'd setup HDMI and BALUN redundant systems. The benefit of the BALUN is future-proofing. Change the hardware on either side of the Cat6 cabling and you can upgrade with the specs as they change.

Here you go. Special wall plates exist so that you can "home run" cables without needing to terminate at the plate and then add more cables again. This prevents signal loss with a home-run connection. For example, to run HDMI Baluns with Cat6 you cannot cut the connection with a wall plate. So installers use one of three options:

1) An open plate. You can chose different diameters depending on the number of cables. An example is here: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10425&cs_id=1042509&p_id=3997&seq=1&format=2

2) A plate with a bristle-style opening. See the second plate in this picture: http://www.lowes.com/pd_12862-60784-HT2001-WH-V1_0__?Ntt=legrand+hdmi&UserSearch=legrand+hdmi&productId=1214179&rpp=48

3) A plate with a rubber cover with slits in it. http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10425&cs_id=1042505&p_id=4653&seq=1&format=2

So using this kind of solution is really ideal with HDMI installations. Additionally, it allows you to install a pull string and put a conduit behind it for future wire run pulls with ease. As you can see, there's a very easy and simple way to do this and also make it look aesthetically perfect.

I strongly suggest running both. However, for your purposes, I'd simply use the HDMI cables for now and then if you run into problems look to use a BALUN on the Cat6 cabling. Rule of thumb: You always want a home run to eliminate points of failure. The Balun is great, but unless you need to use it, I'd stick with the HDMI runs with quality cables