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In the past few months, I've finally had time to post more information about two projects I've worked on in the past year or so at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis—both of them having to do with the sending and receiving of video and audio signals through a very large building.

Click one of the titles to read the article:

XLR over Cat5 - Balanced XLR Mic/Line Audio over Cat5e

In this article, I explain how we sent crystal-clear audio (used for both communication/VOX and broadcast TV) over a distance of about 300' using nothing but shielded Cat5e cable. Pictures, diagrams, etc. included.

Sending High-Definition Video over Long Distances with Cat5

In this article, I explain how we sent very sharp high definition video (up to 1080p) over about 100' using component video baluns and shielded Cat5e cable. (You can also use these baluns to send digital/coax audio).

I truly believe Cat5e cable to be the most versatile cable on the planet. It can be used for almost any kind of data or signal, and is extremely cheap over long distances, in comparison to most other cable types.

I've only been using the Apple TV for a few days now, but I have used it enough to jot down a few first impressions. I'll likely do a full-on review at some point in the future.

Some of the things I really, really like about the ATV (I have the black/2010 model):

• Disappearing act: This thing is tiny, and it's black. I hate seeing anything besides my speakers and my TV, and the Apple TV is much better at hiding in my cabinet than my now-RROD Xbox 360. Oh, and it's silent.
• Surround Sound, HD, Effortless: It's awesome to finally be able to stream all my movies (HD or not) from my Mac with 5.1 digital surround. So awesome. (See my article on how to rip Blu-Rays and DVDs and get them to work with the Apple TV and other devices).
• Speed, Wireless N: Since I have an AirPort Express with 802.11n networking and a decent Internet connection, everything is fast—watching videos on YouTube, popping around the system, browsing my computer's movie and music library. Awesome.

Some things I don't like all that much, but will definitely live with:

• You have to have iTunes and your Mac on at all times to share to the Apple TV: Hopefully Apple will find a way to sell me another device to store all my content off-Mac so I'm not burning an extra 100W when my computer is serving up content.
• No 1080p: Not a deal-breaker for me, as I have a 720p 42" TV, but someday, I'll upgrade, and want those extra pixels.
• Harmony Remotes don't work out-of-the-box with the Apple TV: Still takes some time to have to program the remote manually if you want everything to work correctly. Ah well.