Oh. I also decided to test the HDMI cables in the home theater. I had 3 to test. All start in the equipment closet. One runs to the projector location, the other two run to the future family room, just on opposite sides of the room.

Well, I am glad that I did. The two in the family room worked fine, but the one to the projector location was a no-go. It wasn't even as long as one of the family room runs and they were all bought from the same place (Monoprice). I will order a replacement and send the faulty one back if I can. I will have to look up their return policy. I also tested the speaker wires yesterday and they all worked 100%. So one cable out of all of them isn't too bad.

Hmmmm, I was just thinking about buying this HDMI cable tester

Iowa? What's an Iowa? Isn't it that Jima Island with the Japanese letters from WWII?

Murph, you could come down "south" this winter and "warm up".

Maybe they should use their own tester before shipping their cables....

Actually, for all I know, the cable got pierced when I was running my other wiring or it got snagged on something, I won't know until I pull it out of the ceiling.

I had tested all my HDMI cables before installing them.. but I didn't test them before I drywalled. Hope my dice are friendly!

Speaking of drywall. Just got our first estimate. For materials and labor, start to finish (from delivery of drywall, to hanging, mudding/taping, to finishing)... $6400. Yikes! I was hoping for something around $4500.

Now my wife is saying" Maybe we could hang the drywall ourselves and have someone else mud/tape....

That means, maybe *I* can hang the drywall. Ugh! Next quote will not be until Friday.

Probably would have been around $4500 if you were not doing the ceiling with the clips and rails plus green glue and another layer of drywall etc.

Maybe a little less, but I am putting up the clips/channel, and I am applying the Green Glue and acoustical sealant. They are just putting a second layer perpendicular to the first. The amount of mudding/taping/edges/finishing is all the same whether 1 layer or 2...

Hanging (other than the ceiling) isn't very hard. Personally I don't really mind taping/mudding either (cept for the ceiling). Sanding is what can suck (especially the ceiling!). I valued my time less than $6400 so I did it all myself (with help of my bro-in-law).