Multi-room entertainment systems allow your audio and video signals (from a CD player, radio, DVD player etc) to be distributed round the house and played in different rooms. Each room is able to play its own selection or, alternatively, they can be set to play the same thing (often called a "party mode"). Each room will have a wall panel or keypad that allows for selection of music.

As an alternative to attaching CD players etc to the distribution system, many manufacturers produce music or video servers, which store a copy of the CD or DVD on a hard disk. The server is capable of storing hundreds of CDs or DVDs, so it is possible to play hours of music without ever having to change CD!

For multi-room audio, each room will require a set of speakers. These can be inset into the ceiling or, if you have hollow stud partition walls, the wall. If neither of these options is possible, you can attach any set of speakers to the system although these won’t be as unobtrusive as ceiling- or wall-mounted speakers. For multi-room video, each room will require an additional box under the TV set to decode the signals from the video server.

Wired or Wireless? A fully-wired multi-room audio or video system requires wire to be installed for every controller and every speaker in the house. This is a lot of wire, and is really only something that can be installed as part of a new-build or renovation project. It may be possible to “retrofit” a couple of rooms, but this is still awkward, messy and probably quite expensive.

 An alternative to wired audio distribution is a wireless system. This uses a wireless network (the same wireless network you use to share your broadband connection) to share the music. Each room has a box which acts as a receiver and which allows you to select what music to play. While this method is tidier because it doesn't use any wires, it does require a wireless network signal that reaches to all parts of the house (something that can be problematic in older houses).

Because video requires more information than audio, it is not possible to distribute video signals over a wireless network.