Splitting to different TV's

[Oriasa]

Howdy folks,

I hope this is the right section! After looking around and just getting more confused over what is probably a very simple question, I thought I would just ask and maybe someone can answer me easily!

Basically, we have a dish on the roof, single (long) coax cable coming down, through the house and into the back of the SKY box. The SKY box is then connected to the main TV via a SCART cable ... just a bog-standard, run of the mill setup!

What I want to do is split the feed into another room so I can watch SKY in there too. Not multi-room with more than one receiver or anything like that, I just want to be able to watch the channel that I have selected on the main room on another TV (in the kitchen for example).

My main questions are 1) how can I do this, is it as simple a cheap 3 way coax splitter + some cable? And 2) the main TV is connected via SCART from the SKY box, but the other TV won't have a SKY box, so how do I actually connect that to the second length of coax cable (it just has standard inputs like SCART, RF, Component etc).

I hope that makes sense, I can draw a diagram if it helps, but it's really just a simple case of watching SKY on more than one TV!

Thanks very much,
Ori

 

[Lazarus]

Use the RF1 or RF2 output direct from your Sky box via a cable to the room where the other TV is The cable connects to the "Aerial" (RF) input of your TV.

Tune the second TV to the RF Channel the Sky box is set to (You can alter this in a hidden menu)

You can even change the Channel the Sky box receives by inserting a "Magic Eye" (Mine cost £1 from fleabay) at the second telly.

In this case, you'll need a spare Remote Control or you can fetch the one from the main room- The RF2 output of the Sky box must be used as it can be set in a hidden menu to turn on the 9V supply that powers the Magic Eye (The same menu, in fact, where you can also alter the RF Channel)

 

[Oriasa]

Thanks for the reply

I don't actually think my box has an RF connection at all . It's a pretty old SKY Italia box. All I see on the back are TV SCART connectors (one to the TV, one for VCR if needed). One pair of Audio phono (white + red) connectors, a 9-pin monitor connector, RJ45 Network connector and the coax-in connector for the satellite cable .

I have an Openbox S10 waiting to be setup to replace the SKY box, so I guess the help I need would apply more to that particular unit.

Thanks very much,
Cheers, Ori

 

[Lazarus]

Yes, sorry - I should have spotted your box type from your Profile instead of assuming BSkyB!

Sounds like there is no RF Modulator then - but I believe these can be bought fairly cheaply and connected to a SCART socket at the transmit end.



HOWEVER: Why don't you fit the Openbox in the master position, then simply replace the existing LNB with a twin, running the second feed to the spare Telly and relocate the old Sky Italia box there?

 

[Robbo]

On either box, since neither has a built in modulator, if you want to run a second TV from the one receiver you'd need a modulator. I note that the S10 has an HDMI socket, so using a HDMI Cat5 extender could be a possibility too.

 

[Oriasa]

Thanks very much for the replies. I didn't even realise the CAT5 HDMI extender existed, so that's a pretty useful piece of kit. I am not really bothered about HD on both TV's, but this seems like a pretty decent way of doing it with the added benefit of HD all round.

I also see a universal Scart to Coax video modulator over on Amazon which I guess will also do the same job via standard RF aerial cable, but the openbox doesn't have any Scart connector so I guess that won't work once we switch to that. The connections on the back of the unit are like this:

_http://www.dream-multimedia-tv.co.uk/big/S10-3.jpg

Unfortunately we are in a block of flats in the middle of Madrid with a dish on the roof. So getting up there to add a new LMB + wiring it all into the house etcetc is going to be pretty unlikely. I just need a shopping list now of exactly which bits and pieces I need

Thanks for all the help,
Cheers, Ori

 

[Oriasa]

Right ... I think the following solution might actually be my best bet. I made a little diagram as I am sure it makes more sense than me blabbering on. Essentially it's just to use an HDMI splitter to split the HDMI output from the Dreambox to 2 TV's:


My only problem is that I have a funny feeling that the 2nd TV doesn't have an HDMI unput (it's all boxed up at the moment). It is HD, but I think only via component, but I guess the principle will still be similar. Is there such a thing as a splitter that can take and HDMI input and then output HDMI to one TV and RF/Component/SCART/Composite ... whatever, anything apart from HDMI, to a second TV? Or just a simple HDMI to SCART/Component converter. Not too fussed about HD on the 2nd TV either way.

Thanks again,
Ori

Please do not post IMG, now uploaded as an attachment [Admin]

 

[PaulR]

Is there such a thing as a splitter that can take an HDMI input and then output HDMI to one TV and RF/Component/SCART/Composite ... whatever, anything apart from HDMI, to a second TV?

I don't think that such a thing legally exists, certainly for a component output,because as far as the TV and Movie companies are concerned the most important thing about HDMI is the HDCP encryption for HD signals to stop people illegally recording them.

There may be something that converts to an SD format but I don't know of it.

 

[Huevos]

It is HD, but I think only via component

If you are talking YPbPr you can get a converter cable for that.

 

[Huevos]

I don't think that such a thing legally exists, certainly for a component output,because as far as the TV and Movie companies are concerned the most important thing about HDMI is the HDCP encryption for HD signals to stop people illegally recording them.

I don't think it matters, because once you have used a converter you won't have a perfect copy of the original.

Edit: Maybe I am wrong about the above, and those devices are for use the other way round, i.e. they allow you connect a device that only has component output to a display device that only has HDMI input.

 

[PaulR]

If you are talking YPbPr you can get a converter cable for that.

How does that get round HDCP protection?

 

[Oriasa]

Ahh, thanks Heuvos, that was what I was looking for. Yes, the 2nd TV does have YPbPr so that will work. I guess (looking at that picture) I would either need one of those HDMI > YPbPr converters that's about 10-15m long if such a thing is available. Or the HDMI > YPbPr cable + another longer YPbPr cable to extend it far enough to reach the other TV. Research time .....

 

[Oriasa]

Ahh, just saw your edit ... maybe not then .. even more research required

 

[Huevos]

How does that get round HDCP protection?

See my edit in the post above.

Looking at this in greater detail I have found there are both types of converters, i.e. YPbPr -> HDMI, and HDMI -> YPbPr.

In the case of the former it doesn't need to get round anything because there is no HDCP to start with. In the second case there must be a chip in the converter that handshakes with the source device. I don't know about the legal side, but I'm sure they must be ok as they are freely sold by Amazon, etc.

_http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quality-Component-Optical-Converter-Projector/dp/B005FK3GPQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1325856316&sr=8-4

 

[Oriasa]

Ahh, I see. That thing looks more like what I need!

But, at that price, I may as well just spend £100 on a 22" or so LCD screen (LED if I can find one) that just has an HDMI input for the other room. Then I would just need the 2-way HDMI splitter for around £30 and about £30 worth of HDMI cable (15m) to make it all work. Can't really think of any other (cheaper) way of doing it!

 

[PaulR]

Looking at this in greater detail I have found there are both types of converters, i.e. YPbPr -> HDMI, and HDMI -> YPbPr.

In the case of the former it doesn't need to get round anything because there is no HDCP to start with. In the second case there must be a chip in the converter that handshakes with the source device. I don't know about the legal side, but I'm sure they must be ok as they are freely sold by Amazon, etc.

_http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quality-Component-Optical-Converter-Projector/dp/B005FK3GPQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1325856316&sr=8-4

Followed the link and then onto the technical details which are woefully lacking! I suspect that it's mainly for use with non-protected HD content.

I reckon that it doesn't get round HDCP and will only convert programmes which don't have the HDCP encoding flag set. From memory the BBC don't (hardly ever?) use HDCP. ITV and C4 I don't know and $ly probably a lot of the time. Unfortunately you'd only know when the YPbPr output went blank!

 

[smoggy07]

does the s10 not have an lnb loop through i.e. lnb in and lnb out like the dm500 breed of box?

if it does you can use the s10 as the master and run coax from the loop through out into the second room and into the back of the iti box thus giving you the same feed in the kitchen

 

[Oriasa]

Ahhh yah, it does have a 'loop' connection on the back, I just wasn't 100% sure what it was for. If it's as simple as that, then that's certainly the cheapest option. So the SKY Italia box wouldn't need any card or anything, it would literally just be acting as a glorified decoder? Only downside with that setup is that the 2nd TV wouldn't have an HD output as it's an old box with only SCART connectors. 2 the 2 options are:

1. Use the loop connector on the Dreambox and feed that through the old SKY Italia box to the 2nd TV - Standard Def
2. Use an HDMI splitter to split the output from the Dreambox into both TV's - Both would be HD, but it's more expensive to get long HDMI cables

Thanks again, looks like this is almost nailed now
Cheers, Ori