Does combining OTA antenna and Satellite signal degrade signal quality?

[RockinRight]

I am looking at a switch to DISH, perhaps. If I decide to do so, I have a couple OTA HD channels I can JUST recieve.

If I use a combiner to run the DISH signal on the same cable into the house I run the VHF and UHF antennas into, and then split them back up at the reciever, does that degrade the signal quality at all, assuming I use an amp at the "re-split" point before going into the DISH reciever's OTA and Sat inputs?

 

[damaged]

Yes it does.

 

[RockinRight]

Yes it does.

Better then to run seperate cable for the Sat. to all rooms in which you wish to have it?

 

[damaged]

Better then to run seperate cable for the Sat. to all rooms in which you wish to have it?

Correct.

 

[primetimeguy]

But we're talking digital signals here, so as long as you get a picture on the TV the PQ will not be any better or worse no matter which way you do it. Right?

 

[srs913]

Anytime you combine and split signal, in this case you would be talking about using diplexors, you will always get a db loss per split. Is that going to degrade the signal, yes. But, OTA is trial and error testing. Its not digital where you get a signal or you don't. Ide say give it a try using diplexors, if it works it wil save you running all new lines, if it doesen't, then you will need to run new lines and keep the dedicated sat line. Also by using diplexors, this means having a diplexor outside to face the elements, which is something I don't suggest unless its well protected.

 

[primetimeguy]

Right, I guess the point I was trying to make is you may degrade or lower the signal, but that does not affect PQ until your signal drops so much that it is no longer high enough to get a picture without any breakups. OTA HD signals would be the same way. Analog OTA signals would be a different story. So use all the diplexors you want on digital signals, as long as you get a picture that doesn't break up, you will have no loss in PQ. But anything you add into a line just adds one more spot for bad connections or problems so keep that in mind as well.

 

[RockinRight]

But we're talking digital signals here, so as long as you get a picture on the TV the PQ will not be any better or worse no matter which way you do it. Right?

I am referring to digital OTA only.

Its true that you either "get it or don't" but a couple of the stations I get are VERY marginal as it stands, and they already occasionally drop out. ANY degradation might render them unrecieveable at all.

 

[damaged]

Right, picture quality wrt digital, equates to how much headroom you have before signal loss reaches unwatchable levels, diplexing them would limit the headroom and could increase the frequency and length of rain/snow fade events.

 

[cablewithaview]

But we're talking digital signals here, so as long as you get a picture on the TV the PQ will not be any better or worse no matter which way you do it. Right?

digital lose per split is the same as analog.
digital runs less decibels on cable then the analog, roughly 10 db and doesn't effect the PQ unless the db's are less then what is recommended to keep the box locked, ingress or other issues.