high performance splitter?

[tcpuccio1]

I am looking to improve my picture quality in my second and third rooms that I have hooked up to my 2 receivers. I know to may times that the signal is split it reduces the picture quality. I have RG6 cable running though out the house. I have a few splitters in the output lines what am I looking for. They are all labeled differently like 5dbl 11dbl etc what is the best type. Obviously dollar store splitter stink but what type/brand should I loom for? thanks in advance as always!

 

[boba]

You need to look for a signal amplifier to compensate for the loss caused by splitting the signals. A 2 way splitter has 3.5 dB of loss, that means less than half the signal going in goes out each of the 2 ports. A 4 way splitter has 7 dB of loss so each port has less than 1/4th the signal going out. In decibel notation (dB) a +3dB doubles the strength or a-3dB halves the strength.

 

[JohnH]

Splitters and Amplifiers need to be rated for 1 Ghz frequency operation as well. Some that are rated lower may have excessive loss outside their passband.

 

[tcpuccio1]

Okay what is the difference here:
4-WAY HIGH PERFORMANCE CABLE TV HDTV SPLITTER - eBay (item 170183330767 end time Feb-28-09 10:36:13 PST)

-VS-
MONSTER CABLE HIGH PERFORMANCE SPLITTER 5-1000 MHz - eBay (item 350158149814 end time Feb-24-09 12:07:17 PST)

-VS-
6-WAY HIGH PERFORMANCE CABLE TV HDTV SPLITTER - eBay (item 170183368638 end time Feb-28-09 13:26:49 PST)

I know they have different output ports BUT is a higher or lower db # better or worse? Sorry to sound dumb.

 

[JohnH]

Stay away from the 6 way. That is a weird configuration. The others seem somewhat the same except one is a 4 way and the other is a 2 way. It is nice when they publish full specs. If you only need a 2 way do not use a 4 way. That would waste power.

 

[tcpuccio1]

Okay do I have this right?

The smaller the # of db The less likely for picture quality loss?

What about the ones labeled 1000mhz/1000ghz? Good or bad?

Lot Ideal 4 Way & 2 Way Cable Splitter 1 GHz NEW - eBay (item 220363163566 end time Feb-22-09 18:06:38 PST)

-VS-

4-WAY Perfect Vision VIDEO / CABLE TV SPLITTER - eBay (item 380074422609 end time Mar-18-09 22:53:50 PDT)

 

[MrDogDad]

The smaller the # of db The less likely for picture quality loss?

What about the ones labeled 1000mhz/1000ghz? Good or bad?

Lot Ideal 4 Way & 2 Way Cable Splitter 1 GHz NEW - eBay (item 220363163566 end time Feb-22-09 18:06:38 PST)

-VS-

4-WAY Perfect Vision VIDEO / CABLE TV SPLITTER - eBay (item 380074422609 end time Mar-18-09 22:53:50 PDT)

I wouldn't worry too much about the quality of the splitters. As long as they are rated at 1000Mhz (1Ghz) they should be about equal. Because splitters are simple passive devices, they can never have loss ratings of less than 3 db per output for a 2 way splitter. In practice 3.5 db is about right. The important thing is to not split the signal more than necessary to get the right number of lines out.
If you are sending the signal to only 2 or 3 TVs you should be able to get a good signal to all of the TVs with just a passive splitter. Check that the connectors on the RG-6 cables are firmly attached.
If you still have a snowy picture on the TVs you might want to invest in an amplified splitter. If you have ghosting, you probably have a loose outer shield connection somewhere. Also be sure that the channel you use for the Dish receiver TV2 output is not the same as a local broadcast channel. I find that using a lower channel number gives a better signal.

 

[Toddwsu2005]

Bottom line is the bigger the splitter the more signal loss occurs. A 2 way does much better on signal loss than a 4 or 8 way. Careful with powering a signal, only do that if you have to. Too much signal can be as much of a bad thing as too little. And for sure get a 1000 mhz splitter.

 

[codee]

I can say 99 times out of 100 when I encounter DIY wiring in a customers home, the problem lies at one of 3 main spots -

1. - Bad Fittings. (screw on, crimp on, etc - people seem to thing braiding sticking out is good? Wrong.) Get a compression tool, and some Digicon or PPC fittings.

2. - Bad wallplates. The gold plated wallplates are many times a problem - many Biterrors can occur from them. *Gold plated in general is ridiculus, the signal is carried on the center conductor; all the gold plated portion carries is the ground anyways.

3. - Bad cables, period. RG59, Antenna Wire, anything aside from RG6 dual or Tri Shield at a minimum is bad. If you're buying new, save a headache later and get RG6 Tri or Quad, please.

Splitters arent the cause of most problems aside from people that buy an 8-way because they think they're better when they only need 2 ports, or when someone manages to find a splitter that only goes to 550MHz still. Good brands - SVI (Signal Vision International), Blonder Tongue, Extreme Engineering, Regal, Holland, Antronix, Leviton. A good example of what to avoid - this just screams JUNK.

Ge Av93218 : Audio Video Access Packgd

 

[tcpuccio1]

how about one of these. I know it's not one of the fore mentioned brands but is 2.3 GHz better? I'm not obsessing over what to buy but the more I add to the receivers the worse the pictures have gotten.

Skywalker 4-way HDTV 2.3Ghz digital splitter FREE SHIP! - eBay (item 180329340949 end time Feb-22-09 19:45:24 PST)

What about these VS regular ones.
Lot of 3Ghz Regal barrel connectors HDTV FREE SHIP!! - eBay (item 180329339048 end time Feb-22-09 19:33:45 PST)

I have a few of these inline scattered through out the house.. I saw were some one mentioned the "gold plated" ones are junk most of the wall plates in my hose have them..

 

[boba]

2.3 ghz is for satellite frequency signals and not what you are using for distribution. TV channels currently run fro CH.2-69 and after the digital transition will be even fewer7-52 I believe. Ch2 is 54MHz and ch 69 is 806MHz. so a splitter covering upto 1000MHz covers all needed frequencies.