Newbie Question: Help, never had Sat service b4

[joeblogs]

I am moving into a building in which all condo units are served exclusively by DirecTV. The local provider wanted to charge me double the normal price for the equipment, so I said I would purchase it myself. I am planning on buying the R10 DVR unit for the main room, and a second receiver for the bedroom. Can I mix and match different brands of equipment? I found a used Samsung multi-sat receiver that I could use in the bedroom. Do I need to buy a multi-switch, or any other kind of accessory? All help appreciated. Thanks.

 

[charper1]

Call Robert @ ValueElectronics (link at top of page) and mention you are a member here. I am not sure what you will need other than the receivers if the condo is pre-wired and has a communal dish already installed. Yes, you can mix and match any brand of DirecTV hardware.

 

[joeblogs]

Thanks for the reply. I was told by the provider that I need to buy 2 "down converters" so that I can tape one show while watching another. Is this correct? My understanding was that the R10 had two tuners built in the unit. So why would I need to buy these "converters? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Hogarth]

Because the R10 has two tuners, it needs two lines from the Satellite. As your condo satellite provider is unlikely to run more lines to your unit, they "stack" two signals on one line. The destacker undoes the combination.

Examples:
http://feldoncentral.com/TiVo/direcTVdestackerDTV.gif
http://feldoncentral.com/TiVo/dStacker1.jpg

 

[joeblogs]

OK, That makes sense. Thanks everyobdy for your help.