Running 2 dual tuner receivers & cable on 1 line?

[Steve Mackay]

I've just moved house. The housing association fee's include comcast cable at a bulk discount rate and includes OLN, HBO and some movie channels. The wife (ok and I) wanted a dual tuner DVR for obvious reasons. Decided to start up a new Dish account and have both dish and cable.

What is the best way to run the following services through the existing cable -

1) Cable modem in office
2) Cable TV in living room and 3 bedrooms
3) DVR 625 in the living room, second tuner feeding master bedroom
4) Dual tuner 322 in daughters bedroom feeding guest bedroom

Here is the nightmare I've been living with my installation so far:

Dish visit 1:
Despite the request to keep the Comcast service active dish cut it off to run the satellite signal.

Dish visit 2:
Technician managed to split the lines several times to give a 'reasonable picture' on the Dish in all 4 rooms. There are some horizontal moving lines showing in the master bedroom. The Comcast cable signal was awful - un watchable and the cable modem ceased to work.

Weekend warrior attempt 1:
I tried to get the cable modem working this week and noticed a splitter in the line to the cable modem doing nothing. I removed the splitter and joined the two cables. Voila, cable modem working.

Dish visit 3:
Asked them to come and restore cable signal to previous quality. The technician told me the only way to run satellite and cable would be to run the satellite completely independently. He is talking about drilling holes in outside walls. Running exposed cable along inside walls and skirting boards. He also messed with a few of the splitters now the cable modem doesn't work.

Tomorrow will be dish visit 4: I don;t want holes in walls and ugly cable running all around the outside of the house if I can help it.

What are my options?

 

[BrettTRay]

??????

I hate to tell you but you are going to have to have some more cables run, PERIOD.

 

[BFG]

You really should have 2 new lines ran to each satellite reciever, not doing this is a mess and is exactly what you're going through now.

The 2 backfeed channels from your 2 satellite receivers can be diplexed out on the same line that the satellite signal came in on and then combined with your exisiting cable with a 3-way splitter in reverse then all the rooms with a cable hook up would have the cable intact plus 2 additional channels for each of your receivers...

Now since you don't want new cables running into the inside the house you can have the 2 satellite receivers in a central location and then modulate 4 channels with the exisiting cable onto the lines and leave your original cabeling in tact

 

[Steve Mackay]

You really should have 2 new lines ran to each satellite reciever, not doing this is a mess and is exactly what you're going through now.

The 2 backfeed channels from your 2 satellite receivers can be diplexed out on the same line that the satellite signal came in on and then combined with your exisiting cable with a 3-way splitter in reverse then all the rooms with a cable hook up would have the cable intact plus 2 additional channels for each of your receivers....

If I diplex the backfeed chanels on the same line the signal came in on, then I only need 1 new line running to each satellite?

Now since you don't want new cables running into the inside the house you can have the 2 satellite receivers in a central location and then modulate 4 channels with the exisiting cable onto the lines and leave your original cabeling in tact

Sorry I don't undertsand the modulate option. I know there is some box called a modulator that I think takes a digital signal and makes it analogue? So I'd combine all 4 receiver signals using a modulator. There would be 1 output from the modulator that would go to my cable junction box. From there it would be combined with the cable signal and be distributed to the TV's?

 

[BFG]

I made a picture in the thread above that should hopefully spell it all out and make it clear

 

[webbydude]

Now that's a good idea...just combine all 4 outputs into a 4-way splitter. May have to try that sometime on an install.

 

[BFG]

Well since we'd be combining the tv 1 outputs as well you'd have to get a real modulator product (like www.channelplus.com as an example) for the channels to migrate smoothly into the cable becuase the tv1 coax outputs are only vhf 3 or 4 and that wouldn't blend well into a splitter backwards

 

[Steve Mackay]

Great picture BFG, Thanks,

I think I've thought of an issue which I'll come back to in a minute. Let me try make sure I understand your suggestion.

The signal for the 522 comes in on a diplexed line as does the 322 signal. The output from both receivers goes to the combiner (which I assume is a modulator). The output from the modulator goes into my home distribution system. Along with the cable signal. I assume the modulator assigns different chanels for the signals so:

If daughter wanted to watch satellite she tunes TV to chanel 81
If guest wanted to watch satellite they tune to chanel 82
TO watch satellite in family room tune to chanel 3
To watch satellite in master tune to chanel 4

That seems an ellegent solution. Here are the issues I see that may make me just run new lines

1) IF the 322 and 522 are co located then to change chanel on TV1 on the 322 my daughter will have to run up stairs to point the IR remote at the 322 then go back downstairs to watch it. The TV2's are okay because of the UHF remote function.
2) Will the cable internet bandwith be reduced by splitting the signal?

Cheers

Steve

 

[BFG]

You should be able to get Dish to swap out your TV1 IR remotes to TV1 UHF remotes to accomodate the central receiver location set up.

Splitting the cable modem should be fine and is probably already being split somewhere right now unless you have 2 cable entry points outside your house. I split the modem off from the combiner set up just to eliminate any further interference the modulator might cause

 

[BobaBird]

If daughter wanted to watch satellite she tunes TV to chanel 81
If guest wanted to watch satellite they tune to chanel 82
TO watch satellite in family room tune to chanel 3
To watch satellite in master tune to chanel 4

With the setup illustrated in post #3 any room could view any of the 4 outputs from the Dish receivers by tuning to the appropriate channel. They just would be able to control only the one output for their remote.

You will want a gap between the channels selected so, instead of 81 & 82, maybe 60 & 63. The ch 3 & 4 outputs are notoriously imprecise, allowing bleedover, not to mention likely both already in use by the cable system.

So this bears repeating:

Well since we'd be combining the tv 1 outputs as well you'd have to get a real modulator product (like www.channelplus.com as an example) for the channels to migrate smoothly into the cable becuase the tv1 coax outputs are only vhf 3 or 4 and that wouldn't blend well into a splitter backwards

 

[JohnH]

If TV is Stereo:

http://www.electrofarm.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=18917

 

[Steve Mackay]

Thanks

Thanks for the advice guys. The install guys never called back today like they promised so I'll get on the blower to them.

Later

Steve

 

[Van]

I would forgo the install guys and call a local home theatre company that specializes in wiring jobs, they will have the equipment and knowledge to do what bfg has posted. Not many sat installers will know how to do it nor will they have the equipment.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Van's right - damn few regular installers would have a clue how to do this.