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Cable HD from a STB in more than one place?

post #1 of 22
10/9/08 at 1:23pm
Thread Starter 
Ladies & Gentlemen...

First, I have done much research on my issue and all Google) roads lead to AVForums.com. So I bestow upon AVForums.com, and its members, my highest compliments. This be a GREAT GREAT place. I have learned much here. It is greatly appreciated.

Next, my issue into which I have placed much time and energy but remain stymied...

A friend gave me a Zenith L30W36 HD monitor. This is a 30" LCD flat panel which supports 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i modes. The panel is like new and it presently is mounted on my bedroom wall
at the foot of my bed ready to display American football collisions.

My goal is to spend as little as is possible ($12.00 to date!) to get this puppy functioning as I want it to function.

This display has connections for analog RGB with a D-sub connector, component (Yipper), sVideo, and a DVI-D connector which includes HDCP support. However, it has no cable TV (RF) input because -- unfortunately -- this unit does not contain ATSC, NTSC, or QAM tuners. It took me a while to learn that. :-( Doh.

Note: to date I have not been able to get the component (Yipper) inputs to work on this L30W36they have be malfunctioning connectors (but the sVideo and the DVI-D works good)

My content is current being delivered by Long Island (Brookhaven) Cable, whom I hate.

To date I have...

(1) Hooked up a Phillips DVR with a built-in tuner ($178.00 @ Walmart - but it's gonna be returned) via a HMDI to DVI-D adapter cable - which worked pretty darn good.

(2) Tried a Samsung DTB-H260F HDTV digital terrestrial tuner ($152.00 @ BestBuy but it also is going to be returned) via the same HDMI to DVI-D adapter cable - which also worked pretty darn good, except that the QAM channels are all over the place (but that's neither here nor there.

(3) Tried my Scientific Atlanta 4250HD box (with cable card) from downstairs via the same HDMI to DVI-D adapter cable which -- also -- worked very good.

So what's the issue, you may ask? Well I am a cheap SOB and I don't want to give BestBuy $152.00, I don't want to give Walmart $178.00, and I damn well don't want to give Cablevision another $8.50 per month for another 4250HD & card. I hate Cablevision.

I know you've read this before: What I would like to do is use my existing downstairs Scientific Atlanta 4250HD box for theL30W36 in my bedroom and I can except that the same channel will be running at both locations. I can use the one existing remote by using some type of IR over Cat5 (the entire house is wired for Cat5e) or IR/RF injection device (the entire house is wired for cable TV)or one of those radio wave IR extenders.

But my problem is how do I split the signal out of the SA 4250 HD box? I originally thought I would use the RF/Cable out on the 4250 box and run a coax cable up to the bedroomuntil I realized that the cable out on the 4250 is probably a straight pass-through cable and (besides) even if it wasn't I would end up with cable coax going into a L30W36 that doesn't have an RF Cable F input.

How can I best split the signal coming out of the SA 4250 HD box so that I can get it into the L30W36 upstairs and watch scrambled Cablevision channels that I subscribe to?

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Any alternatives I have not yet considered or tried would also be most appreciated.

And remembermy goal is to remain the a cheap SOB and spend as little as is possible.

Thanks in advance.

Q2U
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post #2 of 22
10/9/08 at 1:40pm
Thread Starter 
This from the L30W36 manual...

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post #3 of 22
10/9/08 at 5:09pm
Only HDMI/DVI and Component can carry HD resolutions between the STB and display, do you know how long of a cable run and/or is it possible to run HDMI between the STB and TV? Basically unless it's a straight forward run to get HDMI from the STB location to the TV and the run is under 50 feet, you're gonna find you're cheapest option is to keep the Samsung tuner and call it a day.
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post #4 of 22
10/9/08 at 6:48pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjones73 View Post

Only HDMI/DVI and Component can carry HD resolutions between the STB and display, do you know how long of a cable run and/or is it possible to run HDMI between the STB and TV? Basically unless it's a straight forward run to get HDMI from the STB location to the TV and the run is under 50 feet, you're gonna find you're cheapest option is to keep the Samsung tuner and call it a day.

Thanks for the reply Matt...I was kinda coming to that conclusion...or pay The Hated Cablevision. The cable run is not easy...probably 75 feet and very hard to run without going outside...I have Cat5e everywhere...can HDMI be run over Cat5e? Soory if that's a stupid question...I still be learnin' bro.
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post #5 of 22
10/9/08 at 8:30pm
Yes you can run HDMI over Cat5e, problem is the devices to do it will run you about $400 to $500 and requires two cables from the location of the STB to the TV.
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post #6 of 22
10/10/08 at 2:33am
Drop to the next lower level tier sub and keep the Philips DVDr as the tuner. You'll have both a way to watch a ch independant of the other box and you'll get a second place to record stuff. While its output is only SD, on a 30" display it probably is "close enough" to HD.
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post #7 of 22
10/10/08 at 5:22am
Thread Starter 
OK fellas...thank you very much. As I mentioned in my earlier thread I am a bit of a computer geek with access to lots of hardware. How about creating a computer to act as a tuner. I probably have all of the hardware I need (except for a tuner card). Would this be worth investigating?
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post #8 of 22
10/10/08 at 6:25am
It's another option and you can build a nice little DVR though you still need to buy a QAM capable tuner and with the channels all over the place it may make them difficult to record. Check the Home Theater PC section of the forum for further help with that avenue.
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post #9 of 22
10/10/08 at 6:30am
Thread Starter 
Thanks. The Samsung DTB-H260F QAM tuner is good but are there any other tuners out there in the $175.00 price range that may be better than the Samsung DTB-H260F HDTV?

Or is this question better answered on a different avsforum.com forum?
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post #10 of 22
10/10/08 at 6:39am
No this would be the proper place for stand alone tuner questions. For the money, the Samsung is probably the best option out there.
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post #11 of 22
10/10/08 at 7:02am
Do you want an appliance or can you (and others in the household) handle the hassles of a PC? That'll answer your question about using a PC tuner solution. Cost wise that would be the cheapest way to go if you have the PC hardware.
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post #12 of 22
10/10/08 at 7:36am
Be specific with topic titles; see my edit.
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post #13 of 22
10/10/08 at 7:50am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by biker19 View Post

Do you want an appliance or can you (and others in the household) handle the hassles of a PC? That'll answer your question about using a PC tuner solution. Cost wise that would be the cheapest way to go if you have the PC hardware.

(Got that Ken)

Dude, I have MSSQL Server runing in my attic on a PE2500 server with SCSI Ultra mirrored RAID hardware building dynamic websites on the fly. I can handle it bro...what suggestions ya got for me in the way of PC-based tuners and PC software suggestions?
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post #14 of 22
10/10/08 at 8:04am
See here - http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=26
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post #15 of 22
10/10/08 at 9:15am
Thread Starter 
I guess the bottom line is I'm not gonna be able to receive the encrypted HD channels I subscribe on my L30W36 HD display unless I give bloodsucking Cablevision another $10 a month. I guess I just have to pay again for that which I already pay for. Urgh. I do not like this company.
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post #16 of 22
10/10/08 at 12:16pm
If you want cheap, you'll have to put up with the clear-QAM channels being "all over the place".

I'd just keep the Samsung, as long as you're able to tune in all the available local channels with it. You could use an old VCR for the analog signals. Either that or keep the Philips - although I know the PQ of the Philips/Magnavox digital tuners isn't exactly the greatest. The Panasonic DVDR's have much better PQ, if you can find an EZ-28 cheap.
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post #17 of 22
10/10/08 at 12:54pm
Thread Starter 
Panasonic EZ-28. Roger. Thanks.
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post #18 of 22
10/10/08 at 12:57pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rammitinski View Post

...The Panasonic DVDR's have much better PQ, if you can find an EZ-28 cheap.

Are you referring to a Panasonic DMR-EZ28K?
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post #19 of 22
10/10/08 at 2:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Q2U View Post

Are you referring to a Panasonic DMR-EZ28K?

Yes. Not HD, of course, but the HD stuff especially looks very good on it and should practically look like true HD on a 30" display.
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post #20 of 22
10/23/08 at 6:15am
I've recently moved my PIO-610 (w/out HD turner) to the basement and would like to run HD broadcast delivered from my rooftop antennae. I have a Zenith SAT520, but I believe it requires an active DirecTV account in order to access the terrestrial signal.

I'm looking for an inexpensive way to run a HD digital signal through the PIO for local/network broadcast. Any suggestions??
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post #21 of 22
10/23/08 at 6:23am
Is the Sammy 260 box at $170 inexpensive?
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post #22 of 22
10/23/08 at 12:45pm
If you want to consider the PC route and don't mind fiddling a bit, check out SageTV and their rarely-available (sorry) HD extenders which will take advantage of your Cat5e cableing. Works well with the dual-tuner QAM-capable HDHomerun.

But of course you'll end up spending some more $.
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