Getting the Most from Your PVR(s) with Video Distribution

[hojni]

I have had my PVR501 for about a year and my PVR721 for about a month and love them both.

While lurking around here for the last few months, I haven't seen much information about distributing the output from your PVR's to all of the TV's in your house. So, I thought I would share some information about my configuration.

About 3 years ago, I started using a ChannelVision MTS Stereo RF Modulator to broadcast the output from my DVD player to all of the TV's in the house. It worked great, was easy to setup, and even easier to use. When I ordered PVR501, I didn't even think twice and ordered another RF modulator the same day. This was a match made in heaven.

Setup is as simple as plugging the RCA output from your VCR, DVD Player, or PVR into the RF modulator; setting the modulator to any unused cable channel; and using a 2-way splitter (which comes with the RF modulator) to combine the output into your existing cable or antennae coax (not the dish coax). You are now "broadcasting" your own in-house TV channel. Watching the new channel is done by simply tuning any TV in the house to the chosen channel (just like any other TV or cable station). It is so easy that my 6-year old and my wife use it with no problem.

Today I have my DVD Player, VCR, PVR501, and PVR721 all connected to RF modulators using channels 82, 84, 86, & 88 respectively. All devices are located in my family room (confused the heck out of the E* installer I recently had out to install my DishPro LNB), but accessible on ALL five household TVs.

The picture quality is so good that none of my devices are directly connected to any TV, just the RF modulators. We then keep a set of PVR501 and PVR721 remotes downstairs and another upstairs. We can then watch two different Dish channels, a VHS tape, or a DVD at any location in the house (at the same time). On top of all that, I only need and pay Dish for 1 additional receiver.

The MTS Stereo modulators are a bit pricey, but if you don't care about MTS Stereo, ChannelVision and ChannelPlus both have cheaper modulators that can modulate up to 3 inputs to 3 different channels.

I hope someone finds this helpful. Once the Dish installer finally understood what I had done, he though it was pretty cool and checked it out pretty well.

I have found the tutorials on www.hometech.com to be pretty helpful. I also buy all of my modulator, splitters, and amplifiers from them, but am not affiliated with them in any way.

[bunkers]

I have done something similar using avcast. IT works great, but is not in stereo at the the remote locations.

[Jacob S]

How far away can you get the modulators to work?

[Mike123abc]

I have a modulator that drives about 100feet. It goes from my stereo system at the farthest point of my cable back to the house input to be combined with the antenna/cable input. I had to do it this way because it has to go through 3 amplifiers to get back to where it is located. Most amplifiers are one way so you need to input the modulated signal at the start of the cable run in the house. I use a dual MTS stereo unit, one is hooked up to a Dish 6000 the other is a remote feed off my AVpreamp. That way I get dish on one channel for the other TVs without a dish box and get any VCR/DVD/LD I want piped on the other channel.

[Tomsoundman]

I use channel plus at my house and have done 2 friends houses as well (hobby only, not my job). Didn't use stereo modulators to keep price down. Usually use two channels, one for satellite receiver, one for DVD player. Helpful with kids so you don't have to have equipment all over house, only one Coax cable carrying the channels.

Channel plus has some good tutorials as well as DTV passable RF distributors. Looking into these and other brands when I move this summer.

[tm22721]

I built a video distribution system into the house when I built it 15 years ago but the needs of my large screen FP have outgrown the low PQ of RF video.

The ultimate is a video distribution system based upon MPEG2 video streaming via 1 Gb ethernet from RAID media servers with multiple satellite tuners. Then you can get rid of the DVDs, tapes and multiiple satellite receivers.

But I need the 921 first so we can get MPEG2 video from satellite. Come on E* !!

[timr21]

I just finished putting my distribution system together. When I built my house nearly 2 years ago, I put bundled cable (2 RG-6, 2 Cat5) into every outlet. It's all routed through A/V panel in my utility room. It has certainly made the distribution of my various sources (sat, dvd, vcr, antenna) much easier!

TimR><>

[scooper]

I'm using the Channel Plus 3025 to do this. All in one system, accepts RF input, has 2 UHF mono modulators. Can also accept IR targets / and put emitters to control the sources. The IR target can't be split (and the box is really designed to not do any splits, but it works well enough). It may not be stereo to every TV, but it's good enough for the secondary rooms

[hojni]

Here are answers to a couple of the questions:

1.) My modulator runs are 60 to 150 feet without much degradation at all. This counts about 40 feet from the modulators themselves to my distribution panel and the cable runs to the TVs themselves.

2.) Video quality is great. Doing and A-B comparison on a 50-inch Mitsubishi, I cannot see any quality difference between the modulator output and a direct S-Video connection. Although, on some of the older TVs that are furthest from the source, I do see some real faint hum bars. I just ordered a 35db amplifier, a ground breaker, and a DC blocker to see if I can get rid of them.

[DarrellP]

So what happens when you are watching an adult flavored DVD or sat movie and it is available to all TV's? Do you shut off the mods so it won't transmit to the kid's rooms?

[hojni]

DarrellP,

That is a legitimate concern.

We don't watch too much of that around our house, but we did run into a situation where my wife had watched a PG movie on Skinamax (I mean Cinemax) and forgot to switch to a non-subscription channel. Later that night we found something less than appropriate for kids on. Fortunately, my kids were already in bed. Also, my kids are pretty young (2 and 6) and don't watch too much unsupervised TV.

Anyway, I plan to move the TV from the basement, with the V-Chip, into in my daughter's room. I'll do the same for my son, when he is old enough for a TV.

This doesn't seem to be any riskier than when I first got satelite and my daughter (whose was 2-1/2 at the time) accidently ordered some porn when playing with the remote. I quickly locked out those channels.

[dishrich]

I've been doing this sort of thing with many of my customers for years now. I modulate on top of both cable & antenna feeds. In my own house, have 5 Ch+ stereo mods, (one 4-input & one 1-input boxes-got the single input one f/$80) & they are fed on top of 60 ch. analog cable service, on 86-94 evens only. I am feeding a D-Tivo, RCA480 D* receiver, Replay, E* 5000 & a VCR through the whole house on about dozen TV's. I also have the X-10 powermids in most of the rooms as well, so I can run the Replay, D-Tivo & VCR, since they are obviously NOT UHF.

BTW, something I might add for anyone compenplating doing this - you might need to add a low-pass filter on you incoming cable line, since many cable co. (including ours) are running their digital cable &/or cable modem transmissions in those same higher frequencies. These digital transmissions, even though they may look like nothing is there, can severely impair your locally generated (modulated) channels in your home system.

And, this can ALSO be a problem if you are combining with even an off-air feed, since various types of interfearance (including digital off-airs or even various types of local interfearance) can cause these same kind of problems. In my area, even though we have NO actual TV stations (digital or analog) transmitting above ch. 55, I still have to use a filter to knock out some interfearance above it, as to provide a space to modulate on UHF.

[scooper]

Combining cable with these UHF modulators is certainly easier than trying to combine with OTA, that's for sure. If you're in any size of local market at all, finding a clear place to put your modulated channels can be a nightmare

[bearklaw]

I've got a similar set up (two modulators sending a Dish box and a DVD to multiple sets) but beware of one limitation - it doesn't work well with a home theater set up. If you want/need a Dolb digital feed, or want the better picture quality that S-Video gives you, this won't work for you.

For those reasons, I have two receivers. One 4900 feeding the home theater, and o 508 feeding the rest of the house.

-BearKlaw

[peters]

I did the same with a low cost unit from Radio Shack for my 501 to the house.

Part number: 15-1243.
They call it a UHF/Cable Modulator

Doesn't work great, but it get's the job done and for $25 bucks it is worth trying out if you want to test the concept in your home.

I seem to remember paying more for it when I bought it a few years back, but the $25 was from the on-line catalog I just checked...

[Bill D]

I only have two sets in my house. So I just send my multi out of my amp to a RF mod, and then that output goes to the cable/antenna in of my 4900, which sits next to my 721. Then one cabel from 4900 goes to a mono 19" color :) Tv in our bedroom. Kids are young, but we aren't doing tv in their rooms.
Great ideas modulating everything on different TV's, definetly the way to go.

timr21, what are doing with the cat 5. I heard they make some equipment that can take, S-video and stereo pair and send down cat 5 then convert it back for those sets you want to send more then RF to. Are you doind anything like this ??

[dmets]

I use channel plus 3025 and IR targets at each TV - Works like a dream. Check out www.partsexpress.com - also some people have had great success with avcast - I haven't used it, but others have - doa search over at the avsforums.

Dustin

[Greg Haynes]

I've had good success sending video over to our workout room. Definitely beats having to pay for another receiver.

[Kagato]

I wish dish put a seial control port on all of their STBs. You can make a really seamless system with 2-3 STBs a spare computer and a 4X4 switcher and some IR extenders. A poor mans crestron controller if you will.

[timr21]

Originally posted by Bill D
timr21, what are doing with the cat 5. I heard they make some equipment that can take, S-video and stereo pair and send down cat 5 then convert it back for those sets you want to send more then RF to. Are you doind anything like this ??

&nbsp;

BillD, right now I'm not using the Cat5 for anything other than telephone service.&nbsp; Eventually, I'll be doing an in home network.&nbsp; Meanwhile, I've seen the devices you're taling about, and they look very promising.&nbsp; I don't have any firsthand experience with them, but I certainly have checked them out!

&nbsp;

TimR&gt;&lt;&gt;

[John Walsh]

Ok, I have my widescreen wired for the 921 when it comes out (two lines that are supposedly high quality for the hd). I have one other tv that has a satellite connection and 5 that have just cable which includes my widescreen(one step above the basic tier for the kids). I also have antenna hooked up to the widescreen. the main reason for all the hookups to the wide screen is so I can use my pip during football season.

It looks like according to this thread I can do some combining so that I could watch shows off the PVR on any tv. All my tv's except one have VCR's and DVD players so those are not a priority (actually one of them I wouldn't mind combining the signal from my main tv or another for dvd - its outside on my pool deck and I don't want to have a dvd player out there 'cause it will get stolen or the chlorine from the pool will probably kill it quick.

I don't know if this figures into the equation but I would also like to put speakers throughout the house so I could have whole house radio or cd but I don't want it to run all the time.

any advice. I am pretty handy so I could install myself but don't know the products out there.

I will list my major components

Harmon/Kardon AVR500 receiver (Main unit- all inputs except cable go through it)

Harmon/ Kardon hk395i receiver (just use it to run the outdoor speakers for radio)


Toshiba 57h81 widescreen

dishplayer 7100 which will probably be retired or sold on ebay once I get my 921

dish 4000

dish 3000 - retired

any help would be appreciated - feel free to email me or post questions on my setup