View Full Version : How to hook up both cable & Direct TV, same house?
First off, hello fellas! I've just come over from avsforum and from the tivocommunity. Thought this would be the best place to post this, but if not, please feel free to direct me to the right forum...
I am about to make the switch to Direct TV (D*) from cable, sort of. I have what I consider a unique situation, but maybe not. Imagine a house with a "front" and "back" half. The front half will get cable tv only. The back half will get D* only, but will also need one cable for my cable modem and my high-speed internet.
I have ZERO idea as to how to set this up or what to tell the D* installers when they come. Can anyone give me an "Idiot's Guide" as to what I need to do and how to do it? Many many thanks and I hope to become an active member here.
Oh, one other thing...as I live in West Texas, D* does not offer my local channels. This is not really a huge issue to me, but I am wondering...can I get, say, Dallas's locals, as I don't want to be w/o ABC, CBS, FOX, etc.
Thanks again and glad to be here!
Mertzen
03-15-07, 06:23 PM
Just tell the D* installer NOT to use any existing cable. As how to get the cable to the back for your High speed is really not of any interest to the D* guy. You'll need to call the cable company. I am sure for some green he can run some RG6 for you if he has the time.
Just tell the D* installer NOT to use any existing cable. As how to get the cable to the back for your High speed is really not of any interest to the D* guy. You'll need to call the cable company. I am sure for some green he can run some RG6 for you if he has the time.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
This never occured to me. So basically, since i have cable run thru the house now, as I have my high-speed internet etc, currently, just have him run new cable from the dish to the various outlets and such and call it a day, eh?
Now I feel dumb...:lol:
One other "noob" question then:
When the run new cable, do they do drops thru the walls and such, or is it "ghetto" and just run along the baseboards etc? I realize that install is free, but still...any experience here?
wmschultz
03-15-07, 06:36 PM
Wall fishing is not included in the free price.
Wall fishing is not included in the free price.
Do I have other options then? Using diplexers and such?
I will not be having both cable and D* run to the same TV's...they will be completely different, so....:confused:
JLucPicard
03-15-07, 06:51 PM
Maybe stackers/destackers, but from what I've read, it's a lot cheaper to just pay for wall fishes if that's what you need.
Maybe stackers/destackers, but from what I've read, it's a lot cheaper to just pay for wall fishes if that's what you need.
If that's the case, anyone have a ballpark idea on cost? It's only 2 TV's....
since 2/96
03-15-07, 08:11 PM
I had an installer do an 'unscheduled' wall fish and I gave him $50...ymmv...
RobertE
03-15-07, 08:35 PM
You'll get what you paid for on the "free" install. Best bet, talk to the installer about former presidents. :money:
You'll get what you paid for on the "free" install. Best bet, talk to the installer about former presidents. :money:
Noted...and thanks, y'all!
joe diamond
03-15-07, 10:02 PM
If it helps,
You can use the existing cable for everything but the CATV line running to the modem. The "ANTENNA" port on the back of the DTV receiver will pass he CATV signal just like an analog antenna. The sat feed and the internet feed don't seem to work well together through diplexers in many systems.
Joe
If it helps,
You can use the existing cable for everything but the CATV line running to the modem. The "ANTENNA" port on the back of the DTV receiver will pass he CATV signal just like an analog antenna. The sat feed and the internet feed don't seem to work well together through diplexers in many systems.
Joe
hmm if i recal correctly you cant put the cbale into a DTV receiver because they dont encode NTSC just ATSC. through the antenna in.
The Standard Def R15 DVR has an antenna input which provides only a pass through to the antenna output, and only passes when the unit is off/standby. You can connect a cable feed to this, but the R15 doesn't do anything with it, just passes it from the input jack to the output jack.
The Hi Def HR20 DVR has an internal ATSC tuner which will not work with any cable signal. It does not have a passthrough, there is no output jack.
Carl
The Standard Def R15 DVR has an antenna input which provides only a pass through to the antenna output, and only passes when the unit is off/standby. You can connect a cable feed to this, but the R15 doesn't do anything with it, just passes it from the input jack to the output jack.
The Hi Def HR20 DVR has an internal ATSC tuner which will not work with any cable signal. It does not have a passthrough, there is no output jack.
Carl
So again, the best bet is just ask if he'll put in two new wall drops for me, for a few bucks?
Cross post, but in case anyone searches for this and has questions, this may help:
Update:
Got this last weekend and the installer was awesome. He set up my dish on a non-ground penetrating stand in my backyard, held down by 4 cinder blocks. He then did a helluva great job running 4 new cables (following the existing cables under the overhang of the house) to the TV's and instead of doing a wall-fish, since the TV's are near the outer walls, just drilled holes near the existing cable came thru.
He did a GREAT job and also told me that the protection plan ($5.99 a month) is not worth it. If my DirectTivo (DVR40) that I'm using for my bedroom TV ever dies, or if I decide that I prefer the DirectTV interface vs Tivo, call and get the protection plan for one month, then give him a call (he left his cell #) and he'll come out and call DTV and let them know that my Tivo died and he'll replace it with a R15 (Direct TV DVR) free. He also told me about getting an OTA antenna and if I want, get all the parts and he'll come install it for free. Good stuff!
Overall, a great experience and I tipped him $50 for doing such a great job.
Not to mention that I got the Premier Package w/ HD's & DVR service for $46 the first 3 months, $65 thru month 10, then either $102/month from there out, or drop the package down to whatever I want.
Thanks for all the help and I'm a happy guy.
Oh, I should also add that we have had two BRUTAL hail storms this week and I lost DTV for about 1 min, once. All-in-all, rock solid and I'm thrilled :thumbup:
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