Distributed HD?

[4DThinker]

I had a standard definition receiver hooked up in my attic with a Channelplus modulator to send programming down to all the standard definition TVs in my house.

I now have a spare H20 and am considering doing the same thing with it. Obviously the channelplus doesn't modulate HD signals, although it would take the downconverted info from the H20's Svideo or composite output the same way it works with my old receiver. I've already tested to make sure the RF remote will work the attic H20 from any room in the house.

Does anyone know a way (device/black box) to turn the HDMI or component+audio output of an H20 into an ATSC channel signal I can send down my RG6 antenna cables? It's not feasible to run a network of HDMI or component cables.

Thanks

[litzdog911]

How much are you willing to spend? ATSC modulators are still very expensive. This one's ~$7000 ....
http://www.bcs.tv/store/model_detail.cfm?id=795650

It would be a lot cheaper to run another satellite coax cable to your H20 HD Receiver.

[4DThinker]

Thanks, Litz.

The problem that I have is that the satellite feeds come into a large open unfinished attic. It was very easy to drop new cable down into first floor walls wherever there was a receiver. I've got a finished basement, though, that has no easy way to run new cables down to. Each room already has one rg59 cable from the attic in it, but no rg6. I use the rg59 for OTA channels already. I can probably get the H20 to work using an existing rg59 cable, but then I'll lose my OTA locals. There are still two other rooms in the basement that benefit from the existing modulated sat channels, but I want to stop using that old receiver since it doesn't tune channels lower than 100 or higher than 999.

I'm aware of the existing broadcast quality/price ATSC modulators. It just seems like someone ought to have figured out how to make a cheap (<$100 maybe?) ATSC encoder/modulator for home users.

As it is, I'm looking into running another sat cable down the side of my house into that basement bedroom.

[Igor]

This seems a good case to use a SWM.

Before you ask, SWM is a new switch D* is testing that requires single wire, accepts diplexing of OTA, and can be used with RG59.

[carl6]

You can find a lot more information on SWM in the cutting edge forum. However it is not yet available. No date has been announced for general availability.

Carl

[4DThinker]

Thanks, Vitor and carl6. I already diplex two outputs of my current switch with my antenna output and feed them into two main floor bedrooms. I did replace those cables with RG6 when I moved into the house. So with a single cable I'm already getting one SAT feed and one OTA feed into those rooms. I could do the same with the basement cable, but it is RG59 and I can't change that. I've been told by several people that rg59 won't have enough bandwidth for diplexing and the new HD channels coming from DirecTV.

So how can I become a SWM beta tester?