My apologies - one more stupid question

[schlar01]

I was reading some of the 'install hell' threads and I'm a bit more worried about getting DTV. I have a buddy who says his install was terrible, as well.

This is probably a stupid question but do these guys have to run wire within your house (has pre-existing coax) or do they just need to connect the dish to the main box on the back of the house?

[HDTVsportsfan]

I was reading some of the 'install hell' threads and I'm a bit more worried about getting DTV. I have a buddy who says his install was terrible, as well.

This is probably a stupid question but do these guys have to run wire within your house (has pre-existing coax) or do they just need to connect the dish to the main box on the back of the house?

Like alot of service related industries, there are some installers that really shouldn't be doing this for a living. Most people only post when they have a bad experience. People usually don't post the good stuff.

Do your homework, ask questions, and get educated and that will go a long way in having a successful install.

To try and answer your question. RG6 cable is preferred, but RG59 can still be used. If you have a fairly new house or cabling and have cable TV service now and it is working you should be OK. As far as having to run cable in your home depends on which model and/or how many receivers you have. The new AU9 dish will have 4 cables coming from it. He may be able to tie into (barrell connectors)your existing cable. It's not the best way, but if done right it can work.

Do you know which receiver(s) you are looking to get from D*?

[schlar01]

I will probably get two, either:

A) HD receiver (no DVR) and a standard DVR

or

B) HD DVR and a regular SD receiver.

The last thing I want is one of these guys running wire all over the inside of my house. The house was built in roughly 1990. I guess the biggest thing is that I don't want a bunch of holes in the wall - if they were to replace the existing cabling, that would be fine, but I don't want it to look like crap.

Is the upgrade necessary for the HD channels? I have HD through the current cable and it looks fine.

[HDTVsportsfan]

Well....with either combination of receivers you listed the 4 cables coming from AU9 dish will be sufficient. From that dish you can feed a total of four tuners. The problem you may have is for right now if you have a dual tuner DVR, which requires 2 cables to get the full functionality, is that it would require two cables at the location of the DVR. There is a product coming out later this year called a SWM that allows you too utilize both tuners w/ one cable.

[schlar01]

OK, so are you saying that with the DVR you can't watch a different program while also recording a different one? That is what the dual tuner issue sounds like. If so, that kind of sucks.

Thanks for all the help.

[HDTVsportsfan]

Yes....that is what I'm saying. Unless you have OTA, but of course your channel listing will be limited. You can watch a previously recorded show and record on that single tuner.

But again, without 2 cables (one each feeding each tuner), you will not be able to watch on one tuner and record from the other.

Welcome to DBStalk btw, and your welcome.

[armophob]

OK, so are you saying that with the DVR you can't watch a different program while also recording a different one? That is what the dual tuner issue sounds like. If so, that kind of sucks.

Thanks for all the help.

Something else to consider.
I watch 2 tvs in the house sometimes as I move through the house. If you mismatch dvrs with sd or hd non-dvrs, the sound will be off due to buffer delay. It is most pronounced on the HR20 due to the HD content and dvr function.

[Tom Robertson]

OK, so are you saying that with the DVR you can't watch a different program while also recording a different one? That is what the dual tuner issue sounds like. If so, that kind of sucks.

Thanks for all the help.

To be clear, if you run 2 coax to a DVR, you can record and watch separate things. Or record two things and watch a previous recording. Only if you have only one coax are you stuck with one channel for the present time. As soon as SWM is fully released, you will be able to utilize both tuners with just a single coax.

In my house, I ran all the new coax to meet my requirements for looks and being hidden. If you aren't up to that, another avenue is to call a satellite installation company to do the work for you to your specifications but that will cost you $$.

Good luck,
Tom

[carl6]

Something else to consider.
I watch 2 tvs in the house sometimes as I move through the house. If you mismatch dvrs with sd or hd non-dvrs, the sound will be off due to buffer delay. It is most pronounced on the HR20 due to the HD content and dvr function.

This can also result from having different brands or models of tv sets, even if both are connected to the same type (or even the same) receiver or dvr. For example, I am feeding an HDTV in my living room, and via an rf modulator an SD tv in my kitchen from the same HR20. There is a very noticeable difference in sound delay between the two tv sets, even though both get their sound from the exact same source.

Carl

[schlar01]

Thanks for all the info. If I do go forward I'll probably skip the DVR at this time and wait for the new technology to come out - maybe the HD DVR will be cheaper by then, as well.

I'm still worried about the cabling issue. I'm going to head to the DTV place this weekend and bounce all this stuff off them before I decide.

[carl6]

IThis is probably a stupid question ...

No, the only stupid question is the one I ask:lol:

[aim2pls]

No, the only stupid question is the one I ask:lol:

actually it's the one you should have asked that you didn't