[azjerry]

I currently have an HD DVR (HR-21, I think) in my family room on an interior wall with a second HD receiver in one of the bedrooms. There's a phone line, the ISP incoming line, all ethernet cables to other locations in the house and my wireless router are in/next to that wall. As wired, there's a splitter near the Slimline dish with one line coming to the family room and one to the bedroom.

I'm going to move the family room TV and DVR to the living room, making that the new media room. Currently the new location has no internet or phone line line nearby. Planning on having an installer run the new wiring, the Cinema Connection Lit and verify all works.

I assume that I can hook up my current DVR via a wireless access point of some sort. The Cinema Connection Kit appears like it would be the thing to use and appears to take care of the on demand problem as well. My wireless router is line of sight about 30 feet away.
Corrections/comments on the above are welcome.

I assume I could get by without the phone line as it's only used, I think, for ordering on demand and that could be done through the web site or my phone or the connection kit.

Also considering several additions at the same time:
- Wire up an additional bedroom which should be simple
- Convert to the whole house DVR thing. Does this require new hardware/wiring?

 

[fleckrj]

You do not need the phone line if your receiver is connected to the internet.

If you are planning to go to whole home DVR, then only one receiver needs to be connected do the internet (hardwire is best, but wireless can work), and the other receivers will connect to the internet via the coax. The only downside of doing internet connection via coax and not via cat5e is that you cannot diplex OTA over the same coax. The advantage of having internet over coax is that only one receiver needs a connection to the internet, and only one wire is required to go to all other receivers.

 

[htroberts]

If you are planning to go to whole home DVR, then only one receiver needs to be connected do the internet (hardwire is best, but wireless can work), and the other receivers will connect to the internet via the coax.

Is this correct? I thought only the HR-34 worked as a 100baseT to DECA bridge, and all the other receivers would disable the DECA interface if they detected link on the 10baseT interface.

 

[longrider]

Is this correct? I thought only the HR-34 worked as a 100baseT to DECA bridge, and all the other receivers would disable the DECA interface if they detected link on the 10baseT interface.

You are correct, only the HR34 can act as a bridge. All others need a CCK, either wired or wireless. Just to clarify, when I say all others I mean if there is not a HR34 anywhere on the network you then need a CCK.

 

[azjerry]

FWIW, I had DTV tech move the DVR to the other room. I was able to run an ethernet cable there prior to his visit. He verified that when I go to whole house DVR the only thing that would change is the splitter outside.