MY SKY HDi and AV/remote extenders

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andrew027

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#61128 10-May-2010 13:34

Hi all
Please bear with me for a minute while I set up my question...

I have Sky Digital in my living room and am beaming the signal to my bedroom using a cheap AV Sender/Receiver from Dick Smiths. The AV S/R picks up some intermittet interference from my wireless router (and goes nuts when someone uses the microwave) but it's acceptable. The S/R also acts as a remote extender, so I can change channels, etc. on the decoder in the living room while laying in bed (great for watching football at 3:00am). I'm going to upgrade to MY SKY HDi in the very near future and Sky have offered splitting the signal to another room at a one off cost of $160 (plus, I understand, $50 for a modulator), as opposed to paying $25 a month for Sky Multi Room. This should give me a way better picture than the AV S/R but doesn't have the remote extender ability.

Now, the question: I have read in another forum that the MY SKY box has trouble with remote extenders - i.e. they don't work. Given the better quality of geek

on this forum than that other one, I wondered whether anyone had any experience with this, or could offer any recommendations?

Thanks!

magu

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#328484 10-May-2010 13:40

An expensive option is to use an RF-based remote such as the Logitech Harmony One.

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stuzzo

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#328505 10-May-2010 14:30

MySky IR uses a coding format ( possibly RCMM or similar from memory) that utilises shorter pulse length than most standard IR. When first introduced, many existing IR receivers had problems resolving the signal.

Given that MySky is one of the most used AV devices in NZ most commercial systems have been re-jigged to work with it now. There are a number of wireless senders that forum members have advised work well so try a bit of searching but ,no doubt, you'll get more feedback here.

Jaycar have a good self build unit if you want a wired solution. Some Sky Installers used to be able to provide a IR receiver that connected directly via the RF cable and into the Sky Box but I guess that's not an option for the HDi which has no RF out.

JonnyCam

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#328701 10-May-2010 20:41

I use a component out to 2 x Cat5 from Jaycar.

Has 8 RCA ports (3 for component, 1 for digital audio, 2 for analog audio, 1 for composite video)
Best thing about it is that it has an ir receiver & power supply at the receiving end, so I can change channels on the Sky box. (has 2 x IR emitters as well)

It was an in-wall solution, but I just built a couple of boxes to go around then, as I rent my place.

Think it cost me about $200. Or you might be able to get a HDMI version with IR. (TV3 / Sky Movies will not be in HD over the component connection, but Sky Sports are)

edit: looks like they dont sell it anymore, but you could go for straight composite with this:
http://jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=QC3681&keywords=QC-3681&form=KEYWORD ($155)
Does composite, stereo audio, and IR over one x cat5

(there is a component one with IR, but no audio ($179)
http://jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=QC3683&keywords=QC-3683&form=KEYWORD

clevedon

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#328749 11-May-2010 07:44

We use a NextGen remote extender which are sold locally, got mine from the States cheaper though. It works great with the MySky remote, never had a problem.
If you have a HDTV in the bedroom, if you are going to run a cable - I assume Sky is just going to run RG6 because you mentioned a modulator as well, why not run a HDMI/CAT6's run instead and have MySky in HD in the bedroom as well. Will cost more, but I'm glad I did it.

eracode

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#328757 11-May-2010 08:01

We have My Sky HDi in one room and I use an 'Ellies' brand AV sender/extender to broadcast the Sky signal to three other TV's in different parts of the house and it works perfectly. Each of the other TVs has an Ellies receiver and will transmit all of the Sky remote's signals back to the decoder box for changing channel, recording etc.

The microwave does interfere with the signal to the TV in the kitchen but that's not a biggie. If my wife is using her wireless netbook in the kitchen we sometimes notice minor interference but that's no big deal either. Overall it's a great set-up and not really expensive to set up. Needed three extra Sky remotes but the installer guy who came to set up the My Sky box had some spares and sold them to me for $10 each for cash 'out the back of his van'.

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SQLGeek

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#328778 11-May-2010 09:10

I have Mysky HDi wired to the bedroom and use a xray remote. It works perfectly.
http://www.xrayremote.co.nz/

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clevedon

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#328781 11-May-2010 09:13

SQLGeek: I have Mysky HDi wired to the bedroom and use a xray remote. It works perfectly.
http://www.xrayremote.co.nz/

Yeah that's the one is was talking about that we have. Sorry I spelt it wrong.

andrew027

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#328807 11-May-2010 10:16

Thanks for the suggestions.

I was after a wireless solution - not really wanting to run CAT5 or other cable around the house if possible, but if this is something the installer can do without adding too much to the $160 charge, that might be an option.

Another reason I was thinking wireless (sorry, didn't mention it in the OP) is that as well as having the split signal running to the bedroom, I have another TV (that doesn't get used often) that I was considering running a wireless AV sender/receiver to. This is pretty low on my priority list, but If I did that, having a second receiver for the in the bedroom might then work as the remote extender.

@eracode - is this the Ellies one you have? http://www.cbcnz.com/product_info.php/products_id/20268?osCsid=b3a5f17c6ae46268f702763816c00437

The XRAY one does look interesting...

trig42

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#328873 11-May-2010 12:17

I have the cheap remote sender (from Jaycar) - works fine with the MySky HDi.

If you are looking at going wireless Senders/Receivers, look at the 5.8GHz ones - less interference from Microwave Ovens, WiFi and Cordless Phones.

Is the $160 from Sky including the Modulator? If not, it's a rip-off (Even quite expensive if it includes the modulator - they are around $50). All you will be getting is a Mono RF feed to your bedroom TV - which is probably the lowest quality picture/sound combo you can get out of a mySky box.

eracode

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#328913 11-May-2010 13:34

Yep - thems the Ellies gear we have.

However I was in Dick Smiths, Lower Queen St, Auckland, at lunchtime today and happened to see this gear on special - DS branded but looks very similar to the Ellies stuff at about half the price:

http://www.dse.co.nz/dse.shop/4be8b364025cc2da273fc0a87f3b0723/Product/View/L0200

DSE product code is: L0200 and they had a whole lot of them - TX + RX boxed sets plus extra receivers for sale on their own if you need a setup like the one I described.

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andrew027

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#329233 12-May-2010 10:15

@eracode: Yes, seen these in my (Wellington) DSE stores as well - I might give them a go as it seems DSE have no problem selling returned goods so I assume they'd have no problem with me returning them if they don't work. It was just that I'd heard a lot of AV sender/receivers and/or remote extenders don't work with MY SKY HDi, perhaps something to do with the IR info. stuzzo mentioned in the second reply to my OP, so I was trying to see if anyone had one that definitely did work, like your Ellies.

@trig42: The $160 doesn't include the modulator (see my OP where I say "plus... $50 for a modulator"). It is just an RF cable plus labour. An ex-installer I know told me Sky price it high to get you to go for multiroom instead, but I don't use the bedroom TV enough to pay $25/month for ever. It will still be better quality than I get now through the AV sender currently, with all the interference, and I don't need HD quality in the bedroom. It's the living room where I have the 50" HD plasma and 5.1 sound where I care about that sort of thing.

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eracode

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#329336 12-May-2010 13:17

andrew027: @eracode: Yes, seen these in my (Wellington) DSE stores as well - I might give them a go as it seems DSE have no problem selling returned goods so I assume they'd have no problem with me returning them if they don't work.

DSE have a long-standing policy of accepting things back for a refund (I think that excludes games and software) within up to 14 days of purchase - no questions asked if you have the original sales docket. I have used this several times and they are very good about it. Similar to The Warehouse.

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ben28

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#329521 12-May-2010 21:03

Heres what Ive found out
The IR remote extender IR300
http://www.dse.co.nz/dse.shop/4bea6b4000649890273fc0a87f3b0711/Product/View/G1273 works ok with a sky non hd box, but if a neighbour has the same device then a high chance of them affecting your sky unit, as this device does not have selectable channels to avoid clashes. I dont think the neighbour was close either as could never work out who it was. I then tried a digitech 16 channel remote control extender
http://www1.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=AR1818 . Problem with this is we have a 3 year old plasma TV. The emissions from the plasma TV interfered with it, we had to be real careful where we put the receiver, then if lots of white on the tv it did not work at all. Also garage remote opener did not work when the tv was on!. Got rid of both and bought a wired extender http://www.tradetech.co.nz/shop/Gift+Ideas/IRSENDKIT1.html . Works pefectly on non hd sky box, supplier says should also work on an HD Sky box. Yay!