connect MySky and FreeView to 3 TVs using same satellite dish?

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graciem

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#112893 26-Dec-2012 12:32

Hi,

All 3 TVs have build-in FreeView. I have one satellite dish currently used to connect MySky. I'd like to have below set up and wondering what I need to do:

TV 1 in main lounge:
Connected to MySky decoder. I want to be able to view both FreeView and MySky on this one. This would be the only TV in the house that can control sky channels.

TV 2 in the 2nd lounge:
No sky decoder. Watch whatever sky channel that TV1 is on plus ability to watch freeview channels.

TV3 in the bedroom:
Same as TV 2, no sky decoder. Watch whatever sky channel that TV1 is on plus ability to watch freeview channels.

Any suggestion what I need to do to set this up? All 3 TVs are HD with build-in freeview. Thanks!

B1GGLZ

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#737348 26-Dec-2012 12:51

First obvious question.
Are you in a Freeview HD terrestrial area?
If so you only need UHF Antenna and coax splitter to the 3 TVs to solve that issue and Sky is a separate problem.
If only able to use Satellite reception of Freeview then it gets complicated.

sbiddle

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#737351 26-Dec-2012 12:56

Freeview|HD uses a UHF aerial, not a satellite dish - so there really isn't an answer to your question.

Do you have a UHF aerial?

sbiddle

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#737352 26-Dec-2012 12:58

If you're wanting to distribute MySky around the house you also need to decide what approach to take with this. It'll cost around $50 for a UHF modulator if you plan to use RF (lowest quality) or ~$3000 if you want to send it around the house as a DVB-T channel accessible on your TV's using the digital tuner (best quality).

B1GGLZ

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#737353 26-Dec-2012 12:58

Something like this should work OK for MySky to the 3 TVs provided you can run the cables through floor or walls OK.

http://www.rapalloav.co.nz/hdmi-processing/hdmi-splitter/1x4-hdmi-splitter-with-3d-pass-through.html

graciem

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#737355 26-Dec-2012 13:07

B1GGLZ: First obvious question.
Are you in a Freeview HD terrestrial area?
If so you only need UHF Antenna and coax splitter to the 3 TVs to solve that issue and Sky is a separate problem.
If only able to use Satellite reception of Freeview then it gets complicated.

Just checked freeview coverage:
Freeview|HD aerial: likely with high aerial
Freeview Satellite: very likely.

The HDMI splitter you posted, seems to be an easy solution for mysky. What's your suggestion for the FreeView? The new TVs with freeview buildin, can't use the same satellite dish?

sbiddle

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#737356 26-Dec-2012 13:14

As pointed out in my post above above Freeview|HD uses a UHF aerial. It does not use a satellite dish.

If you have a UHF aerial with coax running to each of the TV's you will get Freeview|HD on them all.

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graciem

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#737359 26-Dec-2012 13:19

sbiddle: As pointed out in my post above above Freeview|HD uses a UHF aerial. It does not use a satellite dish.

If you have a UHF aerial with coax running to each of the TV's you will get Freeview|HD on them all.

What do you suggest best to set this up. I don't want to spend thousands. As long as the quality is decent, I'm fine. PS. i just checked the tv cabinet and there's a sky RF modulator. I'm guessing this is used for connecting my current 2nd tv to mysky? what's the difference between RF and HDMI modulators. If I want to set up all 3 tvs as described in my first post, what do I need to set it up with maybe cost of a couple of hundreds?

sbiddle

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#737361 26-Dec-2012 13:37

Do you have a UHF aerial? If you don't, the first step is to get one.

Once you have the UHF aerial you could run cabling to each TV and combine it with the UHF output of the MySky RF modulator to watch Sky on all the TV's along with Freeview.

Goosey

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#737362 26-Dec-2012 13:43

Quite easy to do this, but with all due respect your best to ring around a few aerial / AV installers and get some quotes as I note your prepared to spend a couple hundred. I would doubt it would cost this much (however we dont know the situation of all TV's in your home and what cable is currently connecting them to the aerial in use (if any) etc etc etc.

Can you draw a picture perhaps of your current set up?

To answer your question in short.
1) use the sky RF modulator to link the ouput of your SKY at location 1 to the input of the TV at location 2.
2) All 3 TV's must have access to a UHF antenna to enable your built in freeview to work (the UHF antenna would obviously have to have a 3way split and depending on your proximity to the transmitter in your region you probally most likey to want a mast head amp for the UHF aerial.
3) to enable your RF modulator to pump all the way to the location of the third tv, you will also want some kind of signal amp/booster.

Both TV's in location's 2 and 3 will need 2 coax cables to be run (1 back to the aerial and 1 back to the sky decoder RF modulator OR daisy chain this with suitable amps).

Hope this helps.

B1GGLZ

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#737365 26-Dec-2012 13:59

graciem:

The HDMI splitter you posted, seems to be an easy solution for mysky. What's your suggestion for the FreeView? The new TVs with freeview buildin, can't use the same satellite dish?

As you are in a Freeview Terrestrial area then firstly install a UHF antenna on the roof and run a coax with a 3 way splitter to the TVs.
Antenna packs (Aerial + coax + connector) was only $49 at Dick Smith a couple of weeks ago.
Should be able to do that for under $100 anyway plus a bit more for a splitter.
Don't forget that Freeview Terrestrial is HD. Freeview Satellite is not. Also I think all the Freeview channels are available on your MySky anyway via Sky platform.

Yes you can use one satellite dish for multiple satellite decoders (Sky + Freeview).
You can't connect the satellite dish to your TV though.

B1GGLZ

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#737366 26-Dec-2012 14:01

graciem: what's the difference between RF and HDMI modulators.

HDMI is not a modulator. Try googling RF Modulator and HDMI and you'll find out the difference.

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B1GGLZ

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#737368 26-Dec-2012 14:06

Gooseybhai:

Can you draw a picture perhaps of your current set up?

+1.
We need more info.
Do you have a UHF antenna?
Do you have any kind of antenna?
What is plugged into your TV now?
Have you tried tuning Freeview digital on your TV?
Are you able to tune analogue channels on your TV.

JimmyH

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#737999 28-Dec-2012 11:42

What you want to do is not that complicated, but you do need to have a fairly good grasp of the basics. Otherwise, you could wind up spending quite a bit on cabling and other kit, and wind up installing something that won't work. While the regulars here (given more information) can do a pretty good job of answering questions and offering suggestions, if your technical knowledge and confidence isn't high then it is probably worth paying a little extra to get an AV professional to quote and do the install. While it will cost more than a DIY job, it's lower risk and you know you will ultimately get something that works.

As others have said here:
1. You can't connect Freeview TVs to a satellite dish. They are UHF only. If you need Freeview off satellite then you will need one or more set-top boxes, plus you won't get HD.
2. In terms of cabled solutions - using an HDMI splitter (as per above) will give the best quality distributed feed off a Sky box, distributing composite video is probably second best (component is better, but trickier), and using an RF modulator will give the worst quality. HDMI and RF aren't remotely the same thing. An even worse solution is wireless senders, but they have the advantage of not needing to run wires.
3. If you are able to draw a picture and answer B1GGLZ's questions, you will probably get more help. In addition to B1GGLZ's excellent questions:
- how easy is it for you to run cables to the rooms in question?
- how confident are you in running your own cabling?
- what (ballpark) is your budget?

Handsomedan

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#739600 3-Jan-2013 09:29

I had this same sort of set up done for my house and I simply called an aerial technician who came out, sorted the UHF aerial, hooked up a splitter, put a little box thing at the back of the mySky to split that signal (from memory he said something about it converting from digital to analogue.

I paid about $100.00 for the privelege and have enjoyed it ever since.

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