How to run sky into another room from 1 decoder

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G33KZ0N3

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Topic # 115623 2-Apr-2013 00:30

Hi

I am new to Geekzone and i think its a great site

I currently have my sky in the lounge and would like to watch my sky in another room without buying multiroom.

Is there a way of doing this without buying mysky multiroom?
What are my options?
The other room is about 15 meters away

Thanks

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Reply # 790402 2-Apr-2013 01:10

What kind of Sky Decoder? Standard or MySky?
What kind of output are you using from the Sky Box? Component? Composite? HDMI?
What kind of input does your TV's have? Component? Composite? HDMI?
Do you have ethernet or multiple ethernet cables between the two locations?
Do you want to be able to watch them at the same time I presume (they will be the same channel)
Do you want to be able to use the remote at both locations?

G33KZ0N3

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 790404 2-Apr-2013 01:59

What kind of Sky Decoder? Standard or MySky?
Mysky

What kind of output are you using from the Sky Box? Component? Composite? HDMI?
HDMI

What kind of input does your TV's have? Component? Composite? HDMI?

HDMI, AV, COMPOSITE

Do you have ethernet or multiple ethernet cables between the two locations?

No i dont

Do you want to be able to watch them at the same time I presume (they will be the same channel)

Yes same time and same chanel

Do you want to be able to use the remote at both locations?

Yes and No... really depends how much it will be for this feature i dont really want to spend more than $100 for this feature

Thanks :-)

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tukapa1

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Reply # 790408 2-Apr-2013 06:54

Is it possible for you to run ethernet or HDMI cable from one location to the other?

eracode

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Reply # 790413 2-Apr-2013 07:54

You could look at using an AV Extender Transmitter and Receiver.

I have a set-up using 'Ellies' brand gear that I bought from Dick Smith some years ago. There's a transmitter at one end (plugged into the back of the Sky box) and a receiver at the other end (plugged into the second TV). The Sky video and audio get wirelessly transmitted and it also sends the Sky remote signals back to the Sky box so you can control Sky from the second room.

Ours works pefectly between a lounge upstairs and second TV in the kitchen downstairs. I also have a second receiver in a bedroom one storey lower down again and that works perfectly too. Only standard definition though.

If you search the Dick Smith site for 'AV Sender' you will get hits for three different products that do all this.

sbiddle

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Reply # 790429 2-Apr-2013 08:28

G33KZ0N3: What kind of Sky Decoder? Standard or MySky?
Mysky

What kind of output are you using from the Sky Box? Component? Composite? HDMI?
HDMI

What kind of input does your TV's have? Component? Composite? HDMI?

HDMI, AV, COMPOSITE

Do you have ethernet or multiple ethernet cables between the two locations?

No i dont

Do you want to be able to watch them at the same time I presume (they will be the same channel)

Yes same time and same chanel

Do you want to be able to use the remote at both locations?

Yes and No... really depends how much it will be for this feature i dont really want to spend more than $100 for this feature

Thanks :-)

Only way to do it for less than $100 will be to run some cable and use the composite output which will give the worst possible picture quality.

Other options include a wireless video sender (poor to good quality depending on how many $$$ you wish to spend) and a HDMI splitter and baluns to run the HD video over cat5e. All will cost a couple of hundred minimum.

trig42

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Reply # 790443 2-Apr-2013 09:08

I do it to my bedroom from the lounge with composite cables. The bedroom TV is not HD anyway, so no issues with quality. I have a wireless remote sender which works perfectly well. Because I have a Harmony remote in lounge, I have just taken the MySky remote to the bedroom.

I used 3 runs of Coax and bought my own RCA plugs for each end.

G33KZ0N3

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 790447 2-Apr-2013 09:16

eracode: You could look at using an AV Extender Transmitter and Receiver.

I have a set-up using 'Ellies' brand gear that I bought from Dick Smith some years ago. There's a transmitter at one end (plugged into the back of the Sky box) and a receiver at the other end (plugged into the second TV). The Sky video and audio get wirelessly transmitted and it also sends the Sky remote signals back to the Sky box so you can control Sky from the second room.

Ours works pefectly between a lounge upstairs and second TV in the kitchen downstairs. I also have a second receiver in a bedroom one storey lower down again and that works perfectly too. Only standard definition though.

If you search the Dick Smith site for 'AV Sender' you will get hits for three different products that do all this.

Hi just done a quick search on DSE and they have some good products. I might go check it out today. Thanks

G33KZ0N3

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Reply # 790450 2-Apr-2013 09:17

tukapa1: Is it possible for you to run ethernet or HDMI cable from one location to the other?

I could run HDMI cable from one location to another.. What else will i need besides cable?

G33KZ0N3

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Reply # 790455 2-Apr-2013 09:25

sbiddle:
G33KZ0N3: What kind of Sky Decoder? Standard or MySky?
Mysky

What kind of output are you using from the Sky Box? Component? Composite? HDMI?
HDMI

What kind of input does your TV's have? Component? Composite? HDMI?

HDMI, AV, COMPOSITE

Do you have ethernet or multiple ethernet cables between the two locations?

No i dont

Do you want to be able to watch them at the same time I presume (they will be the same channel)

Yes same time and same chanel

Do you want to be able to use the remote at both locations?

Yes and No... really depends how much it will be for this feature i dont really want to spend more than $100 for this feature

Thanks :-)

Only way to do it for less than $100 will be to run some cable and use the composite output which will give the worst possible picture quality.

Other options include a wireless video sender (poor to good quality depending on how many $$$ you wish to spend) and a HDMI splitter and baluns to run the HD video over cat5e. All will cost a couple of hundred minimum.

Sorry i think you read my question wrong.. I wouldnt like to spend over $100 for the remote control feature ONLY.
What is my best option for best picture? bearing in mind that room is about 15 meters away
I like the idea of AV sender but i know picture quality can drop
I cant use cat5e as both tvs don't support Ethernet? do they have to support Ethernet?
Can i use hdmi splitter from trademe? which is a good one?
What is baluns?

Thanks Again

LennonNZ

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Reply # 790474 2-Apr-2013 09:44

a 20M HDMI Cable will cost $100
HDMI Splitter will cost around $60 http://www.freeviewshop.co.nz/hdmi-splitter-with-support-p-697.html
+ other cables so around $200
+ if you want IR as well.. http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011009&p_id=9964&seq=1&format=2

for HDMI it will be more expensive.

Or if you want to run 2 Cat5 Cables.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011012&p_id=8121&seq=1&format=1#largeimage
+ Splitter

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10113&cs_id=1011306&p_id=8204&seq=1&format=2

+ a couple of HDMI Cables

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024008&p_id=3872&seq=1&format=2

but no IR

tukapa1

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Reply # 791829 2-Apr-2013 17:45

G33KZ0N3:
tukapa1: Is it possible for you to run ethernet or HDMI cable from one location to the other?

I could run HDMI cable from one location to another.. What else will i need besides cable?

HDMI splitter - here - $29.95 + shipping

15M HDMI cable - here - $19.80 + shipping
or
20M HDMI cable - here - $39.99 + shipping

Don't let anybody tell you that you need to spend more than that on cables - for what you want these will work well.

Sky decoder goes into the input on the splitter - then two HDMI cables out, one to each TV.

This won't give you IR as well though. There are other options utilising ethernet to give you IR but the cost starts going up.

LennonNZ

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Reply # 791846 2-Apr-2013 18:18

I have used HDMI cables a lot with various lengths for a number of year

20M lengths will usually works with cheap cables but there is no promise you won't get problems. You might get "sparkles" or drop off and other problems but sometimes it will just work. Maybe 720p will work and 1080i will just not work properly.

Especially if you are using an HDMI Splitter you may get problems.

Yes there are overpriced HDMI cables and they are a rip off IMHO

tukapa1's suggestions are good but personally I spend a little more on HDMI Cables . v1.4a at least (with 3D /4K/ARC Support etc). If you want to do 3D ,When the PS4 comes with 4K Support and 4K TV's are out you'll have to buy new cables again.

tukapa1

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Reply # 791849 2-Apr-2013 18:28

LennonNZ: I have used HDMI cables a lot with various lengths for a number of year

20M lengths will usually works with cheap cables but there is no promise you won't get problems. You might get "sparkles" or drop off and other problems but sometimes it will just work. Maybe 720p will work and 1080i will just not work properly.

Especially if you are using an HDMI Splitter you may get problems.

Yes there are overpriced HDMI cables and they are a rip off IMHO

tukapa1's suggestions are good but personally I spend a little more on HDMI Cables . v1.4a at least (with 3D /4K/ARC Support etc). If you want to do 3D ,When the PS4 comes with 4K Support and 4K TV's are out you'll have to buy new cables again.

I guess there's a chance that a particular cable will give you issues no matter how much you pay for it. I've also installed many HDMI cables in situations like these, right up to 20m in length and using powered HDMI splitters. I've never had an issue and don't expect to.

I do stress however that you need a powered HDMI splitter, not one of those cheap non-powered ones. You are bound to run into problems with those.

I agree that if the OP wants 3D then he should look at a 1.4 rated cable, but that wasn't in his brief so I stayed away from that. Of course you can try and future proof til you're blue in the face but the next big thing is always out there round the corner. My thoughts are if the OP can run an HDMI cable now then in 5-10 years when (if) he wants all the extras he can just swap out for a new rated cable.

JimmyH

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Reply # 791872 2-Apr-2013 19:20

LennonNZ: I have used HDMI cables a lot with various lengths for a number of year

20M lengths will usually works with cheap cables but there is no promise you won't get problems. You might get "sparkles" or drop off and other problems but sometimes it will just work. Maybe 720p will work and 1080i will just not work properly.

Especially if you are using an HDMI Splitter you may get problems.

Yes there are overpriced HDMI cables and they are a rip off IMHO

tukapa1's suggestions are good but personally I spend a little more on HDMI Cables . v1.4a at least (with 3D /4K/ARC Support etc). If you want to do 3D ,When the PS4 comes with 4K Support and 4K TV's are out you'll have to buy new cables again.

No point in speccing to that level - given that he is clear that the purpose is to run Sky. Unlikely that Sky will be transmitting 3d any time soon. as for 4K, the jury is still out on whether it will become mainstream, and I suspect it will be many years before the kit and content is available at sensible prices. Better bet to spec for what he wants now, and replace the cable in 5 years if needed, than spend significantly more speccing to a standard that he may never want and certainly won't use for some years.

As other posters have said, you need an HDMI splitter and an HDMI cable run for best quality. A composite cable run if you want to save a few dollars and don't mind the quality drop off. While most HDMI cables are a rip off, quality matters somewhat more for longer runs which can get a bit iffy. Monoprice is where I have brought stuff before, although the shipping can add a bit if you are only buying 1 item. They have 50 foot 22AWG HDMI cables, which should cover the 15 meter distance you quote. Cheaper cables can be 24AWG or even (shudder) 28AWG, which is fine for short runs (sub 10 meters) but I wouldn't bank on them for longer runs. Also, IMHO, get a good powered splitter, since you will be sending the signal over a run longer than 10m, and not one of the crappy pigtail devices that draw their power from the source device.

Niel

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Reply # 791949 2-Apr-2013 21:26

As others said, must be a powered splitter to avoid power supply voltage drop across long cables, and HDCP compatible or else it will not work with MySky.

Most splitters will boost the signal to a stronger level than what any set top box outputs, as they are intended for driving long cables instead of just connecting to the TV. And if you do have a weak signal, then go 10m cables and add another splitter in between only as a booster.

For a long run like yours you can consider a passive HDMI to CAT6 converter to save on cable cost. Both are twisted pairs, the converter just performs impedance matching.

$2.50 per meter is the most I'd pay for any cable, $1 per meter is about the cheapest I'd pay (except e.g. bulk network cable). There is virtually no difference unless you watch BD or 3D as it pushes the bandwidth requirement.

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