MySky Multi-room HD

Forums › Sky, Neon, Lightbox › MySky Multi-room HD

bobmeister

106 posts

Master Geek

#62946 17-Jun-2010 17:07

I know there are a few other threads on this, but not quite specific to my issue.

I have recently had MySky installed. I have a Panasonic HD projector, a Panasonic 42 HD TV in the lounge and a Panasonic 32 HD in the bedroom.

Prior to having MySky installed, the SAT feed came into the lounge and the current Sky channel was split off to the porjector (downstairs to projector/Home theatre and in the bedroom) via RF cable.

When I got MySky I installed it downstairs on the projector (as that is where i watch the sport etc) and wanted to feed the current channel upsatirs to the lounge and Bedroom.

I was able to run a RF feed upstairs to the TV and split it there. Reception is fine.

However, I want to watch normal Freeview on the two TVs upstairs and have an aerial feed coming to these two.

The Freeview reception is perfect. When i try and combine the RF feed from downstairs and the aerial feed into one coax cable, the signal is too weak on both, so the picture quality on both the Sky RF feed and Freeview is sub-standard. I have tried amplifying one ot both of the RF feeds, but that does not help. I have tried a couple of diplexers to combine the two feeds into one, but neither offer quality.

I have Cat 6 cable running through the house (There are RJ45 jacks at both upstairs and downstairs TV locations) and am thinking that using HDMI splitters and that single Cat5/6 extender that Jaycar sell to spit the HMDI signal out of the MySKy box to the projector and to the Cat5 extender.

Then at the upstairs jack, put the other Cat5/6 extender and another splitter to run the HDMI feed to the HDMI input to the TV in the lounge and then bedroom.

There are two Cat5/6 switches in between on the cable and the length of Cat5/6 is about 15/20 metres max.

My question is: Does running the HDMI splitters, extenders through switches and then through another splitter sound feasible. The investment is about $300 to $400, so I don't want to dive in without some sort of certainty that it will work.

Thoughts?

Dingbatt

6756 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#342753 17-Jun-2010 17:55

My experience is every time you introduce a discontinuity in the signal path you increase the likelihood of striking a problem with hdmi. At the moment I go mysky-splitter-receiver-TV. At one stage I tried to use ethernet cable and baluns but ran into problems. All I could put it down to was the possibilty that the signal was amplified in the splitter and then again in the ethernet balun and the noise interfered with the handshake. I subsequently have just used 10m hdmi cables between some components.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

bobmeister

106 posts

Master Geek

#342754 17-Jun-2010 18:04

The problem I have is that running HDMI cables while the best slution, is not an easy option.

I, too, don't like the idea of adding disconuity into the signal, which is why I wary.

clevedon

1059 posts

Uber Geek

#342844 18-Jun-2010 08:08

I would suggest get MySky HDi multiroom, two PVRs are better, more convenient than one and much easier to get HD to the third TV. $400 will get you 10 months payment to Sky if you rent the box and you can send it back if it doesn't work out for you, or another $200 ( $599 one of payment ) means you only pay the multiroom charge per month and no HD ticket charge on either option. That's the way we went in the end and it worked out great.

bobmeister

106 posts

Master Geek

#342884 18-Jun-2010 09:55

I've still got the Satellite Sky box and I'm thinking that it may be cheaper/easier/better to keep that for the two upstairsTVs.

I'm wary of spending $400 on some equipment that may not work satisfactorily.

Thats 16 months of Sky multi-room.

Dingbatt

6756 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#342893 18-Jun-2010 10:03

One thing I didn't mention above it that you need 2 ethernet cables to replace 1 hdmi cable. So some extra cabling may be required anyhow. If that is the case you may get away with a splitter and then running pairs of ethernet cables and baluns to each TV, thereby taking the switches out of the equation.

Depending where you are in the country it may be worth paying a little extra and getting the equipment from an 'expert' with the proviso that you bring it back if it doesn't work.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Niel

3267 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#343052 18-Jun-2010 15:54

In theory splitting is fine as long as you buy a proper distribution amplifier and not a passive balun splitter. (However, I have never done it myself.)

I think www.jaycar.co.nz has an active HDMI extender that will do 15m or so. A standard HDMI cable will do only 5m max and it is recommended not more than 3m. HDMI is intended for short cable lengths only.

(VGA on the other hand is designed for 30m.)

You can never have enough Volvos!

trig42

5814 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#343690 21-Jun-2010 10:53

Niel: A standard HDMI cable will do only 5m max and it is recommended not more than 3m. HDMI is intended for short cable lengths only.

I call no on this one.

10m HDMI works fine.

If you get decent cables, there is no reason 15-20m won't work. I have installed a few 15m cables without incident.

Cheap/Nasty HDMI cables are no good over longer distances, but you only need to spend around $100 to get a good 15m cable.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

bobmeister

106 posts

Master Geek

#343705 21-Jun-2010 11:18

I already have a 10m cable running up through the wall and ceiling to the projector. I can't fault the picture.

The issue I have is running a HDMI cable up a floor, as there is no easy route.

However, I may well have to find a way to do this, as the balun Cat5 does seem to be risky.

Thanks for the replies.

illicit

553 posts

Ultimate Geek

#343898 21-Jun-2010 19:18

Try the baluns, rapalloAV website, i've done a few installs now with no issues

Niel

3267 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#343951 21-Jun-2010 21:22

trig42:
Niel: A standard HDMI cable will do only 5m max and it is recommended not more than 3m. HDMI is intended for short cable lengths only.

I call no on this one.

10m HDMI works fine.

If you get decent cables, there is no reason 15-20m won't work. I have installed a few 15m cables without incident.

Cheap/Nasty HDMI cables are no good over longer distances, but you only need to spend around $100 to get a good 15m cable.

I do not disagree, but I do not consider spending $100 on a bit of wire to be an option (I did state "a standard HDMI cable"). As per Wikipedia, low cost cables up to 5m are easy to make, or up to 15m with higher quality cables. But very few people will know the difference between cable construction.

Degraded signal means more error correction, so you are unlikely to notice the difference anyway. I think you will detect digital noise on the sound before you will notice it in the picture (but this is only my suspicion).

You can never have enough Volvos!