Digital to analogue converter

mstewie

Hi all,

Apologies if this has been asked before but is there a box you can put in your attic which will convert the digital tv signal back to the analogue frequencies? The reason I ask is because there are 3 tv's in the house and I don't want to have to buy STB's for each one. I know if such a box exists then teletext and epg probably won't be suppported but that is ok because the plan is get a proper Saorview STB for the main tv.

My current setup is an attic aerial connected to a 6-way amp/splitter and then connected to each tv.

Thanks,
Mark

The Cush

No Saorview receiver I know has an RF modulator that can feed the channels via the co-ax to the TVs, this Triax Trilink (http://www.tvtrade.ie/triax-trilink-kit.html) will covert the scart out to RF so that you can then send a channel via the co-ax. The downside is only one channel can be watched at any one time.

watty

You would have to buy a set box for each channel.

Unless all 3 Tvs are going to have the same channel, better to buy 3 Set-boxes.

mstewie

Thanks Watty and The Cush.

My ideal solution was some kind of box that I could place between the aerial and the amp/splitter in the attic which would decode all the Saorview digital signals and place each channel on a separate analogue UHF signal which would then be sent to the amp/splitter and then to the tv's.

Anyways, sounds like individual STB's for each tv is the only real solution.

watty

Well, there are systems like that in a rack. But each module is actually the same functionality and more expensive than a domestic set-box.

Solair

Would it not be easier and cheaper to just plug in a saorview box / modern television with a digital tuner at each TV point. You'd have a lot more flexibility, better image and sound quality and access to interactive services as they come on stream via "red button" or DVB-T teletext equivalents.

With a modern TV you'd also have full HD too, instead of whatever number of active lines your PAL analogue device was sending out.

In most cases, your existing setup will work with the digital DVB-T signals just the same way it worked with the analogue PAL signals. They're just UHF signals, regardless of what way the information / image is encoded PAL+NICAM vs DVB-T .. doesn't really make much difference to the wiring / amps in your house - it's just a radio signal.

The cost of doing what you're suggesting would be FAR higher than buying 3 X saorview boxes.

khumbu

mstewie wrote: »

is there a box you can put in your attic which will convert the digital tv signal back to the analogue frequencies?

yes but 3 stb's are cheaper
http://www.satsklep.pl/en_US/p/Head-End-Vector-VTP-4-4-x-DVB-T-PAL-/585

lawhec

There are specialist DVB-T receivers that will convert multiple TV channel streams to each own analogue channel but they are not intended for private home use - rather they are aimed at hotels, large b&b's, nursing homes, community distribution systems (e.g. blocks of flats, not commercial cable operators) where the amount of sets served can be a cheaper & safer option than installing a STB with each set. I seen one a few years ago sold in the UK touted for DSO which could convert six channels each with their own RF output but with no Nicam Stereo (no encoder) or teletext (not carried on Freeview) for about £800. :eek: I'm sure there's others as well but they won't be aimed for domestic installations.

Capt'n Midnight

don't forget you may be able to use an old VCR to modulate the signal

BUT the problem is that every box you add increases the noise and co-channel interference,

in theory you could have
aerial-box1-box2-box3-amp- TV's
(boxes could be VCR or SKY or what have you) but the aerial signal would be in bits after passing through so many different tuners

another option would be to use a video sender - some also have RF outputs to analog TV's