Saoirview/freesat multiroom

case885

Have a few questions regarding the multiroom approach. At the moment I have two lines entering main room for saoirview and freesat. I'd like to add this option to two other rooms, would this involve taking the satellite and antenna lines into two separate distribution amplifiers and running 3 lines out of each 2 for each room?
I'd also like to put in a STB in the main room which can record, pause etc so will I need to add another line for this? A novice at this but would like to know what's involved in getting it done. Thanks

Apogee

case885 wrote: »

Have a few questions regarding the multiroom approach. At the moment I have two lines entering main room for saoirview and freesat. I'd like to add this option to two other rooms, would this involve taking the satellite and antenna lines into two separate distribution amplifiers and running 3 lines out of each 2 for each room?
I'd also like to put in a STB in the main room which can record, pause etc so will I need to add another line for this? A novice at this but would like to know what's involved in getting it done. Thanks

You cannot split 1 satellite cable to 3 receivers. You will need to a quad output LNBF on the dish and then run 3 cables from that to each of the rooms (or the attic if you wish to combine with the terrestrial signal).

If you want a PVR for the main room, then you will need 2x sat cables running to the PVR.

The incoming terrestrial signal from the aerial can be fed to a distribution amp in the attic and split x3.

You can save yourself some cabling into the rooms, by combining the satellite and terrestrial signal using diplexers to combine in the attic and diplexers just before the receivers to split the signals again.

Sam Russell

^^^ as above but you can get a quad LNB that includes a Saorview diplexer which makes the cabling easier.

They work well.

case885

Apogee wrote:

You cannot split 1 satellite cable to 3 receivers. You will need to a quad output LNBF on the dish and then run 3 cables from that to each of the rooms (or the attic if you wish to combine with the terrestrial signal).

Apogee wrote:

If you want a PVR for the main room, then you will need 2x sat cables running to the PVR.

Apogee wrote:

The incoming terrestrial signal from the aerial can be fed to a distribution amp in the attic and split x3.

Apogee wrote:

You can save yourself some cabling into the rooms, by combining the satellite and terrestrial signal using diplexers to combine in the attic and diplexers just before the receivers to split the signals again.

OK thanks for the reply, will the quad lnb cover the pvr and 2/3 receivers?
If I was to use diplexers would they go on the line after it comes from the distribution amp I presume?

Sam Russell

case885 wrote: »

OK thanks for the reply, will the quad lnb cover the pvr and 2/3 receivers?
If I was to use diplexers would they go on the line after it comes from the distribution amp I presume?

Each cable from the LNB will cover one receiver - a PVR counts as two receivers.

If you use the LNB I suggested above, then you might not need the distrution amp at all unless you are in a poor signal area.

The Cush

Sam Russell wrote: »

If you use the LNB I suggested above, then you might not need the distrution amp at all unless you are in a poor signal area.

It's been posted here previously that the terrestrial signal loss thru the LNB can be quiet high so maybe a distribution amp would be required if feeding a number of TV points.

case885

Sam Russell wrote:

If you use the LNB I suggested above, then you might not need the distrution amp at all unless you are in a poor signal area.

The distribution amp would still be needed for the terrestrial cables would it?

The Cush

case885 wrote: »

The distribution amp would still be needed for the terrestrial cables would it?

If the signal was good enough a passive splitter could do but I'd go with a distribution amp fed directly from the aerial.

case885

The Cush wrote:

If the signal was good enough a passive splitter could do but I'd go with a distribution amp fed directly from the aerial.

OK thanks for that.
What's the best approach with the cables to the room with the PVR, 1 line can be brought in and split for the satellite and aerial but do the 2 lines for recording have to be kept separate?

The Cush

case885 wrote: »

What's the best approach with the cables to the room with the PVR, 1 line can be brought in and split for the satellite and aerial but do the 2 lines for recording have to be kept separate?

The 2 co-ax cables currently coming into your main room for sat and aerial can be used for the (twin-tuner) sat PVR with the aerial feed piggy-backed onto one of the sat cables. The 2 cables from the LNB on the dish to the 2 inputs on the sat receiver must be kept separate*.

One of the 2 cables from the LNB must be combined with the aerial feed outside either via the LNB Sam refers to above or another type of external sat/terrestrial combiner and split again inside before the cable connects to the sat and terrestrial receivers.

Sat/Terr combiners (or splitters when used in reverse) - http://www.satworld.ie/amps-and-diplexers/satellite-and-terrestrial-combiners/, http://www.freetv.ie/satellite/distribution/combiners.html

*There is an option where 2 satellite feeds can be combined together on a single cable using a device called a stacker/destacker but is cable quality dependent, best avoided as you've already got 2 cables available and much cheaper to go the aerial combining route.

Sam Russell

The Cush wrote: »

It's been posted here previously that the terrestrial signal loss thru the LNB can be quiet high so maybe a distribution amp would be required if feeding a number of TV points.

I think it depends on the signal strength. I have used one of the LNBs where the signal from the aerial was first combined with the UPC analogue signal and then fed to the LNB and all worked flawlessly on each cable. Each TV could tune to the UPC signals, the Saorview signals (from Kippure) and also a Humax Freesat tuner. All had adequate signal. The losses could not have been that bad but the signal was probably strong. The Saorview checker recommended Three Rock but I had to use Kippure to get the UPC signals to combine.

It should be possible to check signal levels before committing to a lesser solution requiring a distribution amplifier. Remember, the DC power has to get the far side of the combiner/splitter which is blocked.

However, the solution will be all signal strength dependant.

The Cush

Sam Russell wrote: »

Remember, the DC power has to get the far side of the combiner/splitter which is blocked.

Yes of course, this should have been pointed out earlier.

The sat/terr combiner/splitter has a power passing leg and the satellite feed has to be connected to this leg to allow voltage/tone passing for LNB polarisation and hi/lo band switching (red line, see attached pic)

eyeball kid

Apologies for jumping onto someone else's thread but I have a similar question. I'm currently in the middle of a new build and plan to have Sky as the main TV. I hope to have TV points in 4 rooms. 2 upstairs, 2 down.

I did up a diagram for what I want the Electrician to install. (haven't given it to him yet).

Am I right in what I am doing here? I'll probably only have a Sky connection in one of the rooms downstairs. Will the free sat boxes work in a system like this? How many times can you split a signal from Sky before it degrades. Its not a huge house and I'd imagine the cable run would be less than 15-20m (max).

Is there anything else I should be considering at this stage? thanks for any help.

The Cush

eyeball kid wrote: »

Am I right in what I am doing here? I'll probably only have a Sky connection in one of the rooms downstairs. Will the free sat boxes work in a system like this? How many times can you split a signal from Sky before it degrades. Its not a huge house and I'd imagine the cable run would be less than 15-20m (max).

Is there anything else I should be considering at this stage? thanks for any help.

The signal from a satellite dish cannot be split, each input to a satellite receiver requires a direct connection to the LNB on the dish (or multiswitch), 2 feeds required if you have a Sky+ or Freesat+ PVR/recorder at any TV point.

The same dish and cabling with work with Sky and Freesat.

Suggestion would be to run 2 co-ax cables to each TV point from the attic with a third to the main TV point for a possible future aerial feed/spare. Octo (8 output) LNB on the dish with 8 feeds to the attic. The 2 cables to the other rooms can carry 1 sat feed/1 aerial feed or 2 sat feeds/1 aerial feed piggy-backed on one of the sat cables.

A multiswitch in the attic is another option with the room feeds connected to each output. A 4 output Quattro LNB on the dish with 4 feeds to the multiswitch plus aerial feed to multiswitch where it's combined with the satellite signal to each TV point and can be separated if required.

Sam Russell

From your picture, you show that you want to connect 4 tvs and I presume one is a PVR which means you will need 5 outputs from the dish, so a Octo LNB is required. With an Octo LNB you could run two cables to each TV so that any point can be a PVR point (and since this is a new build, that will only cost you the cable) This would be sensible at this stage. Also run ethernet cables back to where the router will be while you are at it.

You should position the Saorview aerial close to the satellite dish so you can use a combiner/splitter to send both signals down the one cable. Comb/slitter are available in single and quad versions, so the one quad version will enable one cable per TV to carry the Sat/Saorview signal to be split at the TV. The second cable would just carry the sat signal.

This arrangement works for Freesat or Sky.

eyeball kid

Thanks for the replies. I'm going with 2 co axial cables to each of the TV points coming from a central point in the attic. Also plan on running 2 CAT 6 cables to each TV point and the other bedrooms. Might as well do it at this point instead of regretting it later. Thanks again for your help.

The Cush

eyeball kid wrote: »

I'm going with 2 co axial cables to each of the TV points coming from a central point in the attic.

Might as well do it at this point instead of regretting it later.

I'd recommend running a third spare cable to the main TV point for the same reason as above, better to be looking at it than for it. It could be used to feed the Sky via magic eye to the other TV points via the attic or feed Saorview to the main TV point (there is recent speculation there may be a combined Saorview/Freesat box).

The Cush

Just one further point, at the central point in the attic arrange for the electrician to install a power point for future use e.g. multiswitch, distribution amp etc.