2 Sources 2 Tvs

[nellyp]

There is supposed to be a diagram in this post but it will not paste along with the text. I have added it as an attachment, sorry about that

What I would like to do is watch one source downstairs while my kids watch the other upstairs in our bedroom. In their bedroom they have an old TV with the red white and yellow connectors and an rf input. They can watch Satellite (through a converter) or dvds on their own player. I am happy with their room and entertainment as they can also watch TV in our room, which means that they can also watch movies off my external hard drive through the blue ray player.

My dilemma is that I do not know how to set all this up with relation to the downstairs TV and the upstairs TV. The Tv downstairs will be an LCD with multi hdmi inputs. The TV in my bedroom will have a lot of ports but only one hdmi. I am quite sure (though not certain) that I will need a splitter for the TV upstairs (only 1 hdmi). I think to be able to watch whatever I want to, whenever I want to,( but to have the option for somebody to watch the other source) I will need to have a switch box.

Do you think the above will work? Is there a switch I could buy that would replace the 2 switches? Do you know where I could get the switch and splitter? Cost? Any ideas about wires, I will need 10 meters of hdmi (and will the picture degrade). I realize this is a lot of info but this is a new thing for me, and I need a lot of help.

Cheers in advance

tv organisation.docx

[BangkokImages]

Nelly -

First, nice attachment! I wish more people would take the time.

If I may, I think you're going about this problem with decades old technology and failing to see how modern electronics can do what you need and much more. There are two devices I'd look at, many want both but you could probably achieve your stated goals with only one device.

The first would be a Western Digital HD TV Live Hub or one of myriad products available almost anywhere in Thailand. I prefer the WD hub model for it's built in 1tb hard drive and the ability to use it as an FTP from anywhere, and it's file compatibility. I did a review on it here which is fairly complete.

Another device which would work from inside your home would be the Slingbox Pro. It would connect your satellite, blu-ray, the hard drive connected to it, a DVR, or any such device.. and make these sources available to any tv or computer in your home. It's also useful for sending to your home country so you could watch your home country cable/satellite in Thailand, or anywhere you have a computer.. smartphone, etc.. it's a very capable and fun device. I did a review on it here.

I think if you read the reviews and possibly some others, you'll see these modern devices really offer a lot of advantages and would serve you well. Let me know if you have any questions and good luck.

[Sateev]

If someone can explain to me how either (or both) of these devices addresses the OP's situation, I would be dumbfounded, and eternally grateful. Or one of those.

[BangkokImages]

If someone can explain to me how either (or both) of these devices addresses the OP's situation, I would be dumbfounded, and eternally grateful. Or one of those.

I'm not sure what part you're having problems understanding? Basically the OP wants to share sources between two television screens.

The Slingbox can take any source she has on her downstairs set and play it on any computer in the house which might be a better solution than thinking you have to use a second tv screen. It will also play the sources on tablets, smart phones, just about anything with a wifi connection. Sure, you could connect a laptop to the second tv screen to drive it via the Slingbox, but a far more elegant solution than a self-decribed "old tv" would be a modern tablet or laptop which is pretty common equipment for most children these days. Btw - A Slingbox slinging on it's home network is basically a perfect picture, far better than when watched from an outside network. It's basically the same quality as if you has a cable attached.

The WD hub should be self-evident. Once the "source" file is on it's hard drive.. it can also stream to any laptop or tablet in the house. It's very small and highly portable, so carrying it between tv screens isn't out of the question either. What it won't do is stream or move her satellite source between screens.. but sometimes when you have one really nice solution you'll find it "good enough" But this is why I mentioned one or both devices could end up filling her needs nicely with a wireless signal which doesn't require switches or running cables.

Once you get used to running these devices you'll come up with many other ways to use them. My Slingbox controls my WD Hub, BlueRay, cable DVR.. any source I have it controls.. which means I can stream that source(s) (independent to what the person on the main source setup is watching on that screen) to any computer/tablet/smartphone on my home network with pristine quality, or anywhere on the internet including halfway around the world.. with the quality being dependent on internet speeds.

However, if the OP kids doesn't have a computer in their room, or there is not an available laptop/tablet, and she's dead set on using the old tv screen upstairs.. and she doesn't mind drilling holes or whatever is required to run cables, add switches, etc.. then this won't be an acceptable solution. But the trend IS to go wireless and use these devices.. they're quite popular.

[2unique]

Can the slingbox be purchased here now?

Sent from Android please excuse errors in type or judgement

[BangkokImages]

Can the slingbox be purchased here now?

Sent from Android please excuse errors in type or judgement

I don't think so, but maybe someone here has seen it for sale? You can easily order one from the states using a shipping forwarding service like shipito, though caution: Once you start using this service you'll use it for everything from your favorite shampoo to parrot toys.. If you want the Slingbox to control your other devices (sat box, cable dvr, wd hub, etc) then you'll need the Pro version. It's not that much more of a premium and also handles HD. All Slingbox models have a basic cable tuner internal, so using this someone else can use the cable with it's own cable tuner or cable box with HD channels. So if using a cable, each tv can watch different channels. With a satellite both tvs can only watch the same channel, or any mix devices.

[2unique]

May well be worth buying and keeping in the UK then, only looking to stream football when out :-P

For the OP, at the moment I actually degrade my satellite HD signal to RF and run it into the house's antennae system so that any tv can watch the same signal. No fuss or wiring but quality does take a hit on the poorer channels like AXN

I have one desktop that acts as a server (windows' home makes this even easier than before) then anything on the hard drives and plugins can be watched. Laptop with hdmi out in bedroom, tablet with bubble upnp and smartphone.

Sent from Android please excuse errors in type or judgement

[BangkokImages]

May well be worth buying and keeping in the UK then, only looking to stream football when out :-P

For the OP, at the moment I actually degrade my satellite HD signal to RF and run it into the house's antennae system so that any tv can watch the same signal. No fuss or wiring but quality does take a hit on the poorer channels like AXN

I have one desktop that acts as a server (windows' home makes this even easier than before) then anything on the hard drives and plugins can be watched. Laptop with hdmi out in bedroom, tablet with bubble upnp and smartphone.

Sent from Android please excuse errors in type or judgement

1. The Slingbox is popular for what you describe. As mentioned, outside your home network (where the picture is perfect even in HD) the picture quality is directly proportional to your internet speed. Because of this I used mine for sports, news, fixit shows, etc.. but saved my serious series and movie watching for torrents and discs.

2. Your solution might be ideal for the OP as she describes a standard SD composite connection on her second tv. If she has cable connections running through her house she should give it a try.

3. I do something similar. I have several NAS devices I use as media servers as well as my WD TV Live Hub. Anyone in our home can stream movies, itunes, whatever on demand. With a decent router and gigaswitch everyone can be going at once without quality issues. Technology is great, but if you haven't been exposed to certain devices you might not know the advantages these alternatives offer. Hopefully such discussion will provide the OP with some fresh ideas.

[nellyp]

Thank you all, by the way I am a bloke (my nick name is Nelly). Just to clarify this, The TV in the kids room will stay as is. They have Satellite through an av/rf converter and their own dvd player. I am looking to send the signals to my own bedroom. the TV there has 1 hdmi connection plus the others that you would expect on a HD ready TV. I do not have a laptop in my bedroom, though I do have a spare. I really want to be able to use my blue ray player though as the quality of it is much better than using my computer. I could probably split the rf signal to my 2 TVs upstairs but think the picture will get worse and worse, and I am trying to keep the best picture possible. I would love to do this through wireless but the cost is prohibitive to me, saying that I do not know the cost of the splitters and switches, or the type of cable so maybe that is up for judgement. I rtealsie that there are better ways of doing what I want, but I want this done now and do not have the extra cash as i will be buying the new TV for downstairs.

As an aside, I was going to buy an LED TV but after some research have found that the hype may not be worth the cost. what do you think about that?

[BangkokImages]

Thank you all, by the way I am a bloke (my nick name is Nelly). Just to clarify this, The TV in the kids room will stay as is. They have Satellite through an av/rf converter and their own dvd player. I am looking to send the signals to my own bedroom. the TV there has 1 hdmi connection plus the others that you would expect on a HD ready TV. I do not have a laptop in my bedroom, though I do have a spare. I really want to be able to use my blue ray player though as the quality of it is much better than using my computer. I could probably split the rf signal to my 2 TVs upstairs but think the picture will get worse and worse, and I am trying to keep the best picture possible. I would love to do this through wireless but the cost is prohibitive to me, saying that I do not know the cost of the splitters and switches, or the type of cable so maybe that is up for judgement. I rtealsie that there are better ways of doing what I want, but I want this done now and do not have the extra cash as i will be buying the new TV for downstairs.

As an aside, I was going to buy an LED TV but after some research have found that the hype may not be worth the cost. what do you think about that?

Sorry about the name thing.

Generally switches and splitters are cheap.. a few hundred baht maybe. With that said, wireless is coming down in price a lot lately as well. A wifi dongle can be as little as 200-300 baht. What type of television is an entirely different question, but imo most of the top sets in each type are very close in picture quality. I like plasma so I chose a top quality plasma. LED's are great for being green and saving power if that interests you.

Does your bedroom tv have a LAN or ability to add a wifi dongle? If it does an inexpensive wifi dongle would allow you to stream media.

If I understand right, this is the one lacking the sat signal which you want to get from your kids room to your own bedroom? And this signal originates downstairs in the family room? You want the same sat signal going to all three tv's? An RF signal, which is what you have going to your kids room already.. is more than capable of feeling 3 televisions without degradation. If splitting the signal is easy, try it. If the connections are solid you shouldn't experience any degradation in signal at all.

But the RF signal is a SD (standard definition) signal, not the high quality signal you get through the HDMI cable from your sat box downstairs. For that kind of quality you'll need either another sat box, or a solution like the Slingbox via a laptop connection.

You've asked your satellite provider? They often have such devices, it's common to run 2-3 televisions in a single household. Having them do it might be the cheapest/best way to get this done.. their solution will probably limit you to an RF signal.

There are HDMI splitters and switches..

Many ways to get done what you want. To start, you need to set exactly what you want (RF or HD quality signal, and at what televisions, and a budget. Work up a solution for each signal type, and then weigh each vs. cost.

[2unique]

with talk of upstairs downstairs I'm guessing that you are in a house - if you redivert the kid's signal into your external antennae array you can then bring it from the antenna point in every room either direct to TV or to an infra red box so as to change signal. Otherwise it's another splitter and more cabling.

the installer can do this for you (although lately they are staying shy of doing so) for a small charge but the service provider generally won't. I do intend to redo my whole system so that I have Hi Def upstairs (and I've really not experimented with this new HD Plus box) but all I would gain is late night football vs being incredibly lazy!

Buy the Samsung 7 series, the Samsung wifi dongle and a Galaxy tab - sorted

[BangkokImages]

Buy the Samsung 7 series, the Samsung wifi dongle and a Galaxy tab - sorted

I have an 8 series and love the LAN and wifi connectivity.. I do find the Samsung interface cumbersome if not on the slow side, so I run the WD box for more regular use.

Many of these devices overlap. My Samsung 8 series has media tabs, my Sony blueray has even more, my WD has the most and the most connectivity.. so I tend to lean on it more than the others.

I find it worth the trouble to run LAN cables. In my condo in Bangkok I ran them through the dropped ceilings wherever I needed them, and because they were so cheap I'd always run an extra to the more busy rooms for expansion purposes. At my home in the states I do the same, but through the crawl space beneath the floors. LAN cables not only help everything run faster and glitch free, but you can also buy adapters and run almost any type of signal through them if the need arises.

But I do agree, for his stated budget/purposes.. the sat installer could probably fix him up for very little.

[BangkokImages]

BangkokImages said:

"I'm not sure what part you're having problems understanding? Basically the OP wants to share sources between two television screens.

The Slingbox can take any source she has on her downstairs set and play it on any computer in the house which might be a better solution than thinking you have to use a second tv screen."

Do you not see the contradiction in your own words? The OP doesn't want to use a computer as his second display. He wants to use a TV. I don't think he asked if there was a completely different way to view content. He asked how to set up a system that could display his content on two TVs. He certainly wasn't asking for your opinion on what constitutes a 'better solution'.

<Snip>

Sigh.. the OP is perfectly capable of speaking for himself. Alternative ideas can be useful not just for the OP, but for anyone reading the mail.

BOTH devices I listed above can be used to display/share sources with two or more televisions. A computer screen as an alternative display device is just one more way to get the most from your system. My response was entirely appropriate and directly addressed his questions.

1. The Slingbox can display any source, satellite, cable, DVR, bluray, with an HD resolution on any tv screen in his home. It can be used to display these sources on 100 tv screens in his home if he was so inclined. Yes, he needs a laptop to do this, in which case it was possible he could have been happy with just the laptop display. Especially since it's so portable. You can watch your HD sources at the pool, in the bathroom, kitchen, bedrooms, anywhere. This is great utility. If the laptop has the now standard 16:9 HD screens the quality will be very high, though the screen smaller. You can also run a cable from the laptop to any tv screen, connections providing, and use that tv to view SD or HD material. This may turn out to be his ONLY alternative for watching his HD Sat channels on a 2nd or 3rd television. This is a high quality device with great utility and it meets his needs. You say it doesn't, but it just shows you're not familiar with the device and you didn't bother to read my review.

2. The WD TV Live Hub can also be used to view source material on other televisions. It's a small highly portable box with 1 terabyte of it's own internal storage. You can drop recordings, blue-rays, anything you want.. on this device and move it around through the televisions you wish to view. You can also just leave it attached to the second tv, and with the aid of a cheap WIFI dongle stream from any computer in the house. It doesn't allow for his Satellite viewing, but he also mentioned blu-ray and other sources. This is why I mentioned he might want to consider one or more of these devices. Did you read the review? It's highly recommended for those who own such a device and haven't yet figured out how it can be useful with another television. It's entirely possible the satellite provider will provide a tab (media service) for WD to offer exactly what he wants. In fact, I don't know that they don't. It would be something for him to check. One might be available now, or maybe one is planned for the future. I don't know, but I wouldn't rule it out.

Even though the OP stated after these posts, that he was trying to do this on a budget.. it might turn out he won't get the quality signal he wants using RF splitters and other cheaper methods. He might try them and decide he really wants the quality of an HD signal. If this is the case he'll benefit from knowing how these two devices can be solutions.

As you can see, you would have been much better off to read a little before displaying your lack of knowledge. You'd be better for it, and of course the thread would be better for it. Why you feel the need to be both rude and abrasive in what is otherwise a friendly forum eludes me, but then I really don't care. But I will if it continues.

Edited March 13, 2012 by metisdead
Insulting comments removed.

[metisdead]

Insults and combative posts have been removed.

[nellyp]

Thank you all, by the way I am a bloke (my nick name is Nelly). Just to clarify this, The TV in the kids room will stay as is. They have Satellite through an av/rf converter and their own dvd player. I am looking to send the signals to my own bedroom. the TV there has 1 hdmi connection plus the others that you would expect on a HD ready TV. I do not have a laptop in my bedroom, though I do have a spare. I really want to be able to use my blue ray player though as the quality of it is much better than using my computer. I could probably split the rf signal to my 2 TVs upstairs but think the picture will get worse and worse, and I am trying to keep the best picture possible. I would love to do this through wireless but the cost is prohibitive to me, saying that I do not know the cost of the splitters and switches, or the type of cable so maybe that is up for judgement. I rtealsie that there are better ways of doing what I want, but I want this done now and do not have the extra cash as i will be buying the new TV for downstairs.

As an aside, I was going to buy an LED TV but after some research have found that the hype may not be worth the cost. what do you think about that?

Sorry about the name thing.

Generally switches and splitters are cheap.. a few hundred baht maybe. With that said, wireless is coming down in price a lot lately as well. A wifi dongle can be as little as 200-300 baht. What type of television is an entirely different question, but imo most of the top sets in each type are very close in picture quality. I like plasma so I chose a top quality plasma. LED's are great for being green and saving power if that interests you.

Does your bedroom tv have a LAN or ability to add a wifi dongle? If it does an inexpensive wifi dongle would allow you to stream media.

If I understand right, this is the one lacking the sat signal which you want to get from your kids room to your own bedroom? And this signal originates downstairs in the family room? You want the same sat signal going to all three tv's? An RF signal, which is what you have going to your kids room already.. is more than capable of feeling 3 televisions without degradation. If splitting the signal is easy, try it. If the connections are solid you shouldn't experience any degradation in signal at all.

But the RF signal is a SD (standard definition) signal, not the high quality signal you get through the HDMI cable from your sat box downstairs. For that kind of quality you'll need either another sat box, or a solution like the Slingbox via a laptop connection.

You've asked your satellite provider? They often have such devices, it's common to run 2-3 televisions in a single household. Having them do it might be the cheapest/best way to get this done.. their solution will probably limit you to an RF signal.

There are HDMI splitters and switches..

Many ways to get done what you want. To start, you need to set exactly what you want (RF or HD quality signal, and at what televisions, and a budget. Work up a solution for each signal type, and then weigh each vs. cost.

Thanks for all the info. At first I thought the options you were extolling were not suitable for me. However I now think it may be a road I travel in the future. For now I will run cables and use boxes for the blue ray and plug in the sat trough an rf lead. I will just have to bite the bullet on the HD sat for now. I can always try to download HD TV to watch either throgh the blue ray (which seems to upgrade any movie I put through it) or off my computer, Thank you agan

[2unique]

Thank you all, by the way I am a bloke (my nick name is Nelly). Just to clarify this, The TV in the kids room will stay as is. They have Satellite through an av/rf converter and their own dvd player. I am looking to send the signals to my own bedroom. the TV there has 1 hdmi connection plus the others that you would expect on a HD ready TV. I do not have a laptop in my bedroom, though I do have a spare. I really want to be able to use my blue ray player though as the quality of it is much better than using my computer. I could probably split the rf signal to my 2 TVs upstairs but think the picture will get worse and worse, and I am trying to keep the best picture possible. I would love to do this through wireless but the cost is prohibitive to me, saying that I do not know the cost of the splitters and switches, or the type of cable so maybe that is up for judgement. I rtealsie that there are better ways of doing what I want, but I want this done now and do not have the extra cash as i will be buying the new TV for downstairs.

As an aside, I was going to buy an LED TV but after some research have found that the hype may not be worth the cost. what do you think about that?

Sorry about the name thing.

Generally switches and splitters are cheap.. a few hundred baht maybe. With that said, wireless is coming down in price a lot lately as well. A wifi dongle can be as little as 200-300 baht. What type of television is an entirely different question, but imo most of the top sets in each type are very close in picture quality. I like plasma so I chose a top quality plasma. LED's are great for being green and saving power if that interests you.

Does your bedroom tv have a LAN or ability to add a wifi dongle? If it does an inexpensive wifi dongle would allow you to stream media.

If I understand right, this is the one lacking the sat signal which you want to get from your kids room to your own bedroom? And this signal originates downstairs in the family room? You want the same sat signal going to all three tv's? An RF signal, which is what you have going to your kids room already.. is more than capable of feeling 3 televisions without degradation. If splitting the signal is easy, try it. If the connections are solid you shouldn't experience any degradation in signal at all.

But the RF signal is a SD (standard definition) signal, not the high quality signal you get through the HDMI cable from your sat box downstairs. For that kind of quality you'll need either another sat box, or a solution like the Slingbox via a laptop connection.

You've asked your satellite provider? They often have such devices, it's common to run 2-3 televisions in a single household. Having them do it might be the cheapest/best way to get this done.. their solution will probably limit you to an RF signal.

There are HDMI splitters and switches..

Many ways to get done what you want. To start, you need to set exactly what you want (RF or HD quality signal, and at what televisions, and a budget. Work up a solution for each signal type, and then weigh each vs. cost.

Thanks for all the info. At first I thought the options you were extolling were not suitable for me. However I now think it may be a road I travel in the future. For now I will run cables and use boxes for the blue ray and plug in the sat trough an rf lead. I will just have to bite the bullet on the HD sat for now. I can always try to download HD TV to watch either throgh the blue ray (which seems to upgrade any movie I put through it) or off my computer, Thank you agan

I have a desktop solely for downloading which is hooked up to my led by hdmi .... I've installed extra storage and this is now my media server. Watching movies upstairs is as simple as plugging the hdmi laptop into the tv and we bought a logitech wireless remote keyboard.

Sent from Android please excuse errors in type or judgement

[BangkokImages]

Thanks for all the info. At first I thought the options you were extolling were not suitable for me. However I now think it may be a road I travel in the future. For now I will run cables and use boxes for the blue ray and plug in the sat trough an rf lead. I will just have to bite the bullet on the HD sat for now. I can always try to download HD TV to watch either throgh the blue ray (which seems to upgrade any movie I put through it) or off my computer, Thank you agan

It's a lot to swallow at once, but hopefully the main ideas will stick and give you something to consider in the future.

If you download torrents you'll grow very fond of the WD TV LIVE HUB I mentioned above. It handles most any file type (anything I've downloaded off a torrent site in the last 9-10 years), and it also handles up to 1080p files. A properly ripped 1080p file played through this box is every bit the quality (without using magnifying glass to pixel peep) of a blu-ray movie in a blu-ray player. More, because they're using hardware based (firmware) high quality codecs, the actual picture quality, color rendition, etc.. will be far superior to any computer system/video card combination. I build and use high dollar workstations with high end video cards for a living so I'm used to having top gear around, and this little box puts a better picture on the screen.

In any case, a home system usually is a progression of gear used in a hit/miss sort of way.. you get by until you get tired or it or want something better.. then you upgrade something again. It's fun if you don't let it annoy you. Good luck with it all.

Edited March 15, 2012 by BangkokImages

[BangkokImages]

I have a desktop solely for downloading which is hooked up to my led by hdmi .... I've installed extra storage and this is now my media server. Watching movies upstairs is as simple as plugging the hdmi laptop into the tv and we bought a logitech wireless remote keyboard.

Sent from Android please excuse errors in type or judgement

I'll say the same thing to you about the WD TV LIVE HUB.. if you make this the device that drives your tv vs. your laptop.. you'll see an immediate and signficant difference in image quality and color. If you have a friend with one, borrow it and try it out. You'll be glad you did.

[2unique]

I have a desktop solely for downloading which is hooked up to my led by hdmi .... I've installed extra storage and this is now my media server. Watching movies upstairs is as simple as plugging the hdmi laptop into the tv and we bought a logitech wireless remote keyboard.

Sent from Android please excuse errors in type or judgement

I'll say the same thing to you about the WD TV LIVE HUB.. if you make this the device that drives your tv vs. your laptop.. you'll see an immediate and signficant difference in image quality and color. If you have a friend with one, borrow it and try it out. You'll be glad you did.

only problem being I have 4.5 TB of storage on my server - if i go anywhere it would probably be sata based storage and player. I've been checking out a friend's new 10Tb of hot swappable rig, only thing is the search function is poor and no covers/posters or info ala media centre master

[BangkokImages]

I have a desktop solely for downloading which is hooked up to my led by hdmi .... I've installed extra storage and this is now my media server. Watching movies upstairs is as simple as plugging the hdmi laptop into the tv and we bought a logitech wireless remote keyboard.

Sent from Android please excuse errors in type or judgement

I'll say the same thing to you about the WD TV LIVE HUB.. if you make this the device that drives your tv vs. your laptop.. you'll see an immediate and signficant difference in image quality and color. If you have a friend with one, borrow it and try it out. You'll be glad you did.

only problem being I have 4.5 TB of storage on my server - if i go anywhere it would probably be sata based storage and player. I've been checking out a friend's new 10Tb of hot swappable rig, only thing is the search function is poor and no covers/posters or info ala media centre master

I understand. I have about 8tb among 2 small NAS's I pull media from via the WD TV LIVE HUB. The built in 1tb is fine for my regular tv series and movie torrents, I have utorrent dump them directly into this built in 1tb drive. Really, this internal drive handles a good 90% of what I view. But, when I want an archived movie you can hit a hot key on the WD TV LIVE HUB's remote.. and be in your main server. It will remember your login information for each server. For me this is my two NAS servers. It plays movies directly from these servers fine. No difference.

The WD TV LIVE HUB also has great connectivity. I run the HDMI to my Samsung 8 series plasma. But then I run an optical TOSLINK carrying the 5.1/7.1 channels to my AV receiver for movies.

What really is nice though is it's speed. It flies through the menus and drives on the servers really quick. Much faster than the built in hub on my Samsung or anything but a dedicated server itself.