Sky in more than one room.

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 19
Forum Member
I am looking at a nice way of getting live TV to the kitchen and bedroom.

I have a Sky box in the living room and can get the internet everywhere (got Samsung Smart TVs in both locations with built in WiFi and already using Powerline adaptors, so can extend to both locations if need be) but not able to run any other cables (don't want to lift flooring or have nasty cables running down the wall).

Terrestrial reception in both locations is impossible since the switchover (a bit of fuzz on analogue is something that could be put up with, but not so much on digital)

I have tried wireless video senders. They either work in the 2.4GHz range (hates wifi, which unfortunately is in a direct line between the livingroom TV and the Kitchen TV) or the 5.4GHz (signal penetration isn't as good, so fails to get through the kitchen wall).

I have seen HDMI to ethernet. These are either passive devices that use CAT5 cable, but not as a proper network signal (ie, they won't work over powerline adaptors) or are industrial units (with an industrial price) and don't want to shell out big bucks on something I've not tried before without good recommendations.

The Sky Magic Eye would be nice if they did an ethernet version instead of just co-ax. But then, they probably wouldn't sell as many multiroom subscriptions.

I could get multiroom but would need 2 more boxes (kitchen and a bedroom subscription). And I can't (as yet) watch anything recorded on the living room box on either. Plus, that includes nasty cables.

I could just stream from an outside source (iPlayer does some live TV), however its not the same as being able to flick between channels. And besides, my internet connection isn't that fast either (I need to have a word with people to come fix it)

I do have a PC (Windows box used as a media sever) sitting under the TV which, I suppose if fitted with a TV/SCART/HDMI or whatever type input could be use to stream round the house, but I'd need to find the right hardware to interface (including being able to send IR to the Sky box) and software that allows streaming the input without having to maximise any windows and click on on-screen buttons.

I have a Slingbox Classic, but that needs a PC on the end to receive, not a smart TV or something cheep like a Raspberry Pi, and again, its on screen clicky buttons.

Before I started, I thought this would be an idea someone would have thought of before, but, alas, it does seem a bit of an uncharted territory.

Anyone got any recommendations for a nice (and by nice I mean cheep) way of either improving one of the above ideas or an avenue I haven't though of? While HDMI would be nice, I'd happily settle for a clear Standard Def signal.

Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 208
    Forum Member
    If the WIFI is unable to reach why not use a repeater ideally placed somewhere high in the middle of the house so the existing WIFI signal is received (or a powerline connector or CAT 5 or 6 cable).

    If you can't get an aerial lead (a TV without an aerial?) and you can't get a WIFI signal to them what are you using the TV sets for?

    You could really do with an aerial lead to each set and a distribution amplifier (generally in the loft) so you can distribute signals around the house, can make SKY magic eyes work and only need one TV aerial (I hate houses with multiple aerials, especially on the same chimney!!!)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 19
    Forum Member
    I said I DO have WiFi and can use powerline adaptors if I get a non-wifi enabled device.

    As I said, I do not want to run cables down the walls or rip up the carpets so not going with the co-ax cable answer.

    Currently I use the TVs to stream from my DNLA equipped NAS but would so much like to watch live TV.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 208
    Forum Member
    I have tried wireless video senders. They either work in the 2.4GHz range (hates wifi, which unfortunately is in a direct line between the livingroom TV and the Kitchen TV) or the 5.4GHz (signal penetration isn't as good, so fails to get through the kitchen wall).

    So what, exactly, is wrong with WIFI? I took this as meaning that you couldn't get a good enough coverage?

    You can get repeaters for both 2.4 and 5 GHz.
  • SteveMcKSteveMcK Posts: 5,457
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    greenglide wrote: »
    So what, exactly, is wrong with WIFI? I took this as meaning that you couldn't get a good enough coverage?

    You can get repeaters for both 2.4 and 5 GHz.
    Video senders work in the same band as WiFi, and WiFi often interferes with it, especially if the WiFi unit is directly in the path.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 19
    Forum Member
    Steve has it. If I turn off my wifi, the 2.4 sender works. Not a practical solution.

    Though, the wifi box is in almost a direct line with the livingroom/kitchen path. Maybe I could shut off the wifi in the router, buy a wifi only box and place it off transmission axis and make a directional shield for the receivers (a bit of earthed tinfoil).
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 208
    Forum Member
    Can you not change the channel used by the WIFI network or change the channel used by the sender (if that is possible?).

    The video sender "should not" use all the channels in the 2.4 GHz band.
  • billymillbillymill Posts: 39
    Forum Member
    I know this will not solve all your issues, but a year ro so back I bought an HDMI wireless sender/receiver unit on Amazon. It was about £200. Before this, my experience with video senders was similarly bad, but have been very happy with this system.

    It only works from one Sky box to another TV (with a HDMI splitter at the sky box, so the original TV still gets a signal!).

    I am not sure what frequency this works on, but for me it sends over about 10 metres and through 3 solid brick walls. Picture is HD perfect for us.

    I had a quick look on Amazon and couldn't see the exact model, so realise this is not entirely 100% helpful. But there are similar looking items for about £200 - not sure if you view that as expensive or good value.

    Hope that helps
    Bill
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 19
    Forum Member
    GreenGlide
    I tried different channels on the unit and switching my WiFi channels (I normally have it at 6 as the neighbours systems are all at 1 and 11) but, probably due to proximity and being in line of sight, it still interferes with it no matter what combination of channels I select. Maybe I just have a noisy router.

    Billymill,
    sounds like a nice bit of kit. Bit expensive, but if I know I'm getting one that is tried and tested, I may be tempted. Though to receive on two different TVs I'd need an extra receiver, probably pushing it up to £400 for two units.
  • Nigel GoodwinNigel Goodwin Posts: 58,330
    Forum Member
    greenglide wrote: »
    Can you not change the channel used by the WIFI network or change the channel used by the sender (if that is possible?).

    The video sender "should not" use all the channels in the 2.4 GHz band.

    Video uses a LOT more bandwidth than WiFi does, and it's there continuously, so it's VERY likely to wipe out most, if not all, of the band.

    Video senders are pretty well a waste of time, and 2.4GHz ones even more so.
  • Gaz82Gaz82 Posts: 869
    Forum Member
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    Ditch the Sky box and put a couple of DVB-S2 PCI-e Cards in your Media Server PC, then install Mediaportal Server to share them.

    Either build a couple of cheap PC's running Mediaportal for the Kitchen/Bedroom TV's or Rasberry Pi's running XBMC/Openelec as the frontend if cost is an issue.

    This would allow you to watch live TV at each location by sharing the tuners in your main Server. You would also have a central location where your recordings are saved and can view them at each TV. And your existing content would be presented a lot nicer than just a list as it is with Samsung DNLA.

    There is even a way to get your Sky TV channels working on through Mediaportal using a smartcard reader and your existing Sky viewing card but I probably can't talk about that here. Have a look at the Home Entertainment PC's forum at avforums.com

    You could end up with a solution that looks like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptPU8bXLXDo
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 19
    Forum Member
    Gaz, does sound a bit more extreme than I though a solution needed to be. I was hoping it would be a nice simple plug in solution (as per wireless senders and Sky's eye thingy) and a bit fiddly over the subscribed channels, but I'll have a nose at it.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 124
    Forum Member
    There is a Roku box now that can receive the stream from a Slingbox, and plugs into a TV. I suspect you would need a modern Slingbox though.
  • scepticsceptic Posts: 400
    Forum Member
    You can do HDMI over Cat 5e/6 with IR feedback relatively cheaply these days. THIS is a neat solution or alternatively and slightly cheaper take a look at THIS one...
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 19
    Forum Member
    Mikdyer, that sounds a good one. The old one works from a PC only (I think there was an android app at one point that they sold as an extra) but if it works from something like a Roku, it might be worth getting a new one.

    Sceptic, I mentioned them in the original post. They use cat5 cable, but not as a network signal, so I cannot pipe the signal round the house via powerline adaptors and would have to run cables direct from the livingroom to the two TVs.
  • MartinPickeringMartinPickering Posts: 3,711
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    The Sky Magic Eye would be nice if they did an ethernet version instead of just co-ax.

    I read one report from someone successfully passing the 7MHz "Magic Eye" signal through a twisted pair of his CAT5e cable. Worth a try.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 19
    Forum Member
    I read one report from someone successfully passing the 7MHz "Magic Eye" signal through a twisted pair of his CAT5e cable. Worth a try.

    But that is not using ethernet cable as a normal network cable and, therefore, will not work across powerline adaptors. I do not have any direct cable from these TVs to the Sky box.
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