Hi there, we are getting a sideboard that will have the tv sitting on it. now the wife being house proud want all box,s stoed and used inside the thing so magic eye seems to the solution, more technology to get to grips with! are there any that you guys would reccomend?

Thanks in advance

Hi there, Ok, seems a simple peice bit of tech but always mentions using to control a tv in another room but I only want to use it in the same room for a box inside a sideboard,
Can you still use it for that?
sorry If i appear a bit thick!

Thanks in advance

Assuming it's a Sky box and the magic eye is connected to rf2 out then there's no problem, all the magic eye does is convert any infra red control signals sent to it to a vhf signal which is sent back down the coax to the sky box, The box converts these back to a remote control signal the sky box understands.

All you need is a short piece of coax from rf2 out on the sky box to a magic eye/skylink outside the cupboard and it should work provided the rf2 power is turned on to power the electronics in the magic eye.

Thanks for the reply, its for a Humax foxsat HDR if that is linked differently from a s*y box.

Cheers

Only a sky box will work with magic eyes unless you add extra kit. You need an infra red extender. The bit inside the cupboard needs a small stick on infra red emitter you put over the ir receiver on the hdr.

Other than the lnb connections there's no rf sockets on Freesat kit.

Examples

IR Extender

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marmitek-Pow.../dp/B000GIXH42

Stick on bit

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marmitek-Eye...ref=pd_cp_ce_2

One other thing to consider. Ventilation. Modern electronic kit can generate quite a bit of heat. if there is nowhere for that heat to dissipate to then you could have problems. That is why most AV cabinets are open fronted at the very least to allow some airflow round the kit.

And you say it's a sideboard so do I assume it is not specifically designed for AV kit? If so then it probably won't have cable access holes round the back so you can get mains power and the leads from the dish into it and the HDMI lead to the telly out of it.

Yes its not specific and I will need to make access for the cables, it will sit on a shelf by it's self but will need to keep an eye on temp, there is a space created by legs and was thinking of putting it there for better ventilation and place it on a thin board on the carpet.

Thanks for the reply

You could use something like a 5mm drill and drill a series of holes about 15-20mm apart across the back of the shelf space where the Humax will be sitting. Assuming SWMBO will let you "ruin" her furniture!

That should be more than OK for the box. I doubt it generates vastly more heat than my Humax PVR. That runs warm to the touch but not excessively so. But that is in an open fronted cabinet with about 100mm clear air above it.

If you were planning on putting a big 5.1 surround sound amp in the cabinet then that would be a different matter. My Onkyo would not like being in a confined space and would soon get hot enough to fry eggs on without adaquate ventilation!

Thanks for the reply, I've read some of the reviews and they some don't mention the remote extender, do you really need it? some mention you just plug in the two units and nothing else and that it can be used to control other equipment at the same time.

Thanks in advance

Without the extender you have to place the ir repeater receiver so it points directly at the front of the box where the infrared receiver is located. This would be pretty awkward to arrange I imagine in your situation. This is OK where the box is in the open in a room and you can place the receiver in front of it, basically to allow remote control from another room.

The original system is called tv-link. Note, it distributes a SD only picture with mono sound, there's no HD and no stereo sound.

http://www.tvlink.co.uk/

The Philex SLX system - sold online & at Maplin shops - is completely compatible with the original Global (now Inviacom) system.

A bypass kit is only needed if you use a distribution amplifier that can;t handle tv link, mainly older ones.

If you don;t have a Sky box permanently connected, tv link needs an external power supply .... it's all in the Omnilink kit.

1 eye version

http://www.beststuff.co.uk/store/Omn...l-Extender.htm

3 eye version

http://www.aerialshack.com/omnilink-...ink-p-519.html

Made by Philex

http://www.philex.com/catalogue/prod...d=295&cat=1037

You can - of course - buy single eyes separately !

Tanks spiney for the advice, but its info overload time, I only want to operate a foxsat HDR which will be placed inside a sideboard so i want to be able to use the remote with the door closed and not route the signal round the house, I have to feeds from the LNB in the living room in case her indoors wants to move the furniture around (stops me having to crawl around under the floor, another twin lead to the second bedroom where I can attach another box again coming from the LNB, I will then feed cable from a splitter in the loft for freeview to both bedrooms from a new arieal, this was all fitted for £120 including dish, athough I will be feeding the cables from the loft.

Thanks in advance

The kit spiney2 linked to will do the job the same as the powermids. The eye fits outside the cupboard and connects to the smaller box. The smaller box connects by a short piece of coax to the inside of the cupboard and connects to the larger box. This is connected to the supplied power supply and the the infrared extender which sticks in front of the ir receiver on the hdr.

It works like a magic eye does with a skybox but the box inside converts the remote signals sent over coax back to infra red inside the box.