Hi folks

New a round here and I have a question relating to a fairly new product, hence why I probably cannot find the answer to my question anywhere.

For context, I am a sky customer with full package tv, bb and phone and am looking at better value alternatives as £115 per month + is getting hard to stomach. So, I am looking at BTs offerings.

My current setup is Sky + HD box in the lounge, with coax cables leading from there to the main bed room and kitchen. In the bedroom, I have a magic eye connected to give us full functionality when we want to watch in bed etc (and suits us perfectly as we never ever watch tv separately) and then the coax leading to he kitchen tv is merely plugged Into the tv and mirrors whatever is on the Sky channel in the lounge. Again, this suits us just fine.

I have pretty much made up my mind that I want to go with BT, and use Netflix on their youview box and possibly a fire stick in there to boot. However, these newer Humax ultra HD boxes do not appear to have any analogue outputs on them and so am guessing my current analogue setup with the Sky box will not work.

So my query in a nutshell is, what options are open - if any - to fully control a Humax DTR-T4000 from another room either wired or wirelessly, though expect this may not be possible thru coax cable?

Many thanks in advance
Dan

Loads of ir remote control extenders on web eg


http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00D...ntrol+extender

A very good point oilman and one I had overlooked, thank you! However my issue remains that whilst I can control the box with such an extender, I don't think there is a way to connect the tv upstairs to the Humax box?

As I say it is currently coax cable which I'm not sure is supported, and don't know if there is some form of digital converter to enable digital signals to be sent down a coax cable? I'm still learning with all this so not sure what I need...

You can get various types of modulator to convert the output of the Humax into an RF signal to feed up the coax to the bedroom TV. You need a modulator with HDMI input as that is the only output the DTR4000 seems to have.

Modulators with HDMI tend to be digital, in effect they create their own mux, albeit with only one channel. They also tend not to be very cheap, this is one of the cheaper models I could find

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KBXKJ2A

You will also need a HDMI splitter with something like the above so that you can use the Humax with the TV next to it as well.

Thanks chrisjr I have found something that looks similar and a bit cheaper?

http://www.cameras-cctv.com/HD-Acces...FUEcGwod-FQMYA

Sorry I pasted the wrong link, yeah I can't find a modulator much/any cheaper either. Ah well I guess the £50/month saving will offset any such outgoings!

Not the same sort of device at all and not suitable for your purpose.

The HDMI socket is actually an output not an input. It converts a video signal presented on a BNC connector to HDMI format not HDMI into any form of coaxial video/RF signal type.

A possible alternative, if you can run a couple of CAT5/6 cables as used for networking would be something like this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Neet®-Extend.../dp/B00HFUTTQY

With an optional add on it also does IR remote extending as well.

Thanks chris. Having thought about it a bit more, there is actually no reason for me to get the ultra HD version as I am not yet planning on upgrading the tv to 4K, it's just because with the BT package I was looking st this is the box BT ship.

The next box down is the Humax DTR-T2100, still 1080p and does seem to have RF input and output so should suit my needs better and should negate the need to have a modulator to work with the tv upstairs, I'd just need the remote extender as oilman proposed above

No it won't. The Humax does not have a built in modulator. The RF out is simply there to allow you to pass on the aerial feed to the TV without having to faff about with splitters.

Right ok I think I'm beginning to get it. Forgive my ineptitude, so am I right in thinking I'll need: box > modulator from RF output > coax to upstairs?

Also if you have links to a modulator that I'll need that'd be great. Must be obvious when you know but right now I'm confused and I'm no idiot...! Well...

The modulator derives it's input from the SCART or HDMI out of the Humax not the RF out. If there was any sort of signal on the RF out from the Humax you wouldn't need an external modulator

So the connection set up would be.

1/ Humax SCART --> Modulator SCART
2/ Aerial downlead --> Humax Aerial IN
3/ Humax Aerial OUT --> Modulator Aerial IN
4/ Modulator Aerial OUT --> Remote TVs

The linking of all the aerial In and Out sockets is so you can feed both the modulated signal from the Humax and Freeview to the remote TV. If you just want the modulated output of the Humax and nothing else then you don't need step 3

A few random examples...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mercury-350-...dp/B000M6SMKW/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Labgear-MOD1...dp/B000NPDLE4/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antiference-...dp/B00QKRH2DU/

Never used any of the above so would not like to say whether any of them are any good or not.

One thing to remember if you use any of these is that you will only get an SD picture even if the Humax is set to a HD channel or playing back a HD recording. The only way to get HD picture quality is to use a digital modulator such as the one I linked to above or HDMI over CAT5/6 cable extenders.

you're a star Chris thanks, same modulators i found i just wasn't 100% sure if they'd be suitable but that's all as i had kinda worked out myself, though many thanks for confirming.

Thank you

If you want full quality hd on tv, you can buy an hdmi video sender from maplin for example. Not cheap though at £150.

Hi guys, just thought I'd post about something I read tonight on this topic, which is that if a scart-driven modulator is used then the Humax box might lose certain functionality if both the HDMI and scart outputs are used on the Humax box (as the box will prioritise feeding signal to the HDMI connection over the scart?)

Not sure what the truth is behind this, as it may scupper my plans to just use a wireless remote sender in our bedroom and in effect have full functionality of the YouView box from upstairs.

Also hearing differing reviews from people as to the effectiveness of said wireless senders such as the Marmitek one suggested above. Again any 'real world' testimonies would be brilliant.

I have placed my order for BT now and really don't want to have to cancel it if we can't use the tv easily enough upstairs (as the missus just won't have it if it doesn't!)

Thanks in advance

Or another thought - is there another type of modulator that uses other than scart (if my query above is indeed correct that functionality is limited due to both scart and HDMI being used)?

I am no expert on the BT box but I have seen various reports that suggest that certainly at one time you only got the menus and EPG on HDMI if you used both HDMI and SCART at the same time. Equally there are other reports that this was fixed in some firmware update or other and now you do get menus and EPG on both.

Wireless senders can be very flaky. It depends on which type you get and what is in-between where the send and receive ends are.

Some types use the same 2.4GHz band as WiFi and are subject to all the same problems of interference as WiFi. Others use 5GHz but that generally has lower range than 2.4GHz. Either band is affected by what is between the send and receive units.

Every wall and floor the signal has to pass through will degrade it to some extent. If you already have the coax cable in place then that will be a far more reliable connection.

I have already linked to a HDMI digital modulator. That, or a device like it, is the only option if SCART doesn't work as expected.