Audio-visual Sender for Freeview ?

[yottie]

Daily Mail have an ad for one of these and, if it does what it says on the tin, it's just what I need. Has any-one any advice on these please, I need to be able to view Freeview from my main set in the bed-room upstairs (I pick Freeview signal up through a 9200T Humax on the main set)
Many thanks

 

[gblades]

Insufficient information.

Are you looking for an distribution amp suitable for freeview.

Or are you looking for a wireless sender which just transmits the video output of a box to another tv in the house?

 

[yottie]

A wireless sender that enables me to view Freeview on my TV upstairs from my TV downstairs

 

[gblades]

Yes they do work although the picture is not always perfect and they can suffer from interference.

I would get one that operates on the 5.8GHz frequency rather than 2.4Ghz as that is also used by most wireless networks so you tend to get more interferance.

 

[ericmark]

I have a Mercury ILS102 Universal RF Modulator

which I bought before I realised I could change frequency on my sky box. The transmit filter is very poor and you have to play around a lot to find a frequency that neither it or other channels effect each other.

If you are only transmitting from the Mercury ILS102 Universal RF Modulator on the coax to other rooms it works very well. But if you are also trying to send freeview digital signals then it will vary area to area as to what numbers (frequencies) can be used without harmonics causing problems.

The Sky box transmitter is a lot cleaner. I would expect your 9200T Humax RF output is also cleaner and I wonder why you are not using the built in unit?

Although unlike the sky box there is only a single RF output. And again unlike sky it does not seem to have ability to change channel through the RF cable so although it has some nice features it is not designed for remote use and at £20 for basic freeview box to relay the signals would be hardly worth the expense.

The simplest "Wireless" sender is using another aerial the bandwidth required for "wireless" TV signals is quite high and in Ghz range the gear needs to be such good quality that it is unlikely that you will get anything for less than the price of extra digi boxes.

I use a free to air satellite box in each room as well as main Sky+ as I could not see point of buying freeview boxes as when my sets are renewed they will have freeview built in but unlikely to have DVB-S built in so got DVB-S rather than DVB-T and since so much has been removed from DVB-T with TV's and boxes advertised as with "Common Interface for Pay TV" but the CI-module and Smart Card now being near impossible to buy. Unless you buy the set top box with them already fitted in the same way as you can only use a Sky box with paired card to watch Sky channels you can't use any other make. So I have abandoned DVB-T except for use with PC.

 

[ChrisFrost]

Video senders.... In theory a great idea, but results can be variable.

Going for a 5.8GHz system is sensible advice. There's too much interference on the 2.4GHz band, and it's only going to get worse as it gets evermore crowded.

A decent video sender will do two jobs ..... - 1) Sending a TV signal ......- 2) Relaying a remote control signal. It's this second function that's a real bonus. Getting a signal somewhere is easy, but controlling the source device when it's in another part of the house is a bit trickier.

If it were me in the same boat I'd run some coax aerial cable from the TV out socket on the Humax to the second TV position. I'd then look out for a cheap 2.4GHz sender (or a Powermid) and just use it as a way to get remote control back to the Humax. If that sounds complicated then go for a 5.8GHz system, but buy it from a retailer where you can take it back if it doesn't work.

 

[StephenW]

I know it's not as "gadgety" but couldn't you buy a standalone Freeview receiver (£20-£50) for your bedroom TV. Easy to connect up and can be operated independently.

 

[yottie]

Thanks Steven, the set in the bedroom has a Fview tuner, the problem is the Aerial...the main Aerial is out-side (new and tuned to the main transmitter which we had installed after going digital). To get FView in the BedR I used the old Aerial, which had been tuned to a relay station when used prior to digital. This was set up in the loft, the reception is "very variable" The old aerial is not suited to the main transnitter, I suppose I could try a new aerial in the loft but it would aim directly at next doors walls to get a line of site./ I was wondering if some form of splitter could be used to run the main set and the bed-room set from the o/s aerial.

 

[gblades]

Your best option would be to get a 'loft box' which will distribute the aerial signal to a number of destinations.
See http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/lofthelp.htm

A loft box is better than a splitter/amplifier as it is designed for your specific purpose and also has a return path so you could put on a video downstairs and watch that upstairs aswell.