DirecTV DVR Help!

[ahatchjr]

Okay. This is my first DVR. I'm a pretty smart guy, I thought I could figure this out myself. (Problem #1)

(Main Problem): I have had DirecTV for almost a year. I have a "Round" dish, with what looks like two LNB lines. I bought the package with two receivers. Looking at the way the installer from DirecTV connected everything, the installer took one LNB and connected it to my coax that leads to the den and the other LNB and connected it to the coax that leads to the master bedroom. [The builder installed the coaxial cable, a junction box in the garage with a splitter that goes to all the rooms and a single coax leading in from the outside]. The installer took one LNB and tied into the original lead that goes to the junction box. He took the second LNB and drilled through my wall and ran coax along the baseboard to the junction box. As I stated before, within the junction box he took the original line-in and connected it directly to the line leading to my master bedroom, he took the other line he dropped and connected it directly to the line leading to my den.

Now, to my question. My DVR in the den, there's only one coax outlet. (I'm on a slab, and running more coax is going to be near impossible) How can I run both LNBs from the satellite to connect to my DVR and still have a connection in the master?

Will a multiswitch allow me to combine both LNBs, and run lines to each room; and in my den, where I only have one coax outlet, can I split the line again to connect to both inputs on my DVR?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[stevesmall]

take the helmet off it is blocking your vision, THE FORCE IS AFFECTED BY HDTV

You must have 2 lines for a dvr to work to its true potential, i am most sure of this but there are some serious TIVO SOBS out here that mioght be able to help you.

 

[ShadowEKU]

take the helmet off it is blocking your vision, THE FORCE IS AFFECTED BY HDTV

what the?



okay anyway

Okay. This is my first DVR. I'm a pretty smart guy, I thought I could figure this out myself. (Problem #1)

(Main Problem): I have had DirecTV for almost a year. I have a "Round" dish, with what looks like two LNB lines. I bought the package with two receivers. Looking at the way the installer from DirecTV connected everything, the installer took one LNB and connected it to my coax that leads to the den and the other LNB and connected it to the coax that leads to the master bedroom. [The builder installed the coaxial cable, a junction box in the garage with a splitter that goes to all the rooms and a single coax leading in from the outside]. The installer took one LNB and tied into the original lead that goes to the junction box. He took the second LNB and drilled through my wall and ran coax along the baseboard to the junction box. As I stated before, within the junction box he took the original line-in and connected it directly to the line leading to my master bedroom, he took the other line he dropped and connected it directly to the line leading to my den.

Now, to my question. My DVR in the den, there's only one coax outlet. (I'm on a slab, and running more coax is going to be near impossible) How can I run both LNBs from the satellite to connect to my DVR and still have a connection in the master?

Will a multiswitch allow me to combine both LNBs, and run lines to each room; and in my den, where I only have one coax outlet, can I split the line again to connect to both inputs on my DVR?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ok im not a D* person but I think i can help field this one.

for the Directivo to work correctly you will need 2 sat feeds in there. You cant split this as it will not work properly. Now without some rewiring (and anyone that can correct me if im wrong) you will need a cascadable multi switch installed (probably best in teh junction box) with BOTH of the feeds from the dish leading to it. (A switch such as a 2(or 3)x4 would work i believe). Each of the outputs of the switch will need to go to a tuner. AKA 2 to the Directivo and 1 to the standard.

I may be wrong but im about 90% confident of this.

Im an E* sub myself.

 

[ahatchjr]

Thanks, ShadowEKU. That's kind of what I was thinking. I went at lunch and bought a multiswitch. Here's a diagram of what I understand should be done.

Will this work? Has anyone tried this setup?

 

[ahatchjr]

Just for anyone with the same problem, the above diagram works.

Yippee!!!!!

 

[Neutron]

You cannot run both tuners off of one cable without using a stacker/destacker setup.

 

[minorthr]

A tech came to my parents house and tried this and it didnt work.

 

[Neutron]

I seriously doubt it because the 18X20 dish is a 3 LNB.

 

[stevesmall]

I see no reason that would work CORRECTLY

 

[cr0mag]

Thanks, ShadowEKU. That's kind of what I was thinking. I went at lunch and bought a multiswitch. Here's a diagram of what I understand should be done.

Will this work? Has anyone tried this setup?

:yikes If that config works at first, don't be surprised if it quits working after a while... The problem is that splitter you have inline before your DVR. They simply don't work correctly with a DBS signal. I don't know the answer as to why... I'm sure some of the real techies here can answer that. But I've been down this road before.

There have been tons of people, including myself that have tried to install a D* dvr without running another coax cable from the dish's switch, but trust me, it is simply not feasable! If and I do mean IF that set up works, the splitter will either die or the irregularities in voltage and signal strength will eventually cause damage to one of the other components in your setup. (Let's just hope that it's not a reciever!)

I spent an entire Sunday running cable around my house and through my tiny 'crawlspace like' attic and I'm very glad that I did. The only thing that I would do differently next time is that I would have an installer do it instead of myself!

 

[meStevo]

You cant do it because of the different flavors of voltage. You change the flavor to get a signal from the appropriate LNB (i think). With 2 tuners on one cable changing flavors you get stuff overriding and cancelling resulting in intermitant signal and half your channels not working.

Thats the 'i know just enough why it doesn't work' version.

 

[byarow]

Here's an idea...

Put the box in the garage and run 2 lines into it from your mulit-switch...then run RF output to your box in the Den using the existing RG6 run. This will require that your box have an RF remote...but you will get your 2 tuner DVR function.

 

[AccidenT]

Here's an idea...

Put the box in the garage and run 2 lines into it from your mulit-switch...then run RF output to your box in the Den using the existing RG6 run. This will require that your box have an RF remote...but you will get your 2 tuner DVR function.

Maybe I'm missing something, but how will he get the video and audio signals from the box in garage to the tv in the den?

 

[Neutron]

That's what RF out to his TV in the den means. Running one coax from the box in the garage to his TV's coax in.

 

[AccidenT]

That's what RF out to his TV in the den means. Running one coax from the box in the garage to his TV's coax in.

Ah, I thought that was to carry the rf remote signal out to the garage.

 

[ShadowEKU]

yeah i dont think that would work. theres no way around running 2 lines to the DirecTivo... i think you will have to use 2 lines from the multiswitch for the directivo and 1 to the standard receiver.

 

[MarkG]

Referencing your diagram: What you need is to eliminate the Terk switch splitter at the DVR, as it is not meant to do what you are trying to do with it ! Go directly from output 1 on the RCA multiswitch to LNB-A input on DVR with that existing cable,then run another cable from unused output 3 on the RCA mutiswitch directly to LNB-B input at DVR . If you cannot run the second cable from the output 3 of the Multiswitch,it will not work correctly and you will have to be content to only use 1 tuner on the DVR.

 

[byarow]

Let me clarify what I meant...

1) Put DVR in Garage
2) Run Out 1 to LNB 1
3) Run Out 2 to LNB 2
4) Run Out 3 to BedRoom

5) On the DVR80, run the RF out (the output with the F-connector) to your LR TV.
6) Buy a IR to RF Transmitter (http://www.smarthome.com/8210.HTML)
7) Enjoy watching a recorded show, while you are recording 2 others!

 

[robert luzzi]

it will not work. trust me . if you are getting signal it is only on the odd (18volt) transponders. just run the new coax and do it the right way.

.....bob

 

[ahatchjr]

:yikes If that config works at first, don't be surprised if it quits working after a while... The problem is that splitter you have inline before your DVR. They simply don't work correctly with a DBS signal. I don't know the answer as to why... I'm sure some of the real techies here can answer that. But I've been down this road before.

There have been tons of people, including myself that have tried to install a D* dvr without running another coax cable from the dish's switch, but trust me, it is simply not feasable! If and I do mean IF that set up works, the splitter will either die or the irregularities in voltage and signal strength will eventually cause damage to one of the other components in your setup. (Let's just hope that it's not a reciever!)

I spent an entire Sunday running cable around my house and through my tiny 'crawlspace like' attic and I'm very glad that I did. The only thing that I would do differently next time is that I would have an installer do it instead of myself!

Okay, so cr0mag was right. It works intermittantly. So I guess I'll try to run more coax somehow.

Thanks everyone for your input.