multi-room new install...need help/advice

[asmcbride]

Helping to plan a multi-room install, here is the current cable layout. I dont have any equipment yet.

Currently have 2 coax lines (rg6) coming from outside the home to a closet. From this closet I have 8 rg6 lines going to (4) different rooms; 2 drops to each room. I only need to have (1) drop active in each room at a time, which will give me a total of (4) active lines at once. I want the ability to potentially have HD on all (4) active lines at once, since each room will have a HD monitor. DVR in each room may not be necessary, however it certainly would be desired if there is potential to do this in each room as well....So, what I need to know is if this is possible? If so, what do I need to get? How many dishes and what kind, which receivers, any other devices such as diplexer, duplers, muliplexers or any of those things (I dont know exactly what all of these things do). Can I do this with only the (2) lines going outside? There is no way to get any more lines outside the building at this point. I greatly appreciate any and all help very much.

--McBride

 

[webbydude]

With your current wiring scheme AND the fact you wish to have HD in every room, your best bet in my opinion, would be to have a Dish 500/DP Twin feeding into a DP 34 switch. The DP 34 would be placed in your closet and basically act as a distribution center. The 4 outputs of the switch would in turn, feed the 4 room in question. Each room would have an 811 HD receiver.

 

[Jared Twomey]

you could do that with a 34 switch, but you won't be able to have the voom hd channels you would need a third line running into the closet

 

[BluEBoaR]

If you need a third orbital location (61.5, 129, or 148 only, not 105 or 121) for the requested programming, you could have 2 dishes, with the line from the 3rd sat signal feeding into the 3rd port of a DPP Twin, but with this config, you can only run two single tuners, or two dual tuners. And neither of these receiver configs would give you HD in four rooms... so, with that said.... WHY DID I WRITE THIS?!?!

Getting back to the issue, asmcbride you need to decide what receivers you want. With only 2 lines going into your house, you need to pray that you don't need a 3rd line in. Assuming you DON'T need the 3rd line, here are your current options:

1) The HD option: 4 rooms, all HD, using 4 ea. 811 receivers just as webbydude mentioned. However, with this config, you get ZERO DVR capabilities.

2) The SACRIFICE option: Don't know if you are able to lease 2 942's, but let's say you could (and you have the $500 to cough up to make this happen). You could then have HD in only 2 rooms, but DVR in all 4.

3) The ABSOLUTELY FREAKIN' INSANE "COLLEGE FOR MY KIDS WAS OVERRATED ANYHOW" option: You lease and/or buy outright 4 ea. 942 receivers, change out the DP-34 switch mentioned earlier by webbydude for a DPP-44 switch, and problem solved! HD AND DVR in all 4 rooms. Now all you have to do is memorize the amount of milk and butter you add to a box of KRAFT Mac-n-Cheeze, cuz that's all you be eatin' after this install

Of course, these facts will probably make you laugh (or cry) more than they will help. But really, if there are better options for HD in 4 rooms, and at least SOME of the TV's having DVR, I don't know about them.

I'm kicking myself for not paying attention to this training class: Does anyone know about the 811 receiver running in QAM mode, and if so, could this apply to asmcbride's situation?

 

[SimpleSimon]

QAM is for MDU installations - the head-end gear to make it happen probably makes a pile of 942s & DPP44s look like a bargain. Of course, I could be wrong.

In short, asmcbride needs to bite a bullet and run some more RG-6 to that closet from the outside. The last big job I did had ELEVEN feeds from the dish mounts (8x8s with cross-beams, etc. about 75' from the closet). Eleven is overkill - the HT pre-wire guy didn't have any real understanding of how satellite works - or HD for that matter. The SIX wall-mount flat-panel TVs only had coax hookups.

 

[ITK]

sounds like the best way to do this, if you want voom is a d500 with a DPP twin and a 300 to 129 wired to the 500, to a dpp44 switch or a dish 1000 to a dpp44 switch.