New multi-room setup

[mike_ayu]

I'm signing up for new DishNetwork service in a new-to-me house. The house currently has 2 coax cables run to an existing DirecTV antenna on teh roof to a cable distribution box that runs 1 coax cable to each room in the house.

I know I want to get to 1 924 and either a second 924 or a 625. Since I can only get a new subscriber deal on a single 924, I was thinking I'd just get one 924 and a 625 and then buy a 924 later if I want.

Question is - do I need the same Dish and wiring to support the 625 that I would for the second 924 (can I just swap out boxes later?) or does the 924 force me to get a different dish?

Also, on wiring, I know I need 2 coax feeds to each of the 924/625s, can I run 2 cables from the roof to each room and then split each one into 2? Or do I have to switch at the junction box to go from 2 to 4? Would be alot easier if I could switch at the receivers so I don't have to run a second cable to each room.


Lastly - I think I know the answer to this, but is there any way to do something like the Tivo Home Media option using DishNetork DVRs? (where you can watch shows on receiver 1 that you recorded on receiver 2?) I'm guessing the answer is no - but maybe someday using the USB port on the 942...

Mike

 

[scott78945]

I am new to Dish also but I think I can answer a couple of your questions. First, I believe the box is the 942, but that is neither here nor there. Both the 942 and the 625 can be mirrored on another television at no additional cost. The 942 has one tuner that is HD and the other is just regular satellite that you can put on another tv. The 625 does the same think, can be put on 2 tv's with one box. As far as I understand, you can watch the DVR independently in either room with either box. Therefore, you can watch the DVR in one room and someone else can watch tv on the other tv. As for the wiring, that I have no clue about so I cannot answer that for you.

 

[mike_ayu]

your right

I did mean the 942 (been reading too many model numbers today...)

The plan is to dual tuner/dual tv receivers in each of 2 rooms, with the 2nd TV output sent to the other room. This allows watching recordings from either receiver in either room by selecting a different source. The only downside is that HD recordings on the other rooms receiver will only be dispalyed in SD in the second room. But until there is a TiVo Home Media like option, that seems to be the best approach.

 

[BluEBoaR]

Hi Mike, and Welcome!

To answer a few of your questions:

The 942 and 625 receivers use identical technology: They are both dual tuners, whereas you only need 1 box to view independent programming in up to 2 separate locations. So to answer your question, yes, you can just swap the boxes out if or when you decide to replace the 625 w/ another 942.

On wiring, Dish has the technology to allow for 2 SAT feeds to run on one line, which are then separated just before plugging into a dual tuner. The 2nd TV output can travel back out on that existing line, then onto wherever TV2 might be. DishPro PLUS equipment is fairly common now (which allows for the above mentioned cable run), so more than likely that is what the installer will use.

And to answer your last question: Each dual tuner is equipped with ONE hard drive. The software allows both tuners to simultaneously use that one drive for their own pause/record/playback needs. All programming recorded by both tuners ends up on that hard drive, and accessed through an on-screen DVR menu in which both TV's have access to. The result: Whatever you record using TV1, you can watch not only on TV1, but also on TV2 as well, and vice-versa. One thing to remember: Since you have 2 dual tuners being installed, both w/ DVR capability, you'll need to choose which 2 rooms share 1 DVR box, and which 2 rooms share the other.

Hope this helped, and as always, let us know how the install went.

 

[mike_ayu]

Thanks BluEBoaR.

This stuff has come a really long ways since I setup my last house 4 years ago!!!

I've been reading a bunch of other threads, do I need to be concerned about which dish is installed (i.e.the new Dish1000) if I want to get HD, Voom, Local channels on the 2 942s?

 

[scott78945]

I am having a SuperDish installed but I will need a second dish to get Voom channels. It is my understanding that not everyone can use the Dish 1000, it all depends on location.

 

[SimpleSimon]

I am new to Dish also but I think I can answer a couple of your questions. First, I believe the box is the 942, but that is neither here nor there. Both the 942 and the 625 can be mirrored on another television at no additional cost. The 942 has one tuner that is HD and the other is just regular satellite that you can put on another tv. The 625 does the same think, can be put on 2 tv's with one box. As far as I understand, you can watch the DVR independently in either room with either box. Therefore, you can watch the DVR in one room and someone else can watch tv on the other tv. As for the wiring, that I have no clue about so I cannot answer that for you.

Tuners are totally indpendent from outputs.

The 942 can record as many as THREE shows at once (use the search button for details).

One of the 942s outputs is HD, the other is SD.

Any E* dual output DVR can have either output access any recorded show at any time.

 

[Liquidforce88]

You can also setup your wiring so that all other TV's can get both 2nd TV feeds from the 625 and 942.

Your main TV's where the receivers are will have that channel only (well not really you could send the 2nd output through to the main tv with the use of an input). Every other outlet in the house can be wired to receive the 2 nd TV output of both receivers. With the use of 2 combiner/splitters. Just set the output of the receivers to different channels like 21 & 60. Then all you have to do is put the TV on the right channel to watch that tuner.

 

[mike_ayu]

Inter-room viewing

That's what I figured. It's too bad, TiVo has really figured out the networking piece - just purchase their home media option, run an ethernet cable to each receiver - as many as you like - and from the UI of each receiver you can pull recorded shows off the other receivers. Much nicer than having to have several a/v sources (each receiver) in each room and having to go find where the show was that you recorded.

Unfortunately, it's not available on the DirecTV version of TiVo, so you are stuck with cable, and by the time you get the channels you want on cable, add the TiVo service, the DVR fees and the Home Media Option fees - your into probably $200/month or more...

Dish's 2 TV solution works fine as long as you only want 2 tvs in your system, as soon as you go beyond that your back to the multiple source distribution issue...

 

[BluEBoaR]

Sometimes I will combine both backfeeds with a splitter, and the TV2 Out's on different channels. A lot of times I do this because the customer can't make up his/her mind which TV they want DVR, and which one they want to sacrifice. Works pretty good!