New Subscriber Questions

[sdsat]

I'm about to take the Directv plunge and cancel Time Warner. Could I ask a few questions that are probably very basic, but I haven't found the answers yet:

1. I am planning to order an HD/DVR and I'll need at least one other receiver (that may be a DVR too). I also have a third TV. But, it is an old 8 incher that I only use to watch the news in the morning when getting ready for work. It doesn't seem worth paying $5 month for another receiver for that TV. Is there a way to watch the same channel that is on one of the other receivers on my little 8 inch? At that time in the morning noone is watching the other TV's anyway so it would be great if I could do it and avoid the extra $5/month. Do the remotes allow you to change channels in another room?

Unfortunately, the location where I watch the 8 inch TV only has an existing cable outlet and no Cat 5 cable. My home is fully wired for cable. Could I put a splitter on the cable from the receiver to the TV and plug it into the wall and watch it on the other cables in the house (including my 8 inch TV?). Or, do they use the existing cable to get the sat signal to my other receiver (which may be a DVR)? What happens if I have cable internet as well? Any help for a noobie would be much appreciated!

2. How many times will the installer have to drill into my home? I understand that a DVR may require two cables. If I have a DVR on my 2nd TV, does that mean 4 cables and running them from the Dish outside my home to the 2 rooms with the DVR's? Sounds messy. There must be a better solution.

3. I am planning to go through AAA to get $10 off per month for 24 months and use the $23 off package that expires next week. I am also hoping to get the referral $50 off and the Amex payment $50 off. Can I stack all of these discounts? Am I missing something here?

Thanks!!!!

 

[rad]

#1, all the outputs are active on the HD DVR's so you could get a cheap RF modulator, connect it to the compisite (yellow) video output and the red/white audio out's and then run coax to the 2nd TV. Yes, only output will be the same on both sets. You can also go to the DirecTV web site and order a 2nd RD remote control so you can control the DVR from the 2nd room.

#2, Yes, each DVR needs two cables, one for each tuner. The exception to this is if you have a SWMSlimline LNB installed, which uses only 1 cable. These are being installed in limited markets at this time and only when 5 or more tuners (like 2 DVR's and 1 non-DVR receiver = 5 tuners). You could also buy one on your own, the Weaknees sponsor on this site sells them with a special discount for site members. Assuming no SWM then there will be 4 cables from the dish at least. If you need more then 4 connections then a WB68 switch would be installed, the four cables from the dish run to it and then the receivers connect to the switch wherever it's located.

#3, sorry don't know that one.

 

[sdsat]

Thanks Rad. I've just completed reading a huge number of posts and I'd like to confirm what I think I learned.

1. The installer will install the dish and run 125 feet of coax through an outside wall. I assume that is 125 feet for each run of cable?

2. Each DVR requires 2 cables (or the new gadget that may not be in my area). I guess I don't really care which. Should I?

3. If I have 2 DVR's and a SD receiver, I will need 5 cables. Perhaps it will be easier and potential about the same price over two years just to add in 1 more SD receiver? $120 for a receiver over 2 years versus buying an output device and an RF remote for how much? Of course, the remote and output device have no ongoing costs.

4. The installer is very unlikely to try to use my existing cable wiring. Right? If true, could I use it to deliver the signal from one of my DVRs to the coax in the walls in my house? Couldn't I just split the output from the DVR before it goes into the television and hook one of the splits to my coax? Then, all I'd need is a remote.

Thanks again for so much information!!

 

[rad]

Thanks Rad. I've just completed reading a huge number of posts and I'd like to confirm what I think I learned.

1. The installer will install the dish and run 125 feet of coax through an outside wall. I assume that is 125 feet for each run of cable?

2. Each DVR requires 2 cables (or the new gadget that may not be in my area). I guess I don't really care which. Should I?

3. If I have 2 DVR's and a SD receiver, I will need 5 cables. Perhaps it will be easier and potential about the same price over two years just to add in 1 more SD receiver? $120 for a receiver over 2 years versus buying an output device and an RF remote for how much? Of course, the remote and output device have no ongoing costs.

4. The installer is very unlikely to try to use my existing cable wiring. Right? If true, could I use it to deliver the signal from one of my DVRs to the coax in the walls in my house? Couldn't I just split the output from the DVR before it goes into the television and hook one of the splits to my coax? Then, all I'd need is a remote.

Thanks again for so much information!!

No problem. For these questions:

#1, that's my understanding, it's not a total of 125" of cable, just how far they'll go from the dish to the receiver.

#2, you can use only 1 cable to each DVR but then only 1 tuner will be operational, no recording one channel while watching another, I'd strongly go with the two cables if they don't install a SWM for you.

#3, that's your call. A RF remote is $25 I think, RadioShack has a RF modular for $28. You're asking the wrong person on this, there's only two of us in the dog and I have 6 receivers, so you can probably guess my answer.

#4, HD DVR's don't have any connections for COAX outputs so there is no splitting to do there. AFAIK, installers will try to use existing cable to save them time and money, unless you tell them not to, you have someother use for it.

 

[sdsat]

Thanks again. I went to the website after typing my last post and saw that the RF remote is only $25. That makes the fix potentially very cheap.

But, I'm still confused. Why would I need an RF modulator? Couldn't I just use coax? If I run the HD straight to the TV, then I have the coax output for sending to another TV. Right? Do I still need something else? And, I believe I will also have the yellow video feed and the red/white audio feeds to potentially send to my DVD recorder, right?

 

[rad]

Thanks again. I went to the website after typing my last post and saw that the RF remote is only $25. That makes the fix potentially very cheap.

But, I'm still confused. Why would I need an RF modulator? Couldn't I just use coax? If I run the HD straight to the TV, then I have the coax output for sending to another TV. Right? Do I still need something else? And, I believe I will also have the yellow video feed and the red/white audio feeds to potentially send to my DVD recorder, right?

The HD DVR's do NOT have a coax output on them, that's why you need the RF Modulator, to take the compsite video/audio output from the HD DVR, turn into a NTSC signal that you can then feed out via COAX to the other TV.

 

[sdsat]

The HD DVR's do NOT have a coax output on them, that's why you need the RF Modulator, to take the compsite video/audio output from the HD DVR, turn into a NTSC signal that you can then feed out via COAX to the other TV.

Wow. No coax. I got it. If I try the modulator route and it doesn't work (I wonder about the internet also being on the cable for example), can I add a SD receiver later at no cost (other than the $5 monthly fee)? Or, should I have them install the cable with the original install (and can I dump a receiver without a fee)?

 

[jcrandall]

The little $20 modulators work fine, I use them on my HD-DVRs.

You can add SD receivers later on, they will be either free or $69, at DirecTVs discretion. If you add it before your install it will be free.

 

[sdsat]

The little $20 modulators work fine, I use them on my HD-DVRs.

You can add SD receivers later on, they will be either free or $69, at DirecTVs discretion. If you add it before your install it will be free.

Great. Thanks. Any idea whether I would have trouble using the existing coax in my home that will no longer have cable TV, but will have cable internet, to move the signal via the modulator to basically any room in the house?

By the way, the cable folks installed a signal booster in the house 5 years ago. Should I remove it or maybe even try to use it with the modulator?

 

[hdtvtechno]

If the current Cabling is RG-59 then u need to replace them
If u have RG 6 Cabling then you are fine..

 

[sdsat]

If the current Cabling is RG-59 then u need to replace them
If u have RG 6 Cabling then you are fine..

The house is 8 years old and has cat 5 throughout as well as cable with multiple cable outlets in several rooms. How do I tell if it has RG 6?

 

[hdtvtechno]

The house is 8 years old and has cat 5 throughout as well as cable with multiple cable outlets in several rooms. How do I tell if it has RG 6?

You may need to unscrew the wall outlet and pull out the cable and look on the cable itself it should be printed on the it..

 

[sdsat]

Tried a DVD Player

I purchased an RF modulator and tried an old DVD Player. I unhooked the cable at the entrance to my home, hooked the DVD player to the modulator, and then plugged the modulator into the cable outlet in the wall. I could see and hear the DVD on the TV's hooked to my cable in 2 other rooms. But, the picture was very fuzzy and/or rolled. Any idea what this means? Does this mean that it wouldn't work with the satellite box?

Any thoughts much appreciated. By the way, does the SD/DVR from DTV have a coax output? I could use either the HD/DVR or the SD/DVR to plug into the existing cable in my home if it works.

By the way, I looked at the cable and if my memory serves all it said was CATV.n