Ive run through a couple of scenarios as to HOW we could make the switch from E* to D* and I think I've almost got it figured out. If you can bear to read through this and tell me if I'm missing anything and/or answer questions, I would sure appreciate a few more sets of eyes on this....
I think I have resolved issues with going to a DVR that can't handle 3 streams at once. We make pretty heavy use of the DVRs on E* so I wrote down everything we're recording in a spreadsheet and assigned them to either living room or bedroom DVR as though we had D* HD DVRs instead of our E* DVRs. Criteria for assigning was that we could only be recording one thing at a time on a single DVR so that we could still watch live TV.
I only have 2 nights during the week when we'd have to watch the 10 o'clock news on antenna because both DVR tuners are in use in the bedroom DVR. We get good OTA so not a big deal. I'm not going to bother with getting AM21s for teh DVRs because if it doesn't add a third useable recordable stream, I can't see the need. My TVs get great OTA reception. Switch to antenna input on TV and done.
At each TV location (HD DVR location) I have 2 coax and 2 RJ45. 1coax is my antenna, the other is satellite. The satellite coax runs go from the satellite location on the roof, one cable each to 2 existing DVRs. If I place the D* dish where the E* dish currently is, there is enough slack in the cable that they could mount any SWiM or switchgear on the inside of my garage on the back wall just about right under the dish and there's electric power there. House newly rewired. I also have an added ground rod right below the dish location and it is bonded to the main house ground rod. Coax is RG6 quad shield. The main antenna feed goes into the basement where my patch panel is and goes into a 4 port distribution amp and from there out to the TV locations.
The 2 RJ45 are 1 phone and 1 ethernet currently. They run to a patch panel in the basement and I can make them both ethernet, both phone, one of each, simply by moving a patch cable to the correct spot on the panel.
So mechanically, will they be able to replace my E* dish with a D* dish and use the exising cabling pretty much as is? I need a single coax to each DVR and I believe D* can do that now instead of needing 2, correct?
Operational questions:
If my wife is in the bedroom watching a program that was recorded on the living room DVR (using whole house DVR). Can that living room DVR still be recording 1 satellite program AND still allow me to watch live TV (hockey game!) ?
If the bedroom DVR is recording 2 programs already, can we still use it to watch a program that was previously recorded on the living room DVR using the whole house DVR feature? Or is that DVR unit tied up once you are using both tuners?
I'm trying to get a feel for how many different things the HR24 can do at the same time. My understanding is that it can only stream 1 thing at a time over ethernet, either to another receiver/HD DVR or to a computer using a program that allows you to access the DVRs. Does streaming something over ethernet "use up" a tuner? Or is it a separate function?
My current understanding is that while you can see everything that's been DVR'ed on both receivers (using whole house DVR) you still have to set up the recording at each individual receiver. That you can't sit at one receiver (let's say in the living room) and set up recordings on the living room DVR and selectively, the bedroom DVR as well. Correct?
And that being the case, can you go online and schedule recordings? Or use an iPod Touch? And in doing that would you be able to see both DVRs and set up recordings on them?
I'm really close to doing this, especially now that E* has dropped MSG. Sabres hockey is a big deal to me. And unless something happens real soon, I'm going to miss the opener.
Thanks for any info to help me fill in the blanks. I have to know how all this works so I can explain it to the finance department (wife) so there's no surprises later. Or at least as few as possible
I think I have resolved issues with going to a DVR that can't handle 3 streams at once. We make pretty heavy use of the DVRs on E* so I wrote down everything we're recording in a spreadsheet and assigned them to either living room or bedroom DVR as though we had D* HD DVRs instead of our E* DVRs. Criteria for assigning was that we could only be recording one thing at a time on a single DVR so that we could still watch live TV.
I only have 2 nights during the week when we'd have to watch the 10 o'clock news on antenna because both DVR tuners are in use in the bedroom DVR. We get good OTA so not a big deal. I'm not going to bother with getting AM21s for teh DVRs because if it doesn't add a third useable recordable stream, I can't see the need. My TVs get great OTA reception. Switch to antenna input on TV and done.
At each TV location (HD DVR location) I have 2 coax and 2 RJ45. 1coax is my antenna, the other is satellite. The satellite coax runs go from the satellite location on the roof, one cable each to 2 existing DVRs. If I place the D* dish where the E* dish currently is, there is enough slack in the cable that they could mount any SWiM or switchgear on the inside of my garage on the back wall just about right under the dish and there's electric power there. House newly rewired. I also have an added ground rod right below the dish location and it is bonded to the main house ground rod. Coax is RG6 quad shield. The main antenna feed goes into the basement where my patch panel is and goes into a 4 port distribution amp and from there out to the TV locations.
The 2 RJ45 are 1 phone and 1 ethernet currently. They run to a patch panel in the basement and I can make them both ethernet, both phone, one of each, simply by moving a patch cable to the correct spot on the panel.
So mechanically, will they be able to replace my E* dish with a D* dish and use the exising cabling pretty much as is? I need a single coax to each DVR and I believe D* can do that now instead of needing 2, correct?
Operational questions:
If my wife is in the bedroom watching a program that was recorded on the living room DVR (using whole house DVR). Can that living room DVR still be recording 1 satellite program AND still allow me to watch live TV (hockey game!) ?
If the bedroom DVR is recording 2 programs already, can we still use it to watch a program that was previously recorded on the living room DVR using the whole house DVR feature? Or is that DVR unit tied up once you are using both tuners?
I'm trying to get a feel for how many different things the HR24 can do at the same time. My understanding is that it can only stream 1 thing at a time over ethernet, either to another receiver/HD DVR or to a computer using a program that allows you to access the DVRs. Does streaming something over ethernet "use up" a tuner? Or is it a separate function?
My current understanding is that while you can see everything that's been DVR'ed on both receivers (using whole house DVR) you still have to set up the recording at each individual receiver. That you can't sit at one receiver (let's say in the living room) and set up recordings on the living room DVR and selectively, the bedroom DVR as well. Correct?
And that being the case, can you go online and schedule recordings? Or use an iPod Touch? And in doing that would you be able to see both DVRs and set up recordings on them?
I'm really close to doing this, especially now that E* has dropped MSG. Sabres hockey is a big deal to me. And unless something happens real soon, I'm going to miss the opener.
Thanks for any info to help me fill in the blanks. I have to know how all this works so I can explain it to the finance department (wife) so there's no surprises later. Or at least as few as possible
