Tutor
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5 Messages
Sharing DVR recordings when you can't use Whole-home
I have a similar post in Media Share forum on how to broadcast any video source on the coax, but this solution also works for sharing DVR recordings.
First of all, Whole-home DVR sounds like a much better solution to sharing DVR recordings than what I have been doing for many years. But, you may not meet all the requirements for Whole-home such as an HD receiver at every TV where you want to share, HD receivers that can handle Whole-home, or a readily available internet and coax connection nexus.
I have multiple analog TV's connected to legacy DirecTv receivers that handle analog signals and an HD projector connected to HD DVR.
I diplex an analog signal onto the cable coming from the dish. An expert has said in these forums that this cannot be done, but I have been doing it for 10 years, first with Dish and with DirecTv since 2008. And with HD service from both networks for as long as HD has been available. I get excellent analog and digital signal picture quality. In some ways what I am doing is similar to the "channel" that Whole-home puts on the coax.
You can buy a modulator for $50 that will take the signal from your DVR composite jacks (or even S-video on some receivers) and converts it to an analog signal on the coax which your legacy receivers can handle. I use a Channel Plus 4 channel modulator for about $150 to broadcast DVR recordings on channel 20 (and multiple DVD sources on other channels). The DVR has to be playing the recording for the broadcast.
If you have an HD capable TV on the receiving end, you would have to use a legacy DirecTv receiver that handles HD and analog signals. The best I have seen of these can produce 1080i and integrate the analog and digital sources into the program list. Some of these older HD receivers cannot handle Whole-home. If you don't want to rely on legacy equipment or want the latest HD features, you would get a new HD receiver that can feed your legacy TV through composite jacks if your TV has them and Whole-home.
I hope someday Whole-home will handle broadcast of other video sources, but If you want to be able to broadcast other video sources today besides your DVR recordings, you can use the previous setup. You could use the latest HD receiver and a separate remote control analog tuner to pick up your private broadcast and send to a second source on your TV. Firebird-systems sells a $50 analog tuner that will tune in your private network and upscale to various aspects and resolutions up to 1680 by 1050 on a VGA jack. You can use other combinations of tuners and scalers to handle any other kind of jack you have on the TV including HDMI. You do lose some picture quality if your video source is better than the analog 480i which you are broadcasting but the upscaling partially mitigates this. I care about the picture quality a lot more in my multimedia room where I broadcast video sources (but do not need to receive them) and much less in the kitchen and other rooms where someone can tune into my private broadcast (e.g. a DVD playing, etc.)
Whole-home is by far the best solution for sharing DVR recordings, but if you can't use it or need to broadcast other video sources, I hope this post helped.
alan
aziegler
Tutor
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5 Messages
15 years ago
A word of caution. The expert has modified his assertion to diplexing does not work with Whole Home which my DirecTv equipment cannot handle and SWM. My post is more relevant for existing installations rather than new ones where one can install whatever one wants in whatever way one wants. Like most technology, someday the solution I am using will likely be abandoned when I am finally able to upgrade every component (or at least the majority of components) in my system to the best that technology can offer. I can afford to throw away $100 on a limited lifetime solution until then.
alan
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aziegler
Tutor
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5 Messages
15 years ago
Sharing DVR recordings is an encouraging step in the direction of supporting customers who want/need a private network for distributing video sources. I bet something as simple as playing a a blu ray in the living room and broadcasting to the kitchen for the trips in between would be helpful to many (and save the cost of duplicate equipment and media). However, I continue to get negative responses from sales people when I ask if this kind of private broadcast support is planned for the future. Anybody hear anything positive?
It doesn't seem like it would be that large a step from sharing DVR recordings to sharing whatever is running through a few input jacks on the DVR. I am not asking for DirecTv remote control of the component connected to the jacks - I already have the remotes for these components. And, I have a receiver that can switch sources to those jacks (though some satellite receivers can act as multiple source receivers which would be very helpful). This is not new technology. All I need to do is broadcast. And, of course someday I would like to be able to do what I can do today - simultaneously broadcast multiple sources - but if you could just do one, I think you would have a real customer hit and yet another advantage over Dish. Please put this in the customer enhancement request queue.
I've waited 10 years for a replacement for my $100 private network technology. I suppose I can wait a bunch more years before private networks are as ubiquitous as DirecTv employes say that sharing only DVR recordings is among new installations. DVR sharing has already successfully set the path toward private networks and DirecTv has my kudos for taking this step.
on soapbox
I am an early adopter of new technology, but I have a lot of equipment that is evolving to the latest technology. I have the latest and some of the oldest when I just can't justify spending money to replace every outdated but not obsolete piece of equipment. Just replacing all of my analog TV's (instead of only the one I am replacing with a 3D capable monitor) would cost many thousands of dollars. I wonder how many other DirecTv customers are also dealing with a mix of technology because they can't afford to "burn down the house" to have everything new. Sometimes I think there is too much focus on getting new customers with brand new equipment when I hear DirecTv employees say "but all the new installations..." and not enough attention to existing customers, who probably number in the millions, who don't have all the latest technology in every piece of equipment. Every DirecTv customer had to put a stake in the technology ground with whatever equipment was new when they first subscribed. Upgrades to that DirecTv equipment cost money and upgrading the wiring topology costs even more especially when it is inside walls, though upgrading the TV's are probably the biggest expense.
off soapbox
I hope these suggestions and criticisms are constructive.
alan
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