Ultimate TV/ Direct TV receiver (1 Viewer)

[AllanN]

check this link out
http://www.ultimatetv.com/DIRECTV_multiroom.asp
I dont know if it will help, I to am a newbie to sat technology.

 

[Al_M]

I'm glad some you guys with more technical info are able to help poor Eddie.

I know this stuff can be confusing for the novice.

Anyway, Eddie, keep us updated on the install/setup. I would like to know if it worked for you.

 

[Eddie Ras]

hey al- thanks for the support! what makes this all worse is i have ZERO incliniation re any of this stuff! i can't figure it out on my own!

i'm pretty hopeless when it comes to things mechanical, electronics, hammers, wood,-- etc, etc! but i'm sure that has been pretty obvious already!

i do appreciate everyones help, links and comments! i'd be watching a 19" off an antennae if it weren't for this board!!

ps- al, did you get a chance to figure out whether UTV can do theme channels? eg set up a keyword search permanently so once you do it, it automatically records shows meeting the criteria??

 

[Robert_J]

basically all i need is to take my dual LNB and have it feed one receiver/one tuner in one room and then feed the UTV with two tuners on the one receiver-- two recievers, 3 tuners.

The dual LNB feeds the multi-switch which then feeds the three tuners. It also leaves you another output for a third receiver if you want. Just get the switch I linked to in a previous post.

-Robert

 

[Eddie Ras]

THANKS robert for the link and confirmation- one last question- does it matter where along the lines i put the switch? for simplistic sake, i'd like to just take the current line which goes into my home theatre system and just split that line, so i get the two feeds to the new UTV receiver and its 2 tuners. or do i need to place it before it goes to all of the receivers?

 

[Robert_J]

You can't split a single coax from the dish into two. You have to connect both inputs on the switch to both outputs on the LNB. The three tuners (two receivers) connect to the switch. All of the this is because the the frequency polarization I tried to explain earlier.

-Robert

 

[Al_M]

Thanks Robert.

Thats pretty much what I was trying to say, Eddie. But I guess I wasn't as clear as Robert was.

 

[Eddie Ras]

not a problem al- did get you off the hook
give me your list of pro/cons for the UTV
thanks!

 

[Al_M]

Here Goes. BTW this is for the RCA receiver you mentioned.
Pros:
1) You can record one show while watching another.*
2) Recorded material retains Dolby Digital signal for playback.
3) Optical output for DD hookup. (some SAT receivers don't have this)
4) 35 hours worth of HD space for recording.
5) You can search listings by various criteria. (Again, I'm not sure if the criteria is retained. Still have to play with this.)
6) I now have PIP without upgrading my TV.*
7) Record all shows that match search criteria for later viewing.
8) WebTV capable.
*You must hookup the two coax lines to the receiver properly for this to work. Of course you already knew that.
Cons:
1) As we have already discussed, the wiring can be cumbersome/confusing.
2) Still have to pay $9.95 per mo. service fee to use the PVR options.
3) No lifetime fee option avaiable. (I believe TiVo has this.)
4) The software is designed by Microsoft!
Eddie, I gotta give it to ya. You are doing a hell of alot more research than I did for this.

 

[Eddie Ras]

i know al, i think i'm a bit compulsive!:b

one more question

can you begin watching a recorded show (from the beginning) before the show has finished recording?

also please read and comment on the following quote i read from a review on epinions...

"you can't even stop the running of a recorded program. you have to either erase it or start from the beginning. if you hit the stop button it actually just pauses and sits on that tuner until you either finish watchin the show or delete it."

is this TRUE?? i can't believe that is accurate

 

[Al_M]

...you can't even stop the running of a recorded program. you have to either erase it or start from the beginning. if you hit the stop button it actually just pauses and sits on that tuner until you either finish watchin the show or delete it.

Partially true. So far I have had to turn the unit off and then turn it on again. I'm sure this will be taken care of in a software upgrade. Just remember who wrote the software for this thing!