A few questions regarding SKY TV

JamieFitzsimons

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Hi all, just a few questions.. I'm moving my bedroom around and the positioning of my SKY+ box (Not HD) is going to cause a few issues with this.

I'm buying a 40 inch LCD to mount on my wall, the wall best suited for this is on the opposite side to that of the one the SKY box is fed through. I understand there are a few solutions to this? Please feel free to correct my lack of know-how regarding the AV side of things! I'm a total newbie.

I was thinking I could buy a longer Scart, channel it along the wall and up the opposing wall so it can be attached directly to the TV. Then I'd have to use some form of IR receiver/booster so that the box can stay where it is with no implications? I don't really want to have the box on show, regardless. This is because it's white, and the TV and other peripherals are not.

Long story short, will this work? If so, what is the best solution? Best IR receiver/booster? best place to purchase a long enough Scart (5m+)?

As I said, total newbie when it comes to this stuff, so please be patient with me, I will greatly appreciate any help! Thanks. :)
 
I wouldn't want a thick Scart cable going all around the room and would use a videosender instead for both the channel one way and the IR control back the other, but with the cable there is the alternative - to the "magic eye" and the additional cable that it needs - of an IR extender for the control.
 
Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I've heard good and bad things about the Magic Eye, will it definitely do the job? The sky box will be in one corner of my room and the TV will be on the other end of the same wall, with my bed blocking the sky box's receiver will it all work okay? I am not fond of the idea of the Scart cable either, Logiciel.. but I was unaware of the alternatives.

Not sure if I'm keen on the videosender's to be quite honest, I want a good quality picture even when watching Sky, the Scart is chunky, but due to the length and positioning of my bed, you will only see the scart when it reaches up toward the mounted TV, it could be potentially untidy looking, agreeably. I guess I'll just have to make sure the cable is as hidden as possible, if not, the videosender will be my only option.

What videosender would you recommend, if I were to go for that option?

Thanks again for the help guys.
 
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Another alternative to the bulky cable would be a thinner 3-way cable with phono plugs to Scart converters.
The "magic eye" needs its own aerial cable so that would add more bulk to either alternative.
I'd go with an IR extender instead, for either cable solution.
Videosenders give much the same effect as Scart connections.
You can always try whatever Argos currently have cheapest and take it back if it doesn't work satisfactorily.
 
Another alternative to the bulky cable would be a thinner 3-way cable with phono plugs to Scart converters.
The "magic eye" needs its own aerial cable so that would add more bulk to either alternative.
I'd go with an IR extender instead, for either cable solution.
Videosenders give much the same effect as Scart connections.
You can always try whatever Argos currently have cheapest and take it back if it doesn't work satisfactorily.

I think I'll pop into Argos tomorrow and pick up their budget video sender for £29.99, it has very good reviews so may as well give it a shot on the TV I have at the moment, I wont be getting my new TV till Xmas (LE40C580) So sadly can't test it on that (Yet).

If it works well enough It'll be great, if not I'll just go for the best option cable wise. It sounds a bit of a pain in the neck though, doesn't it, with the cables from the Scart plus the possible IR receiver's cables, too.

I'll pick up a video sender at Argos if they have them in stock tomorrow, and I'll let you know how it goes, thanks again! :)
 
Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I've heard good and bad things about the Magic Eye, will it definitely do the job? The sky box will be in one corner of my room and the TV will be on the other end of the same wall, with my bed blocking the sky box's receiver will it all work okay

Just to reiterate...........
*IF* you decided on the SCART cable and magic eye alternative it doesn't matter where the Sky box is (as that's the whole point) because the magic-eye transmitter part is placed near/beside the TV.
That's how a magic-eye can be used (say) upstairs or in second room to control the Sky receiver placed in a main room - check the wiring diagrams in the second link I gave.
 
Just to reiterate...........
*IF* you decided on the SCART cable and magic eye alternative it doesn't matter where the Sky box is (as that's the whole point) because the magic-eye transmitter part is placed near/beside the TV.
That's how a magic-eye can be used (say) upstairs or in second room to control the Sky receiver placed in a main room - check the wiring diagrams in the second link I gave.

Yea I did check them out, was just dumbing it down to be entirely sure it would work in my situation, before I try it out.

So I'll order that online tonight and pick up the videosender tomorrow, I'll test it out in my room and downstairs on the bigger TV so i can get a good feel as to how it'll look on my new set when it arrives. Thanks again. :)
 
Yea I did check them out, was just dumbing it down to be entirely sure it would work in my situation, before I try it out.

So I'll order that online tonight and pick up the videosender tomorrow, I'll test it out in my room and downstairs on the bigger TV so i can get a good feel as to how it'll look on my new set when it arrives. Thanks again. :)

But...
you won't need a magic-eye and a videosender as most them transmit the remote back to the Sky box.....or have I misunderstood?
videosender.net - What is a Video Sender? how does it work? where can I buy one?
 
But...
you won't need a magic-eye and a videosender as most them transmit the remote back to the Sky box.....or have I misunderstood?
videosender.net - What is a Video Sender? how does it work? where can I buy one?

No, you have not misunderstood, it was my lack of know-how regarding the videosenders themselves, I was unaware that they dealt with the remote as well, thanks for that! I've reserved a videosender at Argos, i'll pick it up tomorrow after work and see how it all goes! :)
 
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Yes, they deal with the remote control, as well. :D
Do let us know how it goes.

Haha, wow. I seriously must have misread that earlier statement, Logiciel! I do apologize. Thanks again for all the help guys, very much appreciated!
 
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Well, I purchased the videosender, it does the job, and the picture is fine. The problem is, when the transmitter is on, my connection via wi-fi is totally scambled, it disappears from the list of available networks on both my laptop and phone.

Also, the transmitter and receiver for this video extender are a cheap looking silver, and are quite big. With the receiver having to be plugged directly into the TV via Scart it means it has to be close to the TV; So if it was mounted I'd either have to attach it to the mount, wall or get shelves to attach to the wall, too. I'm guessing the receiver also has to been in plain sight as it has to pick up the remote commands, this also doesn't appeal to me.

I'm guessing there are smaller, more stylish alternatives, but with the problems they are causing it isn't quite seeming justifiable to me at the moment. This is becoming quite the headache indeed.
 
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The problem is, when the transmitter is on, my connection via wi-fi is totally scambled, it disappears from the list of available networks on both my laptop and phone.

Also, the transmitter and receiver for this video extender are a cheap looking silver, and are quite big. With the receiver having to be plugged directly into the TV via Scart it means it has to be close to the TV; So if it was mounted I'd either have to attach it to the mount, wall or get shelves to attach to the wall, too. I'm guessing the receiver also has to been in plain sight as it has to pick up the remote commands, this also doesn't appeal to me.

You could try different channels on the ADSL router and/or videosender but, unfortunately the 2.4ghz band is very crowded.
Failing that try a 5.8ghz sender

You don't say which unit you have so it's almost impossible to guess the size.
I daresay there are smaller/more aesthetically pleasing video senders but all of them need line-of-sight to receive the remote commands - even a magic-eye does if you went that route
 
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You could try different channels on the ADSL router and/or videosender but, unfortunately the 2.4ghz band is very crowded.
Failing that try a 5.8ghz sender

You don't say which unit you have so it's almost impossible to guess the size.
I daresay there are smaller/more aesthetically pleasing video senders but all of them need line-of-sight to receive the remote commands - even a magic-eye does if you went that route

Yeah I'm aware that the 2.4GHz frequency is used by many devices in the common home. I'm thinking of just redirecting the coax cables around the outside of the house and into the area of which I want the new TV, finding a nice corner unit and putting the sky box/xbox etc in it and maybe just use a magic eye for remote commands. The Tv would still be mounted above the unit, though.

Not so easy to find a nice corner unit that will match the TV, though, especially on a student budget. I just think my taste outweighs that of my finances at the moment!

Thanks for the help. :)
 
I usually recommend ARgois for videosenders because you can always try another model but at the moment the web site is showing their range is much more limited than it used to be.
Now I'd take it back for refund and try somewhere else, maybe for a 5.8gHz version for a tenner or so more.
 
I usually recommend ARgois for videosenders because you can always try another model but at the moment the web site is showing their range is much more limited than it used to be.
Now I'd take it back for refund and try somewhere else, maybe for a 5.8gHz version for a tenner or so more.

Yeah definitely gonna take it back tomorrow, it's no use to me with all the cons. I'll try a more stylish approach this time, too.. As it is going to have to be on show, to some degree. Thanks for all the help, Logiciel.
 
That's OK, and I hope you get more success.
btw: I think there are versions that simply are advanced Scart plugs, so are out of sight.
 

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