Better signal.....help needed.

[Gojira]

I am trying to get the signal from my digibox in the lounge to my HC room (ex 3rd bedroom).

I have used the second co-ax out in conjunction with an aerial booster thru a cable of about 20m length (with one join midway) daisy chained thru a vcr & pushing the composite signal into my projector.

The picture quality is, in a word, pants.

It's not the vcr or the cables fault as far as I can tell as BBC2 has a very good signal!

Has anybody got any ideas? All I can think of is:

• The worlds longest scart lead
• Buying a second skybox off e-bay & wiring it to the dish so just switching the card
• A wireless video sender

Any advice you could give would be warmly appreciated (especially as the football season has now started & I am itching for big screen action!)

 

[rct]

Problem with the 2nd box idea is that you can't swap cards between boxes... they are electronically "tied". You'll need a mirror subscription @ £12/month or just get a FTA card from the BBC but that means no Sky Movies etc.

I haven't had much experience with a videosender but perhaps buy it from somewhere like Argos so that you can take it back if it's no good.

Another alternative is to use composite video all the way... not ideal I know, but look at this page: http://www.satcure.com/tech/scartext.htm . Good luck!

 

[Gojira]

Hmmm.

With regards the digibox being "married" to the card I assume that each machine has an internal code or such that SkyTV allow thier card to function with.

As this must be a software issue, is there a service menu that can be tapped allowing the code to be changed?

I assume this is legal......

 

[Starburst]

Originally posted by Gojira
Hmmm.

With regards the digibox being "married" to the card I assume that each machine has an internal code or such that SkyTV allow thier card to function with.

As this must be a software issue, is there a service menu that can be tapped allowing the code to be changed?

I assume this is legal......

Each digibox has a ID code which is built into the hardware/firmware and can not be altered it then works in conjunction with a very smart smartcard.
The two components workign together makes Videoguard so secure after at least 4 years on the market.

I am pretty sure you know hacking a subscription TV service is illegal.

 

[Gojira]

The plan was not to "hack", merely to adapt a machine to allow portability of a card that I have paid good money towards.

I would consider a splitter on the lnb with a second line and simply carry the box up & down stairs but I have heard turning the main power on and off can harm a digibox in the long run.

 

[neilwillis]

I had the same problem:

I purchases a Digisender from Argos and Jobs done.. It transmits the signal with brilliant results and will even let you use your remote i the other bedroom!

If you user the scart on the LAST appliance (VCR, DVD) can also receive that too.

Just a mater of playing round when you get it.

I would recommend it to anyone and it saves running cables.


Good luck

Neil

 

[Chris Muriel]

A cheap digisender (mine was 50 quid from ToysRus) will certainly work & (assuming it has an extra channel, usually on 433.8 MHz, for the IR codes) , will also let you remotely change channels (the video channel will be at 2.4 GHz).
Only downside is that it's composite video - RGB would need an expensive device with at least 4 simultaneously transmitted channels (RGB & audio).
Ensure you do have the SCART that's hooked up to the videosender set to Cvbs - it took me 15 mins to work out why mine was transmitting a blank picture until I realised this :-(
My answer was to use the VCR port (SCART) on my Satbox (which outputs composite only).

Chris Muriel, Manchester.