Distributing Digital, Sky & Virgin.

Hammerman32

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Hi,
Just about to rewire signal distribution to 6 rooms in my house.
As well as fitting a new digital aerial to supply these rooms and the freeview tv's in them, I would also like to add into the distribution, the RF signals from both a Sky + box and a Virgin cable box and distribute the lot of them via ONE aerial cable to each room ...
I am not worried about any 'magic eyes' and just want the ability to have all three types of input available in each room ( ie Freeview, Sky & Virgin )
I have cables all in place to run signals around but want to know what type of set up ( in the attic ) will be required ( ie, amp, splitters etc ) and what channels to set my SKY and Virgin boxes to ?
Apologies if this question has been already been asked, but I cannot find a thread where distribution of all 3 types of input has been required.
Any help would be greatly appreciated here.
Many thanks,
Kev.
:lease:
 
I am assuming the sky and virgin box give out an rf signal. Daisy chain them together. eg Freeviw aerial in to virgin, out to sky out to tv.
These may be trasmiting out on the same channel number. If so one needs to be altered. There is probabley a menu somwhare. With old vhs videos you tended to turn a screw. The tv then tunes in to all the stations and asingns them to numbers. (which you can change). So check this is all hapening on one tv. Then take it to something that will give you 6 rf outputs eg an ariel amplifier.
Possible problem a modern tv with JUST a freeview tuner may not be able to pick these rf signals up ( I have no idea).
If sky or virgin box does not have rf out attatch each box via scart to an old video set to line in. It should then output the signal on rf. In this case sky and virgin box do not need to be daisychained in to rf but 2 video recorders do,
 
Welcome to the forum.
The cables that bring the RF outputs of the two receivers and the cable from the terrestrial aerial form the input of a distributor, which may be amplified.
You might find one that has three separate sockets for that, but otherwise you will somehow have to combine them to go into the one socket.
You set a spare programme number on the TVs' analogue tuners for each of the two channels that the two receivers are outputting - usually 68 for Sky machines.
As long as the TVs do have analogue tuners as well as digital Freeview, that covers your specific questions but if you want more detail as bow79 suggests feel free to ask.
 
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To add more, if a tv in a room had only a freeview tuner and could not pick up sky and virgin encoded on to rf. Take the rf in to an old video recorder take rf from this to tv. also connect vedeo recorder to tv via scart. 2 chanells on video are tuned to virgin and sky via rf watched by tv scart input. Freeview warched via tv tuner. Old video recorders are very cheap at car boot sales!
 
Gents,
Many thanks for your very prompt help here, your advice seems very sensible and that is what I will try.
One further thing, have you any recommendations for an amplifier that I can use ( Loftbox type seems well posted ) and a suitable connection box :
" You might find one that has three separate sockets for that, but otherwise you will somehow have to combine them to go into the one socket "
that I can use to combine these 3 signals before I input them into the amplifier ?
Once again many thanks to you all,
Kev.
:smashin:

 
Loftbox is the rather misleading generic term for the device you need.
These are from one of the best known names for that sort of thing: Loft Boxes etc.
 
If your cabling allows your terrestrial aerial to be plugged into the Sky box RF In, then the Sky box will combine the Freeview signal with the Sky box signal on it's RF output, meaning that you only have to combine that single output with the Virgin output prior to distribution around the house. ie If you are combining and distributing from the loft then you will need two cables from the loft to the Sky box.
 
Or one to it and one from it.;)
 
Yes but it's not two to. :laugh:
Watch out there's a steam train coming.
 
... then you will need two cables from the loft to the Sky box.

Ok, one from the loft and another, identical cable, to the loft. (Pedanticism reigns)
 
So does neologismism.
 
Thanks gents for all the advice here, I will give it a try both ways and see which one works out the best, both signal level & interference wise.
Hopefully I will also pick out a decent distribution amplfier ( probably Labgear or Loftbox ) and a suitable loft based aerial to go with it all !
Many thanks again,
Kev.
:thumbsup:
 
That's OK Kevin, and I'd recommend having the aerial outside, rather than inside, the loft.;)
 

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