Question PC to Cable Network for Facility

Sock Monkey

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Having trouble finding answers to this idea I have so looking on Tech Forums for someone who might have experience with creating a Video network using existing Cablevision networks.

I work in a Long Term Care facility in Activities. We have 80 rooms and 5 "Lobby" TV sets. very few of the residents watch TV in their rooms. We have a package deal with Shaw for basic cable and the network terminates from each TV ( Room) in a large amplifier junction box in the basement.
As we are finding regular TV programing is inappropriate for people with Dementia. As we all know the content is pretty bad.
So we have always used Video players to show movies and recently had huge success with showing calming videos of things like Fish tanks and nature scenery. The rooms are not an issue but running around changing USB sticks and showing staff how to play them is becoming a chore.

My idea is to take over the Cable network and use a PC to broadcast our own "TV" to all the locations.
I understand video technology enough to know it's possible but can't seem to find what software of equipment would be involved.
The ideal would be a PC or device that filtered the incoming Cable channels and replaced unwanted channels with our own streaming videos.
Example Channel 2 would be Fish Tanks, 3 would be Movies and CH 9 would still be TV etc.

Any ideas or links to companies or software would be greatly appreciated
John
 
The problem with this approach is that the digital media players built into the TV's are standalone affairs, they are not controllable.

You can push digital media to a TV via DLNA but the user must confirm playback on screen and it wont loop either.

Cable boxes are typically locked down and tied to the service provider. Unless you have some way to hijack the cable box, I dont see how you could broadcast your own stream.

The one way I can think of doing it easy and low cost-ish would be with Roku's. Roku devices are very easy to setup along your own private channel and make that available to any Roku connected to the local network, then Roku plugs into TV and any employee just selects the channel and it plays whatever content you have streaming.

Google setting up Roku channel, the problem would be buying Roku devices, the absolute cheapest model would do like the Roku stick or trawl eBay for use Roku's.

Another approach is use media players with built in loops, so box just plays same video over & over, the Kodi media player software can do this either from a central network source or from USB storage. Kodi runs on PC's or set top boxes.
 
Thank you for your excellent information.
We absolutely have access to the Cable system and we would probably involve Shaw and the IT dept here. The electrician and I went and looked at the system this morning and it's pretty obvious how it works.
Main Cable comes in, goes through a couple of Amps, there's a battery back up UPS, a modem which must monitor something. The main feed is amplified and split into 2 heavy duty feeds. One feed goes to a three way splitter which feeds 3 passive junction boxes. The other feed goes to the other end of the building where it is split and feeds two passive junction boxes. Each junction box has 20 outputs feeding the rooms. We have Five separated "Cottages" so there is a junction box for each and all with room numbers etc. labelled.

My big question at first is "can" it be done. What would be the hardware and /or software and present this to management.
I can see one issue right away is that the amplifiers are before the point we would like to tie in.
We will probably need Shaws help with installing a Amplifier after the PC feed.

Management is really behind us in taking control of Video content and we already have disconnected 2 lobby TV sets from outside cable.
The plan would be is our dept, Activities would select the content for the day, make a playlist in say, Media Player and let it roll. Right now I'm having to spend time managing each TV.

The best news is that the IT closet we need to take control of first is right through a wall in my office. It may be as simple as a HDMI to Coax convertor box, and Amplifier and tie into the splitter.
 
If you have access to the video distribution system and can input the output from a PC then that makes things a whole lot easier, especially if it just means you switch to a channel on the TV's and they all see the same thing.

Kodi does all of that, playlists (selectable from main UI, just tag as playlist as favorite), loops, it runs on every major OS, any super cheap PC or laptop would be perfect to act as a Kodi delivery system. The Kodi wiki has great detail on playlists and all sorts of things you can do.

But you wouldn't get individual streams to different TV's, all TV's would see the same thing output.
 

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