Sky TV in multiple rooms - options

pg1981

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I will be re-configuring my flat in the near future and am considering options on how to best layout the AV and network. Apologies if this post seems complicated but hopefully it will be clear to those with the knowledge to help.

My current setup is as follows:
  • HD TV (network enabled, freeview HD tuner)
  • Onkyo receiver with surround sound speakers
  • Sky+ HD box
  • PS3
  • Apple TV
  • Family Mac in the same room running itunes
  • BT master socket located nearby and connected to wireless router / switch. All components above currently with wired gigabit connection (better performance for streaming)

I have a second smaller HD ready TV (no freeview HD tuner, no freesat tuner, no network capabilities) which is not being used at the moment.

The room where my current setup sits will become a spare bedroom and so I need to move all this equipment (except for the computer) to a different room in the flat (what I will refer to as the cinema room). This room will be for proper movie watching and currently has no network socket, phone socket, aerial, sky connection or even power outlets at the moment!

I want to put my second TV in the kitchen / living room and this will be for more casual viewing. There is already a sky satellite cable (x2) wired in here in addition to the 2 cables in the other room feeding the current sky box, but no working regular aerial connection

So I have two fundamental questions:
  1. Steps to take to make the cinema room functional (ie adding the necessary sky and network connections)
  2. Steps to get TV in the living room

I think Qu 1 is fairly straightforward – I need to take the current sky cables from where they are now and rewire them to the cinema room. The cinema room is actually much closer to the dish which will make it easier.
Regarding the network, I need to leave the wireless router where it currently is (ie next to the BT master socket) and run a long Ethernet cable from there to a switch in the cinema room. I am assuming that moving the BT master socket is very difficult or expensive but please tell me if I am mistaken

For Qu 2 I think these are the options:
  1. Use existing second TV as is – need to fix existing aerial connection, no sky, no HD channels, no catch-up TV
  2. Buy freesat HD box - should just work with sky connections already in place, newer boxes have HD, PVR and catch-up capability, only free channels available but can watch different channels to main TV
  3. Sky multiroom - Sky connections already in place, separate sky channels in both rooms but also separate recordings, extra monthly cost
  4. Wire from sky box in cinema room to living room (eg HDMI splitter?) – sky in both rooms but needs to be same channel, HD in living room, sky+ recordings in one place and can watch in living room
  5. Second apple TV – itunes videos in living room, stream sky from ipad or computer via airplay?
  6. Slingbox? Not sure how these work

Are my assumptions correct? Any other alternatives I am missing? I think the best solution would be a combination of 2) and 4) and 5) – sky downstairs when we want it but otherwise separate and freely available HD channels with catch-up

Thanks and apologies for long post!
 
If thats where you want to put it then fine. But Sky is only part of my query. My first question is about rewiring satellite and network cables. My second question is about all TV options for the second room. Granted the post is covering a lot of bases but this seemed like the logical place to put to get informed opinion on all options, not just one of them.
 
I don't have any wants. I asked what you want and you've replied.
Your ideas look good to me, though Sky machines don't like their HDMI out split. We'll see what others think here.
 
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Would a freesat hd tuner in the living room + wiring from the coaxial output on the sky box in the cinema room give me the best outcome. Independent free to air HD viewing in living room with standard definintion sky channels

My understanding is that this is a tried and tested way to get sky in multiple rooms but is SD only.
 
There are two simple;) ways to get the currently selected channel on a Sky machine to a TV in another room.
Connect a co-axial cable from the Sky RF2 Out socket to the Aerial In socket of the TV, with a "magic eye" in the circuit if you want to be able to change the channel from that location.
Connect a wireless videosender to the Sky Scart or Video/Audio phono sockets and the receiving unit in the same way to the TV, to send the channel and to return the remote control.
Both give only SD video, the first gives mono audio and the second stereo audio.
 
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3. Use a long Scart cable plus a thin coaxial cable to carry remote signals back to the Digibox (or use a wireless remote system).

4. Use a long (up to 20m) HDMI cable, plus a thin coaxial cable or an HDMI insertion system to carry remote signals back to the Digibox (or use a wireless remote system).

5. Use an HDMI-CAT5 system with one or two cables, plus a thin coaxial cable or a CAT5 insertion system to carry remote signals back to the Digibox (or use a wireless remote system).

6. Use a wireless HDMI videosender system.
 

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