Viewing and recording Freeview and FreeSat

John_Gray

Thanks to everyone for their helpful suggestions - but I don't much fancy the idea of watching TV for any extended length of time on my PC, even on my new BenQ G2222HDL (advt!) monitor, though...

You'd have thought that a quad LNB could have been avoided by simply splitting the signal closer to the TV/satellite box/PVR, though. Can someone explain why it is apparently necessary to have three or four cables leading all the way from the dish? Is it a matter of signal strength, or something?

Hammyman

John_Gray wrote: »

You'd have thought that a quad LNB could have been avoided by simply splitting the signal closer to the TV/satellite box/PVR, though. Can someone explain why it is apparently necessary to have three or four cables leading all the way from the dish? Is it a matter of signal strength, or something?

No. Each individual receiver in the LNB is sent a signal telling it whether to use horizontal or vertical polarity and the exact frequency to tune to. It then sends the received signal to the receiver for decoding at a far lower frequency.

How this differs from, say, TV antenna. A TV antenna will receive a wide frequency range of signals in one polarity, horizontal and vertical. They are all modulated the same. These are passed down the co-ax to the TV tuner which then selects the correct frequency which is wanting to be viewed.

Why this doesn't work on satellite.

At higher frequencies, there is increased signal loss for a set length of cable to the point where on microwave frequencies for typical 10 metre run of cable, unless you're using the proper commercial microwave stuff which is 2 inches in diameter and has a bend radius no less than 8ft and costs several quid a meter, you're going to end up with so little signal at the set top box end, it'll be unusable. What the LNB does instead is to send a signal at a far lower frequency so you can use the cable that is used in home installations which is far more flexible and far cheaper and the losses from using the lower frequency are negligible.

So whilst you can use a single cable and split it between receivers, only one will be able to send the "control signal" to the LNB so unless the other happens to be wanting to watch/record a programme that is on the same channel transmitted from the satellite that the first receiver is set to, then the second receiver will either receive no signal or the LNB will constantly be flipping between the two or just not work at all.

John_Gray

Excellent information - thanks!

scotsbob

Hammyman wrote: »

Why this doesn't work on satellite.
.

I read your reply with interest.

My receiver is a Technomate HD 6900 Super and allows me to record 2 Satellite channels on the same Transponder at the same time and watch a recorded programme at the same time.

I can't say that I have ever noticed any loss of quality. I just use ordinary cable and have only one LNB

Hammyman

scotsbob wrote: »

I read your reply with interest.

My receiver is a Technomate HD 6900 Super and allows me to record 2 Satellite channels on the same Transponder at the same time and watch a recorded programme at the same time.

I can't say that I have ever noticed any loss of quality. I just use ordinary cable and have only one LNB

Yeah, that will work because the transponder is using the same frequency and polarity. You've explained it how I was trying to do and which I failed miserably, lol. Its like on Freeview. On MUX A which is on one frequency, you've BBC1, 2, 3, BBCi, Ceebeebies. They all come transmitted in the same signal so a freeview recorder with a single receiver tuned to MUX A could allow you to watch BBC1 but record any of the other channels also transmitted on that MUX but not one transmitted on, say MUX B as thats on a different frequency to MUX A.

You won't notice the loss of quality because of the cable because the down conversion of the frequency is done in the LNB.

Comet_company_representative

John_Gray wrote: »

Just wondering how practical and/or straightforward it will be to view and perhaps record stuff from either Freeview or FreeSat or both.

I'd want to be able to view any of the Freeview or FreeSat channels, or play pre-recorded programmes from a hard disk. Also to be able to record perhaps several channels from either Freeview or FreeSat or both, at the same time.

I'm assuming I will need to get a FreeSat dish with at least a dual LNB, and probably a new HD TV, and a recording device.

Can you get HD TVs yet with built-in FreeSat and Freeview tuners? If not, I'd obviously have to get a box to handle whichever isn't built into the TV. But the fewer interconnecting cables, the better...

All suggestions/scorn gratefully received!

Hi John Gray,

My name’s Matt and I’m from Comet.

It is possible to record from both Freesat and Freeview tuners simultaneously, whist watching an alternative programme at the same time.

The most practical way to achieve this, would be to purchase a television that includes built in Freesat and Freeview tuners, such as the one Shimrod has suggested previously. This can then be connected to a Freesat PVR recorder, which will give you three separate feeds, therefore you will require a quad LNB. This will provide you with enhanced recording options.

Should you require any further assistance, please send me an e-mail at the link below.

https://comet.custhelp.com

You will need to register a few details with us to be able to send your e-mail in.

Thanks

Matt

Hammyman

John_Gray wrote: »

Thanks to everyone for their helpful suggestions - but I don't much fancy the idea of watching TV for any extended length of time on my PC, even on my new BenQ G2222HDL (advt!) monitor, though...

Ah, I don't think we clarified that enough. The bit which wasn't mentioned was to connect the computer to the TV so the TV is the monitor. :D

tronator

John_Gray wrote: »

Thanks to everyone for their helpful suggestions - but I don't much fancy the idea of watching TV for any extended length of time on my PC, even on my new BenQ G2222HDL (advt!) monitor, though...

i didn't suggest to watch TV on your computer screen.

My main box with the TV card (frontend and backend) is connected to a 42" Plasma via HDMI, only my second box (frontend only) in the bedroom is connected to a 19" computer LCD.

John_Gray

Ah - my PCs are in a room at the south-east corner of the house, and the living room is metres away, at the north side of the house! I suppose I could get the servants to move one of them...