Tv upstairs - indoor aerial or digisender?

S

Sophia2457

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Hi
We have an old (1991) Sanyo in the bedroom upstairs for the resident insomniac. We have Sky downstairs but dont want to bother getting another sky box for upstairs - currently we're paying ntl just to have cable channels upstairs - and it seems an awful waste of money.

I've been reading about digisenders but being totally non-techie I'm having problems figuring out if this would do the job of getting some channels upstairs, and a bit apprehensive of being able to fit and get it operational.

I've been told that AEI digisenders are idiot proof - anyone know??

I also read on threads on this forum that the signal can be interurpted by microwave, cordless phones - would that apples to wireless broadband too?

Should I just go looking for and old pair of rabbit's ears and what one should I get? I know the reception can be lousy...or maybe buy a new portable tv and just get the terrestrial channels with the built-in aerial? He doesnt need all the sky channels, just something to send him to sleep!

Apologies for all the questions..I've read so much my head is spinning.
Thanks a mil
 
Hi Sophia,

You have a couple of options.

1. Run a cable from sky box to second tv and use whats called a magic eye, this allows you to change channels in the bedroom. It changes the sky box so same channel on in sitting room and bedroom, from you question this wouldn't seem to be a problem. Not hard to do and not expensive. (presumably you already have a tv point in bedroom for ntl so this could be used for the magic eye potentially, even if not still not hard)

2. Get a video sender. This sends basically a radio signal from your sky box to second tv.
Simply to set up, you plug in one small unit at sky box and the other small unit to the bedroom telly. If getting one go for one with infra red sender, this will allow you change channels in bedroom. (unit connected to sky box has a small "gizmo" you place in front of the remote control button on the sky box. )
You can get them in tv stores, argos, maplins etc
We got ours in argos worked fine with chorus and now working fine with sky till I get around to setting up magic eye.
I had some concerns about interference at start but all seems fine now.

Here are some links on same: (I was also long winded on these :eek: but the issues I mentioned in these around interference don't seem to be a problem for me anymore.
All in all its very easy solution if this helps with the sleeping.

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=40848&highlight=digital+sender

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=46123&highlight=video+sender

edit: if going for the sender does your tv in bedroom have a scart connection?
 
Hi Pator
Thanks for your very clear explanations!

The digisender sounds like the option for us. To run a cable to the tv upstairs would involve drilling holes in ceilng or window frame and we are DIY dummies too!

I checked the old Argos catalogue and then rang them - they're out of stock of the AEI Digisender in both nearest locations (it's €57.69) and appears very simple to set up.

So I rang DID which is even nearer and they have a Oneforall digisender, the only one they sell, for €100 and the guy swears its very simple to set up. Are you familiar with this one?

The ntl cable basic pack is costing us €50 a month which is just ridiculuous as its only used for the non-sleeper at night - they we pay €68 for sky. Money leakage or what!!!!

The tv upstairs has a scart connection, I checked last night - I hope they havent changed since 1991 !

Many thanks for all your help - this could save us serious money :)
Sophia
 
No worries Sophia.

Not familiar with the one you mention. The ones I use are "total control" also from argos. Don't have the catelogue with me but as far as I know they have a range of them, €100 sounds a little bit expensive. But if it solves your problems its probably one of those things you pay for and forget about. (again just make sure with which ever one you are buying that you can change channels from the second tv)

€50 for basic package ?? seems a lot. It you want to watch different channels upstairs and downstairs it would be cheaper get multiroom from one of the providers. (€15 a month with sky)

Once it has a scart you'll be fine.
 
Hi Pator

Well, I dropped up to DID in my lunch hour and lo and behold, you cant change the channel upstairs with the digisender they have. It took me ages to find someone in the store who knew firstly what they were and secondly what they can and cant do.

So no sale there then!

I'll get the recent Argos catalogue and look for those "total control" ones.

Also that should have been about €25 a month for ntl basic package - comes to €60 every 2 months actually as we have 3 extra points (never or rarely used) so a total waste of money.

I spoke to the sky people this morning who were really interested in selling me multiroom at €45 for installation and €15 a month more.

Or else sky+ at €149 once off for the extra box, free installation and €15 a month more. Bit worried about holes drilled in the ceiling for the cables, have heard horror stories of messes left.

Apologies for the longwinded reply - I really want to make the right decision, financially and for our insomniac.

Trying to figure out what's the best value in the long term - thanks for your patience!
S
 
If you have an aerial socket in the bedroom you can backfeed the signal from the main box to the second tv through the cable.

Many houses have aerial wiring from the roof space to the main room and sometimes to the bedrooms too.

If you have a sky cable connection in your main room then you are not using the aerial socket and you can output a second signal from your skybox back fed through the redundant aerial wiring and use a magic eye for the controller which piggybacks on the aerial wiring.
 
Thanks for the suggestion, Highflier, we don't have aerial wiring in the house, only cable and sky. Even if we did I wouldn't know where to start!

I think my only option is a digisender - can anyone tell me if broadband which we have will interfere with the signal?

Thanks again
 
Sophia2457 said:
Hi Pator

Well, I dropped up to DID in my lunch hour and lo and behold, you cant change the channel upstairs with the digisender they have. It took me ages to find someone in the store who knew firstly what they were and secondly what they can and cant do.

So no sale there then!

I'll get the recent Argos catalogue and look for those "total control" ones.

Also that should have been about €25 a month for ntl basic package - comes to €60 every 2 months actually as we have 3 extra points (never or rarely used) so a total waste of money.

I spoke to the sky people this morning who were really interested in selling me multiroom at €45 for installation and €15 a month more.

Or else sky+ at €149 once off for the extra box, free installation and €15 a month more. Bit worried about holes drilled in the ceiling for the cables, have heard horror stories of messes left.

Apologies for the longwinded reply - I really want to make the right decision, financially and for our insomniac.

Trying to figure out what's the best value in the long term - thanks for your patience!
S
Click to expand...


Most of the senders at this stage should have the ability to change channels from the 2nd tv.

Maybe pop into your local electrical store or tv outlet and see what they have, often more knowledgeable and not a lot more expensive, and supporting local business etc.

Really depends what you want, I reckon definitely you'd be able to use some of the existing cables for multi room/ magic eye's etc. Probably fair to say loads of people don't really understand how everything works so if you getting some-one to do it shouldn't be a problem.

If you want to able to watch different channels in different rooms the multiroom is the job, and would probably be able to utilise the cables already in place in bedroom for ntl.

If your utilising a local retailer or installer should be able to do a neat job and might be less work than you think. (discuss with them in advance, before they even get to your house) Yes some horror stories about direct sky installers but also some of them very good, for example my guys first words were the last thing you want is cables running everywhere and he did a very neat job. Admittedly I had a lot of the line work in place for him and all he really had to do was connect into the attic.

If you thinking of sky + if you use the introduce a friend offer (you just need their viewing card number) you can get the sky + box for free. Only down side to this offer is its not available thru local retailers you have to go to sky direct and just take whatever installer they give you.

For me the only real first question is do you want to be able to watch different channels in different rooms ?? (is ntl analogue or digital - can you watch different channels?) Then do you want a service like sky +.
 
Just be aware that sky + multiroom i.e. 2 boxs needs four cables from the dish LNB (two to each box) and you cant loop them . You need four separate cables. Also you may have to change the LNB on the dish as the standard one only takes two cables.
 
Thanks pator and highflier - this is really a learning curve for me!

To answer your question pator, no, we don't need to watch different channels on different rooms as the one in the bedroom is only used late night/early hours of the morning when the one downstairs will be off anyway.

The ntl we have for the bedroom now is analogue.

I looked at the digisenders on argos.co.uk and saw the 'total control' one you use and the all singing/all dancing (it would appear) AEI Digisender Gold. Big difference in price - probably cos you can run DVD players etc off it which we dont need.

I might buy one on Saturday and try it out..if it works , great! Would save me having to take time off work to get sky multiroom installed and no cable issues or monthly fee. So long as its easy to set up, plug 'n go, and that it doesnt interfere with our wireless broadband, to which I'm addicted. :)

S
 
Digisender set up - magic eye not working!

Hi
Took all the advice and bought the Digisender AEI x 2 in Argos.

Up and running perfectly but no matter how I change the poisition of the magic eye I cant change channels in the other room!

Did what booklet suggested and changed batteries in remote control and moved magic eye to different positions loads of times - no luck! I'm so disappointed as the picture and audio is excellent, but no use if you cant change the channel. You can up or lower the volume and that's about it.

Please help me with a last piece of advice!

Thanks
S
 
Re: Digisender set up - magic eye not working!

What kind of set top box do you have, is it sky or NTL for example.

Have a look at the link below. Is it the same Equipment you have, and note the issue with some types of boxes below. If this is your hardware, and you have one of the incompatable boxes, then that might be your problem

[broken link removed]
Regards,
Wexfordman
 
Re: Digisender set up - magic eye not working!

Thanks wexfordman, but its Sky we have - I especially picked this sender so it would be compatible.
It is the same equipment, so it should work.
There must be something simple I'm doing or not doing, tho I followed the instructions to the letter!

anyone else have this problem before or should I just take it back and assume it's faulty?

Is there a magic position for the magic eye?
Its a Pace skydigibox I have and the little white panel in front reads

'remote' command' online' 'message'

I've placed the eye right in front of 'remote' - lying on its side, standing up, nearer, farther away etc, nothing works.

I was sure this would do the trick....please, any suggestions?
 
Re: Digisender set up - magic eye not working!

Hi Sophia

Don’t mean to be patronising but have you checked the basics, is the magic eye plugged in properly to the sender?
 
Re: Digisender set up - magic eye not working!

those things work very well but need to be enabled at the box via the hidden installer menu see [broken link removed] they are also quite sensitive to bad coax plug connections as in the picture might look fine but the magic-eye just wont work. try wiggling the cable with a button pressed on the remote to test. if its working, you should see a flashing red led when the remote is pressed.
 
Re: Digisender set up - magic eye not working!

I was under the impression it was connected to the sky box via scart socket, and not a coax lead ? If I understand correctly, you have a small IR emmitter which sticks on the fron of the sky box ? Is this is the case, you dont need to enable the menu.
The coax lead if that is the way it is being used would need the menu enabled, so how are you connecting it sophia ?

Sorry to be asking silly questions, but it is the sky remote you are using at the remote tv ?
Wexfordman
 
Re: Digisender set up - magic eye not working!

Hi,

I have a Tristar digisender. Mine has a small infra red "eye" on a cable that needs to be pointed in a certain direction at the Sky box to work.

Also, and this was the major thing for us is that we have wireless broadband and because the wireless router and the digisender work on the same frequency they were inteferring with each other. not totally practical all the time but we only have one turned on at a time now and have had no problems since.

Hope you get sorted because it is great when it works.
 
Re: Digisender set up - magic eye not working!

Thanks for the advice everyone and apologies for delay in replying - struck down with a bug.

Just to answer a few questions-

x40 - the magic eye is connected to the transmitter box with a little cable. I tried wiggling the cable while pressing the remote and no red light showed on the eye. Maybe this means its not working/faulty? TBH, I'd be very wary of changing anything on the digibox - using the enabling menu - as you can see I haven't a clue what I'm doing here!!

shellstar - we have wireless broadband too, but surely that would mean we wouldn't be able to get the picture and audio if there was interference? Can I plug out the router box to check if the magic eye will work then?

pator - the magic eye is plugged in as far as it will go into the sender - like the instuctions show. Totally baffled!

Wexforman - the set up is exactly as you describe, using scart leads. And it's not a silly question, it is the sky remote i'm using on the remote tv.

many thanks for all your replies and patience
 
Re: Digisender set up - magic eye not working!

Bit baffled Sophia,
As you have picture and sound on the 2nd/bedroom tv it sounds like everything is set up right.
When you are in bedroom, with sky on, are you pointing the sky remote at the new receiver rather than the tv remote point? On most of the receivers the red light should blink when the sky remote is directed at it?

Also confusing that you can change the sound - are you changing the sound on the second tv with the sky remote?
 
Re: Digisender set up - magic eye not working!

For the magic eye to work the power supply to the second coaxial output on a sky box needs to be switched on . The default setting is off. If its off the TV signal will come through but the magic eye wont work.

There is a code you need to use in "settings" to turn it on which I cant remember but any of the satellite boards will have it also any TV accessory shop can tell you.
 
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