Transmit cable tv wirelessly to next room?

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blumaninwi
Transmit cable tv wirelessly to next room?

New here and hopefully can get some knowledge about many topics.  Seems like a great place, and wish I had all the time needed to peruse everything.

 I have Time warner cable with a HD box.  We live in an apt. building with a concrete slab floor, and they do NOT want us to be making any holes in floors, walls, or ceiling.  Iwant to be able to use our t.v., non HD or even LCD in our bedroom with just the standard cable channels, without having to get another cable box.  In other words, not looking for HD or even scrambled channels.  I know I can, and have run a cable from a splitter to another t.v. and works well.  I know there are devices out there to watch what is on the other t.v., but I want to be able to just get the basic and be able to watch separate channels in the other room.  Any help would be appreciated!

Matt Whitlock
Hi blumaninwi,

Hi blumaninwi,

Great to have you here, and welcome to the site!

There are probably several ways to do what you're asking, but none as cheap as your basic cable splitter (which would easily be the least expensive solution). What's your budget for making this happen? 

blumaninwi
Hi Matt,

Hi Matt,

Thanks for responding.  I guess i was too busy and in a hurry, forgot to mention that I want and need to do this without any cable.  I cannot find a good way to route cable along the floor lines all the way into bd rm from liv rm far wall, and cant go through walls or ceilings.  i saw another product somewhere that says it transmits the cable over a transmitter(forgot name or terms used), but reading further and catching a forum somewhere also showed that this system only allows you to view what would be the channel on the tv, already hooked up to cable box. 

I want to be able to watch regular cable in the liv off the box, and be able to have my sweety sit in bd rm and watch an entirely different channel in bd rm.  I do not know what methods to use.  I guess I am willing to go as far as $100 or so to be able to do this.

Couple  more ques..  Does this somehow bring up a problem with either the cable company or with upstairs or nearby neighbors for the transmission, ie interference etc.  I have a Linksys wireless router for our desktop and 2 laptops.  Any interference there?  It is  a wrt54g ver 5.

I appreciate all help here, and think this site is fantastic!!  Ya done good!!  I believe that was you I saw on tv late one night??  Not even sure what show, but it did mention and show your whole collection of gadgets.  Hey, I had some of those too.  I recall ages ago, when we got the Motorola(I believe) mobile phones, about the size of older walkie talkies, for use out in the field on our land survey crews.  Funny, you could probably put about 10 of the newer ones in the same space!

Thanks again, I am a real newbie with many electronic things, but learn here and there!  Thanks to guys like you, and great forums and sites a this one.  Thanks for that too!!! 

Matt Whitlock
Hi blumaninwi,

Hi blumaninwi,

Thanks for the kind words, I hope you tell others about TechLore. I think it's a great site too, and it would be awesome to get more gadget enthusiasts here talking about all kinds of things.

Unfortunately, it was not me you saw on Modern Marvels. The MEGA Museum belongs to Steven Jones, one of our founders, and you also saw our other founder Ron Repking. While I was not featured on the show, I've been with TechLore since the very beginning writing, managing, and helping folks like you. If you'd like to see more of Jones' MEGA Museum and other collectors like me, we've started up the Gadget and Technology Collectors group. Check it out and chime in! http://www.techlore.com/group/3/Gadget-and-Technology-Collector-s-Group/

So on to your questions:

"I want to be able to watch regular cable in the liv off the box, and be able to have my sweety sit in bd rm and watch an entirely different channel in bd rm.  I do not know what methods to use.  I guess I am willing to go as far as $100 or so to be able to do this."

I think we can rule out anything designed to wirelessly transmit your entire cable line (meaning your TV's tuner in the bedroom does the work). I'm not familiar with any product that can do that, so no matter what it's going to have to be tuned in the living room and then sent to the bedroom. 

One of the products that came to mind was the Slingbox, which would take advantage of your home network. The problem here is that for this to work easily, you'd need a Slingbox and a product called "SlingCatcher," which isn't out yet. Problem 2 is that this is far above the $100 budget.

Probably the easiest option right now is to pick up a wireless video transmitter/receiver system. The Terk Leapfrog has been around for years, and was designed for this kind of thing. In your living room, you'll need a device with a basic cable tuner separate from the cable box. If you have an old VCR, it will work great for this. Even if you don't have a VCR, go hit some garage sales and you'll find one on the cheap. It doesn't even need to play tapes; you only need the tuner to work.

First, you split your cable line using a basic cable splitter. One goes to your gear as is, and the other goes to the VCR. You connect the transmitter to the VCR and stick the IR extender over the IR receiver of the VCR. Next you take the receiver and connect it to your TV in the bedroom. Fire everything up and position the antennas to get the best signal. Carry your VCR remote into the bedroom and aim it at the receiver to tune the channels up and down on the VCR.

You asked about interference, which is a valid question. The Leapfrog LF-30S system is under $100 bucks, but uses the 2.4GHz band to send it's signal. In the modern home, this band can be a little crowded. Reports from consumers say that some cordless telephone systems on that band and some 802.11 b/g routers don't play well near eachother. Others haven't had problems. If you have both of these, you may want to consider upgrading to a different type of system that operates on the 5.8GHz band. I found one on Amazon, but it was $150 bucks. I'd say you could always start with the Leapfrog at 2.4 and see how it goes. You can always return it and upgrade to the 5.8 if need be. 

And there's no trouble with the cable company. You can split your cable line and enjoy your basic services on any TV.

You can find these at Amazon here, but you may also find similar products at your local retailer.

rike
Just an FYI, with the switch

Just an FYI, with the switch to Digital signal coming (analog going away sometime soon) will make these kind of devices unuseable (even tvs with basic cable tuners as they are analog based). For example, I have Verizon FIOS and received a letter that any tv/device without a cable box will not get an analog signal anymore once they switch to a pure digital feed.

Matt Whitlock
The DTV transition is a good

The DTV transition is a good thing to bring up when making these purchases, but the DTV transition is only mandatory for terrestrial broadcasters; cable providers can choose to continue providing analog services if they choose to. Around my area, Comcast has announced they will continue such services after the 2009 date.

In the case of the leapfrog, it would continue to work even if his cable provider stopped providing analog services. It's the VCR that would cease to tune cable channels, and would need to be replaced with a new digital capable cable box. You could still plug the leapfrog into the analog outputs on the new cable box, and continue to wirelessly send those signals to the TV in the other room.

rike
The thing is, they will keep

The thing is, they will keep the analog signal going by requiring you to have a cable box to decode the digital signal they are sending down the line to analog. I had a long conversation with a very knowledgable Verizon FIOS tech that used to also work for Comcast about this. He stated most if not all cable providers will be switching to a pure digital signal to free up bandwidth (especially providers like Comcast) and forcing people to have some sort of converter box to feed their old analog sets (so in a sense, still supporting analog).

Matt Whitlock
That certainly is a

That certainly is a possibility. I didn't look too hard into Comcast's fine print, so that could indeed be what they mean. I'll check it out when I get a chance and see if they have any details on the switch up yet. To me, requiring a box is not really "supporting analog." It would suck if that's the case.

At least for blumaninwi, the wireless video sender will work either way.

blumaninwi
Matt and Pardizzone,

Matt and Pardizzone,

Hey thanks guys for the info and the direction I can now run with.  I will check into some more detils with our Time Warner cable techs online hopefully and findout more.  I guess I might find a tech  in one of the local stores that might know something too.  The Leapfrog system sounds like the ticket.  I guess if I have to, I will get the converter box to get digital too.  I know about the rebates and such, so it wont be too bad.  I will look into all this furhter, but I heard before that as long as on cable, it should not be a problem, but that may be only if using their cable box and not splitting before it.  Will see.  

I do have a 2.4 wireless router Linksys, and have wireless phone in liv and bd rms so will have to see about the problems there with them.  I also hope that it wont be a problem if say the neighbors next to me, across the hall, or upstairs get problems with it.  Not a problem I am guess for them or me, with our other devices, but maybe more with the Lepafrog?  Is that the idea of it?  Remember, newbie here!  LOL  

Thanks a ton guys, I really appreciate it when ppl who know are so willing to think t through and help a guy out!!!!!  I do as much as I can with my experiences and knowledge in other fields as much as I can.  It is the way it should be!!!  And sorry Matt, it was late, and I was actually spending more time watching my comp screen than the show.  But you are a star in my book anyway bro!!! 

Matt Whitlock
Thanks man. Never thought I

Thanks man. Never thought I was "star" material... but hey, I'll take it! :-)

Even if you get another box, you'll need to split the cable line before each. The raw cable line has to hit the tuner prior to be tuned... not to use the word "tune" too much. 

The wireless phone may only cause a problem if it shares the 2.4GHz wireless spectrum. The frequencies phones use can vary. Mine is a 5.8 for example, but 2.4 is also common. There's also DECT6.0 which rides different spectrum, plus the older 900Mhz band stuff either analog or digital. You'll need to see what you have to know if it's a factor.

Your router shares the same spectrum, but wireless routers and this thing have different channels they can use. I wouldn't expect too much of a problem with your wireless network, particularly if your apartment isn't that large. But you never know until you try it. As far as the neigbors go, it's good you share a concern for them. At an effective range of 300 feet without obstacles, I wouldn't worry about them all that much.  :-)

kstrehle
Hi - I have a similar

Hi - I have a similar question to the string above... I am using the Terk Leapfrog for the very same issue - don't want to run a cable line to my kitchen were i have a TV. The Leapfrog is works well, good picture and sound... the issue I am having though is that the IR extender is not working well at all. i have a directv HD DVR and i know where the IR window is but the extender just doesn't work well. any thoughts on how i can get this to improve? it isn't that it doesn't work at all, it just doesn't work well. I have fiddled around trying to move it in different places on the IR window but no dice.

Also, with the Slingbox being down to $179 or so, would you recommend taking a lood at that for a better picture? I don't really know anything about it. Would I even be able to watch TV on the kitchen TV with the Slingbox? my router is on a different floor than the kitchen...

hope i am making sense here. thanks for the site!

kevin

Matt Whitlock
kstrehle said:

kstrehle said:
Hi - I have a similar question to the string above... I am using the Terk Leapfrog for the very same issue - don't want to run a cable line to my kitchen were i have a TV. The Leapfrog is works well, good picture and sound... the issue I am having though is that the IR extender is not working well at all. i have a directv HD DVR and i know where the IR window is but the extender just doesn't work well. any thoughts on how i can get this to improve? it isn't that it doesn't work at all, it just doesn't work well. I have fiddled around trying to move it in different places on the IR window but no dice.
Also, with the Slingbox being down to $179 or so, would you recommend taking a lood at that for a better picture? I don't really know anything about it. Would I even be able to watch TV on the kitchen TV with the Slingbox? my router is on a different floor than the kitchen...
hope i am making sense here. thanks for the site!
kevin

If you find that it works (occasionally), then it may be an intermittent connection with the IR cable connetor, a bad IR jack on the LeapFrog, or simply a bad emitter on your IR cable. I'd try replacing the IR cable first, but if it's the jack, it'll be a little more of a pain to fix.

When talking about Slingbox, I actually abandoned my old Kitchen TV and replaced it with an HP TouchSmart, which connects to my cable box via the Slingbox PRO-HD and SlingPlayer. It was bigger, and with the new Slingbox PRO-HD, looks fabulous. The PRO-HD is a little pricier though, so keep that in mind. You've got the price listed for the Slingbox SOLO, which is still great, but doesn't stream in HD.

If you want to still use your TV, you can do so with a Slingbox and a device called the SlingCatcher, which is also now available. The SlingCatcher connects to your TV, and has the SlingPlayer App built in so you see your Slingbox stream on your TV set. I'm using this setup for another room, and it works quite well for this. The only downside is that the SlingCatcher is a bit pricey since it's still new, but like all gadgets it should come down over time.

Also important to note, that the SlingCatcher doesn't currently support HD from the PR-HD yet, though Sling has said it will in the future.

You should check out our Slingbox community site, which I also manage. http://www.slingcommunity.com

There you'll find reviews and lots more information on the Slingbox and SlingCatcher.

kstrehle
Hi - I have a similar

Hi - I have a similar question to the string above... I am using the Terk Leapfrog for the very same issue - don't want to run a cable line to my kitchen were i have a TV. The Leapfrog is works well, good picture and sound... the issue I am having though is that the IR extender is not working well at all. i have a directv HD DVR and i know where the IR window is but the extender just doesn't work well. any thoughts on how i can get this to improve? it isn't that it doesn't work at all, it just doesn't work well. I have fiddled around trying to move it in different places on the IR window but no dice.

Also, with the Slingbox being down to $179 or so, would you recommend taking a lood at that for a better picture? I don't really know anything about it. Would I even be able to watch TV on the kitchen TV with the Slingbox? my router is on a different floor than the kitchen...

hope i am making sense here. thanks for the site!

kevin

Matt Whitlock
kstrehle said:

kstrehle said:
Hi - I have a similar question to the string above... I am using the Terk Leapfrog for the very same issue - don't want to run a cable line to my kitchen were i have a TV. The Leapfrog is works well, good picture and sound... the issue I am having though is that the IR extender is not working well at all. i have a directv HD DVR and i know where the IR window is but the extender just doesn't work well. any thoughts on how i can get this to improve? it isn't that it doesn't work at all, it just doesn't work well. I have fiddled around trying to move it in different places on the IR window but no dice.
Also, with the Slingbox being down to $179 or so, would you recommend taking a lood at that for a better picture? I don't really know anything about it. Would I even be able to watch TV on the kitchen TV with the Slingbox? my router is on a different floor than the kitchen...
hope i am making sense here. thanks for the site!
kevin

If you find that it works (occasionally), then it may be an intermittent connection with the IR cable connetor, a bad IR jack on the LeapFrog, or simply a bad emitter on your IR cable. I'd try replacing the IR cable first, but if it's the jack, it'll be a little more of a pain to fix.

When talking about Slingbox, I actually abandoned my old Kitchen TV and replaced it with an HP TouchSmart, which connects to my cable box via the Slingbox PRO-HD and SlingPlayer. It was bigger, and with the new Slingbox PRO-HD, looks fabulous. The PRO-HD is a little pricier though, so keep that in mind. You've got the price listed for the Slingbox SOLO, which is still great, but doesn't stream in HD.

If you want to still use your TV, you can do so with a Slingbox and a device called the SlingCatcher, which is also now available. The SlingCatcher connects to your TV, and has the SlingPlayer App built in so you see your Slingbox stream on your TV set. I'm using this setup for another room, and it works quite well for this. The only downside is that the SlingCatcher is a bit pricey since it's still new, but like all gadgets it should come down over time.

Also important to note, that the SlingCatcher doesn't currently support HD from the PR-HD yet, though Sling has said it will in the future.

You should check out our Slingbox community site, which I also manage. http://www.slingcommunity.com

There you'll find reviews and lots more information on the Slingbox and SlingCatcher.

truevision
I've just bought a

I've just bought a transmitter/receiver which operates on the 5.8GHz band to be able to watch my cable tv in the bedroom (which is upstair sbut directly above the living room).
However, the picture quality is not too good, it kinda goes in and out of picture. I dont have other wireless devices in my house that could interfere with it?
What do you guys think is the problem and how can i improve/fix it ?
thanks for your help in advance

DJZMAN
Charter has said they will

Charter has said they will keep there analog going over there cable for at least another 10 years so those who have basic service can still use there older TV sets with out a converter box.

So that Terk Leapfrog on Charter (if you had that) is good until 2020 and by then then im sure the leapfrog will have HD.

FyI not all TV station has switched to HD yet. most have but the FCC has extended by permit for those smaller stations that cant aford the updgrade until some time in 2010

Just a heads up for those who have charter cable and wondered about the analog

DJZMAN
oh and radio shack sells

oh and radio shack sells something like the leapfrog for much less. you may want to check into that.

I have one that goes from my living room to my out side garage that is not attached to the house.

about 10 yards. throw 2 walls.

the merovingian
Just FYI.. no cable provider

Just FYI.. no cable provider will be going pure digital for a very long time. I work with comcast, verizon, AT&T and many other companies as an infrastructure design consultant and analog tv's with a cable box will be safe for quite a while.
The issues is the investment of all the cable channels to upgrade their equipment as well as half of all viewers refusing to upgrade during this recession.
I mean no disrespect to pardizzone.. but his sources are hardly accurate or reliable.

in search of
This might be a bit of a

This might be a bit of a repeat but I didn't get a full description from reading this thread. Thank you in advance for any information.

I have digital cable in my living room. I want to transmit pay per view to my projector in my movie room (other side of the wall about 20 feet away). Is there a wireless answer that will take the output signal from the hd cable box and send it to a receiver at my projector (HD as well).

As with most people, I want a great product but not pay through the nose. I am willing to go up to as much as $300. I have seen products as high as $5-600 but this is ridiculous and I would rather unplug my cable box and bring it into the movie room each time.

Also, is it possible to split the "output" of the hd cable box and run a hardwire to the projector (HDMI) and watch that particular channel on the projector?

again, I appreciate any info.

regards

Matt Whitlock
in search of said: This might

in search of said: This might be a bit of a repeat but I didn't get a full description from reading this thread. Thank you in advance for any information. I have digital cable in my living room. I want to transmit pay per view to my projector in my movie room (other side of the wall about 20 feet away). Is there a wireless answer that will take the output signal from the hd cable box and send it to a receiver at my projector (HD as well). As with most people, I want a great product but not pay through the nose. I am willing to go up to as much as $300. I have seen products as high as $5-600 but this is ridiculous and I would rather unplug my cable box and bring it into the movie room each time. Also, is it possible to split the "output" of the hd cable box and run a hardwire to the projector (HDMI) and watch that particular channel on the projector? again, I appreciate any info. regards

The Peerless HDS100 HD Flow is the first product that comes to mind for a complete HD wireless system, but is higher than the $300 price you've set. There aren't many cheap, reliable, HD capable products that I would recommend.

If you can run an HDMI cable, you can split the HDMI output to your projector for a low cost. Monoprice has a simple HDCP compliant splitter that's gotten good reviews: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10113&cs_id...

You'll need a decent quality HDMI cable to go 20 feet, so don't skimp. You should also pick up a basic IR remote repeater so you can take the remote into the other room with you and control the cable box.

Or, you could just get another basic HD cable box just for that room.

Hope that helps!

in search of
wow, great reply speed. I

wow, great reply speed. I appreciate the info. It looks like I will be splitting the hdmi and get the repeater (cheaper overall I would think than renting a high def box monthly from cable company.

best regards,

lloyd

GLORIA WHELAN
I just got wirerless cable

I just got wirerless cable but it will not pickup in my other rooms. I do have cable wires ran from the rooms from before.How can I get cable to work in other rooms.Missing my bedroom t.v.

anthony igheghe
i transmit cable signal in my

i transmit cable signal in my locality to about more than 50 persons.my problems is connecting wires from a lenghty distances to another distances of about 300m or above.is there any wireless device that can be use to replace those lenghty wire connections?pls help out

bdoe01
I have a Charter Spectrum DVR
I have a Charter Spectrum DVR and want to remote mount in to a closet. Is there an IR extender that would work or is there a better source to make this work.  I tried a Harmony Hub, but it is too difficult to operate and program
 

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