roveer
join:2004-01-18
Mendham, NJ
| reply to roveer
Re: FIOS Digital Converters and my Channel Plus 4 Ch Modulator
Here's my setup.
Analog CATV (channels 2-80) comes into the house, splits off for cable modem and the other line goes straight to my Channel Plus Modulator. Just before it goes into the modulator It runs through a notch filter which filters out channels 90-105 (may not be exact but close). From the modulator it goes to a distribution block where each TV gets a home run.
The modulator has 4 inputs on RCA jacks. 1=VHR, 2=Tivo, 3=DVD & 4=Media streamer.
The modulated channels are 91, 93, 101 & 103 respective to the devices above.
In addition there are IR senders at the TV's which just go in-line with the coax. At the modulator there are IR transmitters which go over the source equpment (VCR,DVD,Tivo & Streamer). This allows control of this equipment from every room.
The Tivo gets a coax in from the modulator so it can see channels 2-80 so it can record shows.
Each TV uses its own tuner and tunes 2-80 Plus 91, 93, 101 & 103 which are the modulated devices (VCR, DVD, Tivo & Streamer). Most of the TV's have a TV remote, & Tivo remote at their locations. VCR remote and DVD remote are not needed, we just put in the tape or DVD an it plays.
This allows all TV's in the house (7 of them) to get full CATV (2-80) plus use of VCR,DVD,Tivo & Streamer. This has been a wonderful thing over the years especially being able to put on Tivo shows where ever mom has put the kids. Got a sick kid, they get Dora in their bedroom. Want to watch a DVD, kids get it in the Den, or basement, or bedrooms wherever. Just tune to the corresponding channel for the device you want and off you go.
This is really a poor mans matrix switching setup and it cost me 600 bucks back when I put it in.
My problem is, if I keep the existing system in place I can not go to digital cable because trying to put STB's at the TV's will not allow me to view my modulated 91,93,101&103. The STB's will also likely not work becuse I'm filtering the signal at 90-104 AND there would be no analog to go to the TV's because FIOS has all digital.
Can't see a way around this one. Digital Cable with my 4 devices modulated. I could go to matrix switching but if I bought composite matrix switching I'd be wasting money at this point and would have go buy a fairly big switch 6+inputs by 7 outputs probably an (8x8). That would be expensive and use old technology.
If I went with component level matrix switching I'd have to buy a pretty big switch 6+ x 7 (which would probably be 8x8 and that would ge a good investment (although pricey). Problem is, it would want all component inputs and all component outputs. This would mean that all of my older source equipment would have to have expensive composite to component adapters (300 bucks), AND all my TV's would have to be component which right now, only 1 is. So, component switching is for new (component capable source equipment), and new TV's (component capable) otherwise you end up buying a lot of expensive converters. This doesn't seem to work for me.
I'm starting to think I'm SOOL. And once the cable co gets rid of analog all together (later this year or next), I'll be facing this for real!.
Roveer |
PJL
join:2008-07-24
Long Beach, CA
 ·Verizon FIOS
3 edits | If the modulator has 4 inputs on the RCA jacks, then one could be the FiOS STB since it has a composite output (RCA jack). Perhaps I'm missing something, but I don't understand why you need a modulated output from the FiOS box. It would behave just like the Tivo except it would have all of the FiOS digital channels rather than just the modulated channels 2-80 you are getting from your CATV system. And if you get the DVR version, it would record as does the Tivo. If you're tyring to get each TV to see different channels provided by FiOS at the same time, then in the digital age I don't think this is really possible, unless they have QAM tuners and then they can see the locals and a couple of other channels by directly using the FiOS COAX feed. |
