| Clear QAM to analog(NTSC) signal? Hello Everyone,
I was wondering if anyone knows of an equipment manufacturer that can take clear QAM channels and and covert them to analog so they can be viewed on multiple tvs that have plain old ntsc tuner. Basically the scenario is a location is trying to avoid digital adapters/STB boxes strapped to every exercise machine. I think ive seen some boxes that handle 1 for 1, but the solution i am looking for would be 1 box that would have multiple feeds coming out.
Each individual machine would still be able to tune via their channel changer on the machine itself
Is this even possible? |
|
PJL
join:2008-07-24
Long Beach, CA
kudos:2 | Do a web search for "convert qam to analog" and you'll see some options (I did this using Bing). |
|
| I think i am missing something. Is it that once the signal is converted to Analog, I could just use a splitter to get additional links that tune to the frequency of the analog channel?
Example Line into box coming in as Clear QAM, box converts to analog, out from the box a splitter, then each analog tv could tune to a channel? The whole idea is to eliminate need for boxes |
|
PJL
join:2008-07-24
Long Beach, CA
kudos:2 Reviews:
 ·Verizon FiOS
| said by Onedollar:I think i am missing something. Is it that once the signal is converted to Analog, I could just use a splitter to get additional links that tune to the frequency of the analog channel?
Example Line into box coming in as Clear QAM, box converts to analog, out from the box a splitter, then each analog tv could tune to a channel? The whole idea is to eliminate need for boxes
Each QAM channel needs to be converted to an NTSC analog channel that is then multiplexed (combined) with other channels and output on one line so that it could be viewed using analog tuner that tunes to any of the analog channels. Some of the solutions I found by doing the search do just that and output the various channels to a line that can then be split to more than one TV, each of which could tune in any channel.
This is how the screens on the exercise equipment at my gym work. |
|
| reply to Onedollar
It may be cheaper and less complicated to replace the NTSC TVs with QAM TVs and simply feed them the cable directly. That and every TV would have better picture.  |
|
PJL
join:2008-07-24
Long Beach, CA
kudos:2 Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| said by Andy from CA:It may be cheaper and less complicated to replace the NTSC TVs with QAM TVs and simply feed them the cable directly. That and every TV would have better picture.
That could be expensive if the TVs are part of the exercise equipment, like they are at my gym (in addition to a bunch of flat panels hanging from the wall and the ceilings). |
|
| reply to Onedollar
Thanks PJL,
What you describe is the same situation.
Would something like this serve the purpose?
»www.vecima.com/products.php?line···tem=1083 |
|
PJL
join:2008-07-24
Long Beach, CA
kudos:2 | Probably, but I am not an expert. The equipment in the link apparently also accepts cable cards so you could get all subscribed channels. |
|
|
|
BiggA
join:2005-11-23
EARTH | reply to Onedollar
MSOs often have something like this for the bigger commercial customers who are in situations like that (exercise equipment, many TVs, hospitals, nursing homes, campuses, etc, etc). |
|
guppy_fishPremium
join:2003-12-09
Lakeland, FL
kudos:1 Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| reply to Onedollar
You basically trying to be a cable head-end, like the cable plant was before they switched to digital. Short story is it can be done, but your looking at thousands of not tens of thousands for the hardware.
I a large commercial location, it might make sense, for a home owner, is will never be cost effective. Just get new TV's, small ones aren't much more than 19" 100 bucks, 32" for 200, less than an STB rental for a year
|
|
| Yea, the only solution was the vecima product i Linked. The location will be on their own if they choose to use it. I heard it is not easily configurable either with the constant reshuffling of QAM, it needs to be reconfigured |
|
PJL
join:2008-07-24
Long Beach, CA
kudos:2 Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| said by Onedollar:Yea, the only solution was the vecima product i Linked. The location will be on their own if they choose to use it. I heard it is not easily configurable either with the constant reshuffling of QAM, it needs to be reconfigured
Unless they use the cablecard capability, which seems logical. If they can afford this equipment they likely can afford cablecards. |
|
| reply to Onedollar
If only a few of the channels are desired such as the Big Four Broadcast networks, it can be done relatively inexpensive. It would require the following hardware for analog ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX:
* Four clear QAM tuners, about $100 each (cheaper used on ebay)
* Four UHF agile modulators, about $50 each
* Two four way splitters (one for splitting the raw cable signal and the other for combining the output of the UHF agile modulators) costing about $5 each
* RF amplifier (gain depends on how many TVs must be hooked up) costing about $50
* Downstream Taps (similar to splitters but with less downstream signal loss) costing about $10 each
The total cost for 4 channels would be about $800. For more than four channels, it would cost roughly $150 per channel.
UHF channels available are 14 through 69. Lower cost modulators must be spaced three channels apart to avoid interference. Therefore a maximum of 20 channels could be sent using this method at a total cost of roughly $4,000. |
|
