Directv help needed

[landru22]

Sorry if my question has been answered already. I searched the forum and couldn't find it. I have GBPVR installed on a very old and slow PC (350mhz) with a WinTV 250 and an xcard. This pc is soley dedicated to GBPVR. I am also running a version of GBPVR that is probably a year old (My pc was too slow for the new versions to work). I use this PVR for recording only (I don't pause live tv, etc.).

Anyway, I have been using GBPVR for quite awhile using analog cable. No problems there but today I just got Directv installed. I ordered an extra Directv receiver so that I can have 1 dedicated to the PVR (GBPVR) and so that I can watch one channel while recording another.

My problem is this, my PVR and my main tv are in the same room. Apparently I cannot split the signal from the wall jack (like I did with cable) and have one wire going to the main directv receiver and another going to the PVR directv receiver. I tried this and was not able to get all the channels for both receivers. Does anyone know if there is such a splitter that will work with directv?

The options I know of for me are:

1-Connect the PVR receiver to another wall jack. This will require drilling a hole in the wall if I want to keep my PVR in the same room as the main tv. I prefer not to drill any holes in the wall.

2-Move my hauppauge 250 card and dedicated Directv receiver to another (faster)pc in another room where I have an open wall jack and then stream the captured video to the original PVR pc. This may be my best option but I'm afraid that the slow pc will freeze up if I do this.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what I can do?
Does such a thing as a satellite splitterthat will work with directv exist?

[stefan]

Not that I know anything about Driecttv, but I assume it's is a digital solution of some sort. Generally, digital receivers are quite picky about signal quality. If you use a splitter, the signal drops in quality. What I have to do at home if I want to split the signal, is to use a booster before the splitter (or a combined booster/splitter).

[womble]

If its anything like a normal satellite setup you will need an additional output on the LNB (the thing on the arm sticking out from the dish) to supply the signal to the box, you cant just split the cable. I know old sat systems used to work in a way that some channels are on a vertical frequency and other channels are on a horizontal frequency and the LNB can only recieve one signal from each at a time so by splitting the cable would basically split the channels horizontal on one box and vertical on the other depending which frequency channel you selected first. As i said this is a basic description of how the old style satellites worked. The new LNBs work by magic far as i can work out! eitherway if you want to get a second box working you will probably need to replace the LNB with a twin out unit.

[womble]

From what I can get from the Directv website is that the LNB should be dual output as standard. There are signal combiners that will take both outputs and stuff them down one cable and then split them again on the other side. Most online satellite shops sell these.

[landru22]

Thanks Stefan and Womble for your replies. I'm not sure what I am going to do at this point.

[nitrogen_widget]

What you need is a directv approved sattelite multiswitch & a second reciever.
http://www.prosatellitesupply.com/Multi-...itters.htm

They can also be found on e-bay.

My directv dish has 4 outputs.
2 going to reciever's in bedrooms & 2 going to my dual tuner Tivo.
If I want to add a second tuner to my media server in the bedroom it will have to be an over the air digital or I will need to buy a multiswitch to turn my 4 into 6 or 8.

As far as I can tell it keeps the dignal from degrading.

[User]

If I am understanding you, you are trying to split the signal directly off the dish and go direct into your PVR and that will not work. You have to come off the outputs of a Directv tuner STB in order to get picture and sound.
In my setup I have two Directv STB's one is dedicated to the feeding GBPVR and an occasional use TV, the other is integrated with the living room TV.

[landru22]

Thanks for the replies.

What I'm trying to do is split the signal from the wall jack (whether that is considered splitting it directly from the dish, I don't know). Then have this signal feed two Directv receivers, one for regular tv watching, the other for GBPVR.

I have been told of the multiswitch. The only affordable one I saw was at Radio Shack but it wasn't for coax connections. It looked like it was for connecting directly to the dish. I may already have one of those installed in my attic for all I know as I have the one dish working 3 rooms at present.

I don't want to have install another wire directly from the dish connections in my attic.

[User]

What I would do is trace back from the wall plate and see if you have a multiswitch, if you do then obtain one with more outlets and run a second RG6 Coax from there to the wall plate. If there is no multiswitch and the coax goes from wall plate to the dish, AND the only two outlets you need are at that wall plate then you could just run a second coax from dish to wall plate. A regular coax splitter will not handle the frequencies off the dish.