Some Questions about Satellite TV.

SoylentGreen

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I have a few questions about watching and recording programmes if I install a satellite system in my house. Any answers would be greatly appreciated.

1. If I only have one TV set. Can I watch local RTE 1, RTE2, TV3, and record either BBC1, BBC2, Channel 4 at the same time? One being on the Saorview system and the other on the Free Sat system.

2. If I have only one TV set. Can I watch RTE1, RTE2, TV3 and record either RTE1, RTE2 or TV3 at the same time?

3. If I have a second TV in another room can different programmes be watched on either TV at the same time? One person in each room, one watching RTE and one watching BBC?

4. If I have a second TV in another room. Can I watch RTE in one room and record RTE2 in another room or can I watch RTE in one room and record BBC in another room?

5. Can I watch RTE in one room and record BBC in the same room but on my other TV record another channel?

Someone said that I cannot record in another room unless I have an external hard drive. Can I have a Combo Box in both rooms without the need for an external hard drive.

Thanks
 
Q1 & 2: Is you're TV a smart TV with built in saorview and satellite receivers and recorder? If so, it'll do whatever the manual says.

If not, it'll all be down to the model of set top box you buy. Most with record and satellite capabilities will feature at least two feeds from the dish so you can record one/ watch one. Some newer boxes may allow you to record multiple streams while watching another.

For a second TV to have all the abilities to watch/ record multiple streams, you'll need another box there along with feeds from the dish. You can get LNBs that will give you 8 feeds from a single dish, so running the cables is the only potentially tricky bit.

Some combi boxes will have a built-in drive, others will use external.
 
Thanks Leo. We spoke to an installer who didn't seem to know much about the recording capabilities of the set top boxes. He suggested that we could watch RTE 1but not record RTE 2 at the same time. He also said that we would have to get an external hard drive for the second room. Maybe the set top boxes that he was supplying are not the more modern type.
He also suggested that he would attach the satellite cables to the existing UPC cables and piggyback on them for room number two but would install new cables for room number one.
I got the impression that he didn't want to run cables through the attic and down behind the walls to the TV's. Instead he suggested just running the cables around the roof or over the roof and then drill in through the walls.
At this stage I think I need a recommendation for an installer.
 
Yep, you need an installer who knows what's on the market outside the limited range they supply and also someone who's interested in doing the job properly and not just taking the easy shortcuts like the cabling method you described.

If you're anyway handy, you could run the cables yourself, that would save the installer a lot of time and you a lot of money.
 
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