Help! Need some advice on TV over IP (or wireless)

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  1. #1

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    Question Help! Need some advice on TV over IP (or wireless)

    Hello

    The situation is this. I live next door to my father's house which is empty most of the time. He has a satellite feed, pretty much never used, and I am keen to get the football in my house and I could do with some advice on how to do this.

    I see there being a few options.

    1. Drill through various walls and floors and run a cable. I would still need a satellite decoder and subscription so why bother.

    2. Use a wireless transmitter to transmit the signal from his place to mind. I found a set up in England that did this and that would seem fine. BUT, I installed a wireless router in his house and I can't pick up a signal in mine (unless I stand outside my front door - not really an option) and I am assuming this kit would have similar capabilities and therefore not work.

    3. Use something like a Slingbox. Can I buy this in HK and does it work with a HK satellite feed?

    4. Any other, brighter, ideas really appreciated.

    Thanks!


  2. #2

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    Do you need to pay subscription for the Sat feed ?

    Do you need to subscribe for the Sat feed if you have your own equipment ?

    If it is free, then it may be cheaper to buy the Sat Rx stuffs than to get something like Slingbox which may be an overkill for your kind of application, IMHO.

    Check this out:

    http://www.surpluscomputers.com/stor...egoryBody&c=SA


  3. #3

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    Hi Wing

    Apparently you do need to get a second subscription, because the satelite feed needs a decoder, and the decoder needs a card, and to get the card you need a subscription.

    Is it possible to buy a Slingbox in Hong Kong?


  4. #4

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    Well all i can say is dont get those PoS wireless transmitters.
    I have one, and it can barley transmitt from my computer room, to my tv room (less than 10m) with one thin wall between and even if i place the transmitter in line of sight of the reciver it still sux.
    The sound is like that of a radio in the 50's but the image is usualy good, though on occation in black and white.
    So if you cant get a wireless router working then i can guarantee you a wireless A/V transmitter wont either.
    Why not just drag a cable window to window instead? thats whay i would do, cheap easy, fast, effective...and not to mention very HK hehe


  5. #5

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    How far is your house from your father's, do you have line of sight and do you have a window that faces one of his windows? If you do you could use a pair of those a/v transmitters.
    If your father's house is hardly occupied then why not transfer the satellite contract to your house?


  6. #6

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    Slingbox

    You need broadband (including wifi) connections on both sites (transmitter and receiver) in order to use the slingbox. And, the slingbox will cost you around $250 USD. For the same price, you probably can get a Sat dish + all the receiver equipment there in HK

    I had my slingbox installed in California and watch the US shows e.g. football, baskerball, baseball, etc here in Hong Kong. I don't know how to get one in HK though.

    I think you can order one from the Web and have them sent to you to HK directly. But, this is not a good solution for your case, IMHO.

    If you have LOS, I would use an A/V transmitter/receiver.


  7. #7

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    Thanks for the replies.

    Few points, I don't have line of site unfortunately. Our two flats share a common wall.

    Secondly, I cannot drag a cable between the two houses, he would object and the building work required is too involved. If I was to drag a cable, I would also have to go round each time I needed to change channel!

    It does seem to me that a Slingbox would be the solution and I am more than happy to go with this for US$250.

    But I am not sure if it would work with a satellite feed from an HK dish.

    Anyone got any bright ideas if I can find this out for certain?

    Thanks for all your help so far. It doesn't sound like too tricky an issue and there has to be a good solution there.


  8. #8

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    My dad used to have a setup where he could remotely control the satellite receiver from a different room. The sat. was downstairs in the living room and he wanted to be able to watch it from his bedroom now and then. He used a transmitter and receiver pair, receiver placed in the bedroom and transmitter facing the sat. The two were wired and followed the output feed from the sat. to the upstairs tv. Selecting a channel on the remote upstairs would be picked up and passed downstairs to control the sat. You could consider this as an option.


  9. #9

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    Hi DB

    Yeah a friend of mine has a similar set up in England. Works pretty seamlessly.

    Unfortunately it is the cabling (for long reasons I won't bore you with) that presents the problem.

    If I knew a slingbox would solve the problem then I would happily go down that route. Just not sure if an HK feed will work.

    Also, (puts his nerd hat on), quite cool to be able to watch the prem matches elsewhere if required!