Video Sending

[cpjames]

Hi Guys,

I am looking for a robust solution to broadcast my Tivo output (in the lounge) up to the bedroom and relay remote signals back to the unit.

Previously I used a digisender from argos which wasnt bad but I have found that the unit wasnt of the best quality and it is going down hill with picture quality etc.

So I have been digging around and have found various digisender type devices which look like they would do the trick but I'm not sure which one to go for ..

So I thought I'd consult the AV wisdom of you guys to see what solution you thought was best...

Cheers,

Chris

[stevensdrs]

I have been using several Thomson Video senders for about 4 years now. This allows me to control my Tivo and have playback in any room in the house, provided of course I have a receiver in it.
The only drawback of using this system is that it uses the same rf frequency as my wireless network so can suffer from interference to picture.
I believe you can get video senders from the USA that work on a higher rf frequency 5.8 ghz but they are a little more expensive.

[The Obo]

I have a Philips VL1400 that has been working sweet for 2-3 years to 2 other rooms int he house. My wireless network (G) doesn't interfere with it at all - the only interference I get is from the microwave (destroys picture completely) or from people walking "through the beam" (but as we're in bed while watching via the sender this is not a problem) or from other random occasional sources. But generally the picture is very good.

Other than a wired solution this is about as good as you'll get!

[iankb]

I use a Philips VL1200. The picture quality and range are excellent, but electromagnetic interference on the low-voltage mains lead can cause spurious IR to be transmitted back.

To avoid interference from the Wi-Fi network, you have to make sure that you use Infrastructure Mode and not AdHoc Mode, switch of SSID broadcasting (also a security requirement), and choose channels at opposite ends of the 2.4GHz band.

However, you cannot ensure that your neighbours won't operate Wi-Fi networks that will conflict with your video sender, and Wi-Fi networks can have quite a range when interference and not quality is the issue.

Also, the 108Mbps networks use a considerably-wider part of the 2.4GHz band, and it might be difficult for your video sender to grab a clean channel.

[jeremy Parsons]

www.slingbox.com

[KiNeL]

A nice piece of coax works well as an uplink for me...;<))
A PITA to install perhaps but absolutely nothing beats it for relaibility and quality.

I've got a pair of One4All remote extenders for the remote functions.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SV1000-One-For-All-Remote-Control-Extender_W0QQitemZ110020103123QQihZ001QQcategoryZ91388QQssPa geNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[aerialplug]

I use a Techica (Tesco's own brand) video sender which appeared briefly at my local Tesco Extra a while ago - but was only on the shelf for a week or so before it disappeared.

Picture and sound quality are excellent but as others have mentioned it's a 2.4GHz device so it succeptable to interferance from external sources. I have to turn off my wifi to use it and can occasionally start crackling when nearby microwave ovens are in use.

Plus, I live on a bus route. whenever a bus passes, it suffers from regular plulses of crackles for about 4-5 seconds. This baffled me for a while, but it now seems the busses have transponders (or something similar) that feed back their location to recievers on certain bus stops and I believe it's this that's interfering with the video sender.

For me, it's acceptable for occasional use but my main problem is not being able to use the wifi at the same time as using the sender.

[RichardJH]

I also use the Technica unit and rate it ok except for me I find that to get good IR response whilst in the living room where the Tivos are I have made up a couple of black tubes to stop the sender IR wands interfering. I just have to remember to take one or both off if I want control from upstairs. One day I might source some ferrite rings to see if that will stop the interference. A subject that is frquently mentioned in other threads on this forum

[aerialplug]

Oh yes - there's another gripe I have with the technica. If the sender is on, the remote is very unresponsive downstairs directly to TiVo so I need to switch it off. This I assume is because it's constantly sending "noise" - it can't be much as it doesn't show up on my IR sensitive digital camera but is probably enough to interfere with the direct signals.