Re: Combining OTA HDTV and CATV

Dave (fosterdave@xxxxxxxxxxx) wrote in alt.tv.tech.hdtv:
> I am trying to figure out if this is even possible. Are there HDTV's
> with tuners that can remember the channels programmed for OTA TV and
> CATV separately? I only have one F connector on my Insignia TV. I want
> to get OTA HDTV and analog cable and combine it into one cable with a
> diplexer or switch box. Then I want to be able to switch the input type
> between OTA TV and CATV and have the channels be separate.

This won't work with just one antenna input. When you switch from OTA
to cable, every TV (or STB) requires a re-scan. Every HDTV with more than
one antenna input allows separate channel memory, though.

The MyHD PCI cards not only have two inputs, but allow cable and OTA on
the same wire at the same time (obviously you have to make sure the
channels don't overlap).

> Any advice on what I should use to combine the 2 coax cables? Diplexer
> or splitter?

Diplexers are frequency-based filters...they cut off (or combine) signals
from below a certain frequency with those above a certain frequency.
Unless you have a very odd cable system, the OTA frequencies will overlap
with some of the cable channels, so you couldn't use a diplexer even if
you could find one set for a frequency other than 1GHz (which is the end
of cable and the beginning of satellite).

A *combiner* (which many splitters act like when installed in reverse)
wouldn't work because of the same overlapping frequencies issue.

You need an A/B switch of some kind, but the suggestion of feeding cable
signals through your VCR to a video input is the best idea.

--
Jeff Rife |
| http://www.nabs.net/Cartoons/Dilbert/Win95CatOnMonitor.gif
.

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