OT NTL digital STB additional use

[dave]

NTL changes my analogue stb for a digital one yesterday. All works fine(!). I esp. like having the radio channels on there with good quality sound - but it's a pity have to have the TV on to listen to it. To my question...

Is there a way to get the (radio channels) sound from these STB radio channels to another room somehow? Is there a way for have eg a 2nd tv (or some black-box) hooked up to this new stb (radio link or cable)? I don't want to get a dabs radio as have heard that the signal quality is rarely as good as it could be as bandwidth is reduced because of demand for channel space

[Ian Stirling]

Look for a site explaining SCART wiring. Basically, you want a remote extender, to let you use it from anotehr room. Then you want a SCART - phono adaptor, and some cables to an amp.

Wander round maplins site

and see if you find anything suitable.

The output of the box will be enough to drive an amplifier, it will not directly drive unamplified speakers.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If you're happy with the sound quality of the radio channels as heard through your TV, DAB will sound just fine.

[dave]

I didn't actually say I was happy with it - but compared to my ancient drifting trannie it's much better. The TV does have quad speakers although I am well aware that speakers in a TV is no way hi quality sound. DAB wil NOT be just fine for me if the bandwidth of the transmission bandwidth varies with the programme.

[Richard Conway]

I would suspect that NTL are probably guilty of the same compression games as the DAB broadcasters - they too have a finite amount of bandwidth to squeeze as many simultaneous broadcasts as possible down.

[dave]

Not really. AFAIK DAB is off-air broadcast so have to compete with many other stations. NTL run dedicated cable. Also I believe DAB runs different bitrates on different channels becuase of bandwidth limitations. I don't have any comparable figures. But it's not the same problem for them. Anyone here actually know? That'd be interesting.

[tony sayer]

Might give you the info what you need....

[Rob Morley]

Get something like this

you can run a pair of phono leads to something that has stereo line- in connectors (lots of mini/micro stereo systems have these, or you could use PC-type active speakers although these usually have 3.5mm stereo jack plugs so you'd need a twin-phono-to-stereo-jack-socket adapter)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Nice theory but you really need to try it out first rather than just rejecting it out of hand. I know many people who are happy with it compared to a 'drifting trannie'. I only use it for R3 and R4 at different times of the day on a very expensive system and it sounds ok. Agreed some of the pop channels sound crap but then they do on FM or DTTV as well due to the processing before the transmitter. What the public wants, apparently.

[tony sayer]

In article , Dave Plowman (News) writes

DABatable;-)

Yes so the politburo at the BBC reckon;!.....